ABSTRACT

Legal and economic problems relate to stewardship of land in China. From air to water to land, the environment is fundamental to any nation's economic and physical health. China faces numerous great challenges in these areas, but also has proven remarkably successful at solving challenges that have become the focus of attention and resources. Pollution threatens not only health in China but political stability as well. Beyond natural resource pollution, the quality of China's food has suffered numerous, well-publicized failings. China's leaders are aware that climate change is a major global threat and that China, as the world's biggest carbon emitter, has an international obligation to cut its pollution. A changing political environment also makes it crucial for China's leadership to deal with the massive environmental problems that have followed in the wake of rapid economic expansion.