China: smoothing of the one-child law will impact the environment and natural resources?
The Chinese Government will ease the birth policy in force in the country, which, until now, allowed only one child per couple. The Executive was contemplating an exception, and only for couples where both members are only children, who were allowed to have two children. The new family planning policy will now allow those couples in which one spouse is an only child, the possibility of having up to two children.Despite being a breakthrough in China's restrictions on its citizens, the authorities continue to defend the usefulness of the "one-child policy", citing arguments with more than 30 years. The key argument that the Government continues to invoke for the birth in the country restriction is that without this standard, China would not have sufficient resources to develop at the pace of recent years.If it wasn't for the "one-child policy" China would have over 400 million people and "per capita resources, including soil, seeds, forests, fresh water and energy would be 20 percent less than current levels," the spokesman for the Chinese Health Ministry, Mao Qun ', at the end of the plenary session of the central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, referred to the Quartz.The figures from the Ministry of health are questionable. Most academics dispute the fact that the Chinese Government contend that this measure prevented the birth of 400 million children. However, the assertion of Mao Qun ' an reiterates need conflict of China by natural and human resources.Even if the "one-child policy" was abolished, which would lead to the birth of over 9.5 million children, reveals the Quartz, these children would not grow at a pace sufficient to replace the labor force of the country or to take care of the elderly population, which increases increasingly. But the abolition of this law would mean, on the other hand, what else needed 9.5 million people food, water and a home livable.A quantity of facts would make it difficult to increase the population. Currently, the amount of arable land per capita is half the world average. Pollution, erosion and transformation of rural areas in cities, part of China's urbanization plan, means that 40% of the soil is considered to be "degraded", according to United Nations standards, being thus more unfavourable, in economic terms, to cultivate.Aware of this, China has a lack of drinking water and energy production, since it has consumed intensely underground water reserves, especially in the North of the country. Currently, China concentrates approximately 20% of the world's population, but has only 7% of the resources of drinking water on the planet. In this sense, the Government warned that the demand for water already exceed the supply in 2030.The Government made it clear, however, that the intention is to just soften the "one-child policy". Given the conditions of land available for cultivation and the available water resources of China, as well as the Government's intention to maintain levels of economic growth in recent years, a smoothing of this law is the maximum that can be hoped for from the Chinese Government.Foto:  Joan Vila / Creative Commons
If You Enjoyed This, Take 5 Seconds To Share It
0 comments:
Post a Comment