ABSTRACT
However, this was not the first time that the greening of China had been given a literal expression via a coat of paint: at the time of the final visit by the Olympics vetting panel judging locations for the 2008 Olympics, to Beijing in February 2001, it was suggested that bare areas had also been sprayed with green paint in an effort to brighten up the city at the end of winter (Cook, 2007). Such activities do lead to serious questions about the depth of China’s commitment to environmental issues. China is changing rapidly, often for the better, but the overarching emphasis on economic growth is often at a heavy price in terms of environmental degradation, health problems and low quality of life for many. In this chapter I shall attempt to give a flavour of the complexity and impact of contemporary environmental concerns in China via consideration of topics including the problem of water, the quality of the air, health problems and energy use. I will conclude with a discussion of appropriate policy responses.
