Pollution: soil erosion

Question 1

What is soil erosion?

Answer 1

It is the process of the destruction of the initial layer of dirt in the ground called topsoil

Question 2

What is topsoil?

Answer 2

Topsoil contains the highest concentration of organic matter and microorganisms making it extremely fertile and crucial to the growth of any type of vegetation.

Question 3

What can cause soil erosion?

Answer 3

• impact of wind or rain
• construction
• grazing

Question 4

How does grazing cause soil erosion?

Answer 4

• grazing causes the removal of existing vegetation.
• this causes there to be less roots holding the soil in place, therefore making the soil easier to erode by rain or wind.

Question 5

How does soil erosion impact the fertility of land?

Answer 5

Soil erosion can lead to desertification as the ground becomes less and less fertile, not allowing anything to grow in it, this could also cause deforestation.

Question 6

How many people are impacted by soil erosion?

Answer 6

According to a nationwide survey from 2008, almost 100 million people in SW China will lose the land they live on within 35 years if soil erosion continues at its current rate.

Question 7

What are the consequences of soil erosion?

Answer 7

• destruction of crops
• flooding

Question 8

What has been the impact of soil erosion on crops?

Answer 8

Harvests in the NE predicted to fall by 40% within half a century on current trends.

Question 9

How do forests prevent soil erosion?

Answer 9

Forested uplands protect China’s lowland river valleys by storing rainfall and gradually releasing it to reduce the severity of droughts and floods, preventing soils from eroding, and making possible the country’s intensive irrigated agriculture system.

Question 10

Importance of forests in China

Answer 10

• prevent flooding
• provide fuel
• absorb CO2

Question 11

How much energy does forest provide for people?

Answer 11

Forests also provide 40% of the fuel for rural households.

Question 12

How does forests help CO2?

Answer 12

Environmentally speaking, these forests also serve as a huge absorber of pollutants such as carbon dioxide.

Question 13

What was the purpose of the Great Green Wall of China?

Answer 13

• the nation implemented the Great Green Wall of China project in 1978 to hold back the expansion of the Gobi Desert and provide timber to the local population.

Question 14

What is desertisification?

Answer 14

A 1/4 of all landmasses is desert in China , which until recently was rapidly expanding

Question 15

What is the impact of desertification/what is the importance of the green wall?

Answer 15

• Some causes/impacts of desertification include soil erosion
• By 2021, 27.4% of land in China has undergone desertification, affecting about 400 million people so this project was really needed

Question 16

The construction of the great green wall

Answer 16

• The Great Green Wall project is expected to continue until 2050
• aims to plant around 88 million acres of forests in a wall stretching about 3 000 miles
• as wide as 900 miles in some places.
• The government has subsidised and added numerous major afforestation

Question 17

How has the government responded to problems of soil erosion and deforestation?

Answer 17

• projects in more recent years, resulting in the biggest tree-planting project in human history. T
• he results have so far been satisfactory, as thousands of acres of moving dunes have been stabilised

Question 18

What has been the improvement in sand dunes?

Answer 18

the frequency of sandstorms nationwide fell by 1/5 between 2009-2014.

Question 19

Is afforestion effective?

Answer 19

• many of the trees that are planted in areas where they do not grow naturally simply perish after a few years. T
• hose that do survive can soak up a lot of the groundwater that the native grasses and shrubs need, causing more soil degradation

Question 20

What is the biggest cause of deforestation?

Answer 20

• It is the largest importer of soy, beef and forest products and the 2nd-largest importer of palm oil.
• The global value chains of these four soft commodities are responsible for at least 40% of global deforestation.

Question 21

What measures has China taken to help deforestation?

Answer 21

At COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, China committed itself to work alongside 140 governments to reverse global deforestation by 2030.

Question 22

What are some policies China has implemented to help deforestation?

Answer 22

China’s Natural Forest Conservation Program is the largest forest conservation program in the world. It includes massive tree-planting programs, an expansion of forest reserves and a ban on logging in primary forests.

Question 23

How much does the government spend on forest conservation program?

Answer 23

The Chinese government spends heavily on these forest programs—more than either the United States or Europe and more than 3 times the global average per hectare.

Question 24

What has been the impact of such policies to help with forest conservation?

Answer 24

A study released in 2016 found that “the implementation of the National Forest Conservation Program exhibited a significant relationship with forest gain in China during the first decade of the 21st century.”

Question 25

What has the Chinese government pledged to help forest conservation?

Answer 25

To help achieve its forest goals, the Chinese government pledged in its Intended Nationally Determined Contribution

Question 26

What is the Intended Nationall Determined Contribution?

Answer 26

“To vigorously enhance afforestation, promoting voluntary tree planting by all citizens, continuing the implementation of key ecological programs, including protecting natural forests, restoring forest..”
“To strengthen forest disaster prevention and forest resource protection and to reduce deforestation-related emissions.”

Question 27

What is soil erosion currently like in China?

Answer 27

Ministry of Water Reosurces: comapred to 2011, China’s soil erosion area stood at more than 10%

Question 28

What have been the negative impacts of logging bans to protect forests?

Answer 28

Job loses in logging industries
- there has been a knock-on effect in neighbouring countries as illegal logging of timber for the Chinese market has increased in Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia & Vietnam

Question 29

Effectiveness of policies to stop deforestation conclusion

Answer 29

• the effects are effective however have other negative spillover effects that might damage China’s economy (e.g job losses resulting in unemployment)
• if govt want to sustainably reduce deforestation, govt need to provide alternative opportunities for those now out of jobs

Question 30

When did unsustainable logging practice begin?

Answer 30

• began during the Great Leap Forward of 1958-60
• Mao decreed that China should be self-sufficient in steel production

Question 31

How did Mao influence deforestation?

Answer 31

• after Mao’s decreed, forest were cut to provide fuel for small township smelters which producer low-quality iron ore

Question 32

How does deforestation lead to soil erosion?

Answer 32

With the protective cover of forests removed from even the steepest slopes = topsoil washed into rivers = increased flooding = reducing discharge capacity

Question 33

What is China’s aims with soil erosion?

Answer 33

China aims to have no soil erosion in 73% of the nation by 2025, according to the offices of CPP and the State Council

Question 34

How has the amount of land impacted by soil erosion improved?

Answer 34

In 2021, decreased by 0.69% from 2020
- land that experienced soil erosion.

(the Ministry of Water Resources)

Question 35

How much land in China have been effected by soil erosion?

Answer 35

Nearly 28% of the mainland affected by soil erosion

Question 36

How much land does China have and how much is usable?

Answer 36

• China only has 0.21 hectares of agricultural land per person (half of world’s average) but more than 40% of China’ arable land is degraded
• this hasn’t changed, yet a China’s population grows = needs more food

Question 37

How important is agriculture to China?

Answer 37

• one of China’s most important economic sector
• 35% of its labour force involved in agriculture
• the sector provided 7.9% of total GDP in 2017