Korea is located next to China, which is widely considered a major air polluter this last decade due to its current rise as an economic power and the lack of attention for natural environment.

China’s economy has been growing very strongly in recent years, and is expected to surpass the United States as the largest economy in the world by 2050. The breakthroughs in industrialization and economic development have been miraculous. Yet, before the Chinese can rejoice about these achievements, they should stop for a moment to think about their effects on the environment.

China has two of the world 10 most polluted cities, according to TIME magazine. According to World Bank, the statistics are no brighter. China hosts 20 of the 30 most polluted cities in the world. Chinese industry fares poorly when it comes to energy efficiency, wasting more power and energy than the standard during their manufacturing processes. Electronic wastes are not properly recycled and they are dumped in the wrong place. The high level of coal burnt and the motorization also contribute heavily to air pollution.

Economic development comes at the expense of the environment, as can be seen from evidence above. The reverse is also true. Protecting the environment will come at the expense of the economy. It takes costs to control and eliminate out pollutants. It takes costs to plant trees and build equipment for renewable energy. It takes costs to develop rubbish treatment facilities and so on. China has a huge population. And even with the impressive economic growth, many people are still very poor. They want to take advantage of the boom in the domestic economy and do not want to slow down because of the environment.

What do you think about this environment vs. economy dilemma? What do you think is more important? And what should be the limit? How do you propose the Chinese government deals with their current economy and environmental situation?