China: Choking on Growth (NYTimes) - "As China Roars, Pollution Reaches Deadly Extremes"
(my questions posted to the NYTimes forum for the series):
1. With the recent dog food safety and product recalls calling attention to pervasive problems in the Chinese regulatory framework, the idea of boycotting products from China has gained attention (eg. _A year without "made in China"_). What would the effect of a boycott be on China? If large enough, would it actually 'cool' the overheated export-driven market leading to a reduction in negative externalities, or would it paradoxically have negative pressure on prices, leading Chinese manufacturers to further circumvent the expenses of regulatory compliance (such as it is) and environmental controls?
2. On the topic of relative energy efficiency of production between equivalent (assumed) Chinese goods and more developed nations: Is there anywhere in the world (applied, or in development) a labeling system that compares energy use in production relative to global industry ranges for the same product? I am thinking obviously of the US "energyguide" appliance labels, and similar programs in other countries, which apply to the post-purchase side of the cycle.
3. China's pro-growth policies seem to be urban- and industrial-focused, but at least some of the environmental problems have a large-scale landscape / rural domain: silted rivers, particulate matter in the air from farming practices/desertification, and this year's extreme flooding problems. Is there a rural component to China's potential 'sustainable development' pathways?
1. With the recent dog food safety and product recalls calling attention to pervasive problems in the Chinese regulatory framework, the idea of boycotting products from China has gained attention (eg. _A year without "made in China"_). What would the effect of a boycott be on China? If large enough, would it actually 'cool' the overheated export-driven market leading to a reduction in negative externalities, or would it paradoxically have negative pressure on prices, leading Chinese manufacturers to further circumvent the expenses of regulatory compliance (such as it is) and environmental controls?
2. On the topic of relative energy efficiency of production between equivalent (assumed) Chinese goods and more developed nations: Is there anywhere in the world (applied, or in development) a labeling system that compares energy use in production relative to global industry ranges for the same product? I am thinking obviously of the US "energyguide" appliance labels, and similar programs in other countries, which apply to the post-purchase side of the cycle.
3. China's pro-growth policies seem to be urban- and industrial-focused, but at least some of the environmental problems have a large-scale landscape / rural domain: silted rivers, particulate matter in the air from farming practices/desertification, and this year's extreme flooding problems. Is there a rural component to China's potential 'sustainable development' pathways?
posted by ddgregory at 11:17 AM
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