Introduction
Urbanization in Zhejiang province has greatly contributed to pollution, putting the increasing population at risk of severe health problems if early interventions are not sought. With the rising number of factories in the province coupled with the fact that many people are moving into East China in search of employment, it means that in the long run, the consequences of industrial pollution will interfere with environmental sustainability. Several questions arise regarding urbanization regarding negative consequences and the action steps relevant stakeholders are taking to limit negative events that accompany urban growth. Conflicts between urbanization and environmental protection are eminent since increased industrial activities and population growth contribute to air, water, and land pollution. The paper uses the case of Zhanjiang province in east China to support the claim that urbanization is destructive to the environment and interferes with actions to protect the environment.
Literature review
Environmental conflicts resulting from urbanization pose major environmental concerns due to the negative effects they have on the ecosystem. Pollution is a major issue in ZJP such that locals are forced to live with damaging effects of air, water, and land pollutions emanating from urbanization. The major challenge is air pollution which leads to the rising in atmospheric temperatures that is associated with global warming and climate change. According to Yang et al. (1), urbanization has contributed to 24 % of warming in eastern China due to Urban Heat Island effect. Industrialization has been contributing to the growth of cities as more people move into urbanized regions in search for employment, education and commercial purposes (Yang, Yiling and Baode 1). The trend in growth of urban areas has greatly increased considering that over half of the world’s populace lives in urban regions (Jianga, Xiangzheng and Karen 33). The fact that East China still sees the need for growing their GDP and that many people are opting to settle in urban areas means that urbanization will still be on a rising trend in every part of the globe (Yang, Wenze and Honghui 7047). Zhenjiang is among the urban areas in China that are fast rising regarding GDP per capita hence making it perfect example in studying the conflicts between urbanization and environmental protection. While urbanization is good for China since it creates millions of job opportunities as well as promoting the growth of other sectors of the economy such as financial, industrial and hospitality, it is important that the negative effects of urbanization are addressed.
The study involved the collection of data from both primary and secondary sources. Primary sources included the photo of ‘New City’ taken by Guohao Zhong, which shows effects of city expansion on the ecosystem. Secondary sources used included scientific reports and books addressing the negative effects environmental effects of urbanization. From the sources, therefore, relevant and reliable data was obtained to support the study as well as identify whether there is a need to slow down the expansion of urban areas.
Discussion
Environmental problems caused by urbanization
Urbanization has changed the way human beings interact with the environment with negative trends in consumption, uses of energy, water, and land interfering with the quality of life. The biggest environmental impact is the temperature increase that is associated with global warming which is currently a global environmental concern (Haozhong 1). Zhenjiang province is currently among the urban centers in China that have large factories which contribute to emissions of large volumes of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. Energy consumption for electricity, transportation, and heating in households, industries and commercial settings contribute to air pollution that in turn leads to rising in atmospheric temperatures. The consequences of an increase in atmospheric temperatures include extreme temperatures such that make cities warmers than rural areas (Yang, Yiling and Baode 1). Air pollution from a higher concentration of carbon gasses into the atmosphere has contributed to poor visibility in Zhejiang province (Yang, Wenze and Honghui 7055). Consumption also increases with a rise in urbanization hence contributing to the higher amount of solid wastes that find their way into landfills. Such wastes together with effluents from industrial activities such as paper-making factories in Zhejiang contribute to pollution of water with health implications including respiratory infections and other parasitic diseases.
Interventions to minimize the conflicts between urbanization and environmental protection
It is evident that advocating for a slowdown in urbanization is not a solution many governments are willing to adopt. While locals are becoming aware of the environmental effects of urbanization, they are unlikely to convince the government that slowing down the pace is a viable solution hence the need to come up with sustainable measures that do not necessarily champion against urban growth (Zhao 1). Industries need to develop a measure that makes them rely on renewable and environmentally friendly sources of energy. Moreover, there is a need to shift away from over-dependence on public transportation means since they contribute largely to air pollution.
Conclusion
There are conflicts between urbanization and environmental protection since the growth of urban centers is accompanied by negative environmental impacts. Air pollution happens to be a primary concern due to higher volumes of carbon gasses emission that increase atmospheric temperatures hence making Zhejiang province hotter than normal. There are also additional concerns with effects of land and water pollution since they contribute to chronic illnesses. However, since government’s ambitions are focused on the growth of GDP, it is evident that efforts by the public to advocate for a slowdown in urban growth will not work. It is appropriate for the public, industries, local authorities and national government to take a joint approach in coming up with sustainable manufacturing and consumption practices.
Works Cited
Haozhong, Guo. "The New City." Witness 12 March 2015. Web.
Jianga, Li, Deng Xiangzheng and Seto Karen. "The impact of urban expansion on agricultural land use intensity in China." Land Use Policy (2013): 33– 39. Document.
Yang, Xuchao, et al. "Environmental Consequences of Rapid Urbanization in Zhejiang Province, East China." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (2014): 7045-7059. Document.
Yang, Xuchao, Hou Yiling and Chen Baode. "Observed Surface Warming Induced by Urbanization in East China." Journal of Geophysical Research (2011): 1-10. Document.
Zhao, Lin. "The Conflict." South Daily 02 August 2012. Web.
