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//World in the Balance: China Revs Up// was aired on PBS in 2004 by NOVA. It centers on the affluence of China increasing the countries levels of pollution. If China continues to increase its consumption it will soon produce more pollution than the United States, making it the world’s largest polluter.

By 2030 China could emit as much CO2 as the United States. The number of Chinese migrating to cities is the largest human migration ever. Beijing is now full of smog, but people continue to move there for better jobs and more money. In a place where all people needed to be affluent years ago were a radio, sewing machine and bicycle, shopping malls are popping up everywhere. Respiratory disease has become the number one killer.

During “the Great Leap Forward” farmers were moved to factories to forge steel. This led to a famine. The solution to the food shortage was the one child law. It was a “race between stork and plow.” There were twenty years of industrial development with no pollution controls. The more affluent people became the more coal they needed for fuel and heat. Coal is a cheap but dirty source of energy. The Chinese government is now closing factories that produce too much pollution and are opening cleaner burning factories.

Cars are causing most of the pollution in China. Car companies were brought in to improve foreign interests in China. Many large companies build cars specifically for China. They follow the regulations set by the Chinese government, but these are ten years behind European regulations. The Euro 2 emission regulations are used in China, Europe is using Euro 5. The car industry brings so many jobs and China needs fifty million new jobs a year.

In rural China families lack basics like indoor plumbing and electricity; “trickle down” economics has clearly not reached these homes. China does not have enough farmland to feed their country. There is a water problem causing droughts and floods. Hillsides were cleared to make room for farms, but this has caused flooding. Now trees are being put back on hillsides, lessening farmland. This lowers the amount of income for farmers and the amount of food China produces. China has had to turn to the world market to feed its people. There is a small group of people fighting for the environment in China. Dissent is not tolerated and they are scared to do anything large scale.

There is not a lot the movie gives viewers to do. It really lies in the hands of the Chinese government. More strict environmental law needs to put set in place. If China sets up these laws outside companies will follow them, it would be a huge hit to lose the Chinese market. China has done a good job of limiting the size of families and even of educating children. There just needs to be more done to make sure these children have a safe planet to live and play on.