the global shift- china adv and dis

Question 1

investments in infrastructure

Answer 1

• china invested heavily in its infrastructure
• has the worlds longest highway network
• rail system that links all provinces and cities
• hsr has doubled in length in 10 years linking major cities
• shanghais maglev is the fastest commercial train (268mph) taking 8 mins from cbd to the airport
• 82 airports have been built since 2000 (now 250 in total). 8 of the worlds top 12 airports by freight tonnage.

Question 2

pollution and health problems

Answer 2

• caused mainly by coal power stations, many cities have regular pollution alerts
• 70% of rivers and lakes are now polluted.
• 207 tributaries from the Yangtze are so polluted they can’t be used for irrigation or drinking.
• 100 cities suffer from extreme water shortages and 360mn don’t have access to clean water.
• tap areas has 80 out of 101 forbidden toxins
• 1/3 of the pop breathes in air that would be unhealthy by us or European standards

Question 3

an increase in unplanned settlements

Answer 3

• rapid industrialisation and urbanisation has created a need for more housing resulting in an increase in informal homes
• an increase in land process has made affordable homes hard to find. this has caused: expanding houses in villages close to the edge of cities and villagers adding an extra story to their house and rent it to migrant workers; farmland is privately developed for housing without permission

Question 4

over-exploitation of resources and resource pressure

Answer 4

• china has coal, oil and metals such as iron ore but not enough
• supply can’t keep up with demand for increased industrialisation and need for material for the built environment. the gov have to teach elsewhere: amazon for soy; Venezuela for oil; Congo for Colton
• this search for additional resource is creating widespread environmental damage

Question 5

loss of biodiversity

Answer 5

• (2015, WWF) vertebrae pop declined by 50%
• (UN) the Yellow Sea and S.China sea are the most degraded marine areas
• 36% of forests are facing pressure from urban expansion

Question 6

reductions in poverty

Answer 6

• 300mn people are now middle-class
• no of consumer items has risen
• no of people living in poverty reduced by 680mn from ‘81 to ‘10
• remittances has decreased rural poverty

Question 7

loss of productive farmland

Answer 7

• increased loss of farmland from raid industrialisation
• most farmland is lost due to pollution. 3mn hc polluted by heavy metal
• farmland close to rivers closed due to risk of pollution from fertilisers and pesticides
• rapid urbanisation created a loss of farm workers which has decreased production
• overproduction is some areas has created desertification and a further loss of productive land
• rural famers are 40% more likely to suffer from liver cancer due to exposure to heavily polluted land and water

Question 8

increase in urban incomes

Answer 8

• economic growth and slow population growth has led to urban incomes rising as pay rises
• urban incomes have increased by 10% a year since ‘05
• in ‘14 the average urban income had risen to $9000 a year
• the urban workers also receive good terms and conditions- 40hr working week, overtime payments, paid holidays
• there is a big and growing urban/rural divide

Question 9

better education and training

Answer 9

• education is free and compulsory
• 94% of chinese over 15 are literate compared to 30% in ‘50
• in ‘14 7.2mn graduated from uni 15x higher than ‘00
• this was a plan by the gov to create an equated and innovate workforce
• spending still varies between rural areas (£2200-£300)

Question 10

land degradation

Answer 10

• over 40% of farmland is now suffering from degradation
• industrial emission are creating acidic soils in the south
• land clearance for industry has led to deforestation
• over-intensive grazing has created degradation and then desertification