ABSTRACT
For centuries, the environment in China has been under enormous pressure due to the growing population, which has almost tripled in the course of the 20th century alone. Today, China is approaching its population peak of 1.46 billion inhabitants, which, among other things, represents a significant burden on natural resources. Moreover, at the end of the 1970s, a period of unprecedented rapid economic growth started in China, coupled with increased demand for energy supply and natural resources. The process of opening up to the world did not only bring an economic miracle but also catalyzed social and environmental problems. Air pollution, water scarcity, soil contamination, and many other environmental problems gradually became so evident that they could no longer be overlooked. The Communist Party of China (CCP) had to intervene – it was forced by the pressure of its own population and by growing pressure at the international level. Today, the Chinese leadership has to cope with an environmental crisis that is not easy to resolve. On the one hand, there is a vision of a greener future, but on the other, the risk of substantial economic losses exists. Adopting drastic environmental measures could jeopardize the stability of China's industrial regions, cause unemployment, and raise a number of other problems.
