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The Global Shift - China - Coggle Diagram
The Global Shift - China
Benefits of growth in China
Investment in Infrastructure
82 Airports have been constructed since 2000, taking Chinas total number of airports to 250. 8 of these airports are in the top 12 airports in the world by freight tonnage.
China has developed the worlds largest highway network in the world.
Chinas rail system has reached over 100,000 km linking major cities and transport links
China has the worlds largest high-speed rail system
China has the worlds fastest commercial train, The magnetic levitation train, which is able to reach speeds of 268 mph.
Reductions in Poverty
Over 300 million people are considered middle class in China. An estimated 45% of people are classed as middle class
Between 1981 and 2010 China has reduced the number of people living in poverty by 680 million. It has also reduced the number of people living in extreme poverty from 84% in 1980 to under 10% in 2016.
Increase in Urban Incomes
Urban incomes have increased dramatically since 2000.
Employers now have to pay higher wages to recruit staff
Urban incomes have risen by 10% a year since 2005
The costs of growth in China
The loss of productive farmland
Despite increased food production, Chinas industrialisation has lead to an increasing loss of farmland since 2000.
Over 3 million hectares of arable farmland have been polluted with heavy metals
12 million tonnes of grain were polluted in 2014
An increase in unplanned settlements
Chinas rapid industralisation has created an urgent need for new homes. This has reulted in a major increase in informal housing.
Land prices have rocketed which has made decent housing unaffordable.
Farmland is used for new developments without permission from the government
Pollution and health problems
Chinas air pollution, caused mostly by coal powered stations, is so bad that Beijing has frequent pollution alerts.
70% of Chinas rivers are now polluted. Water isn't fit for irrigating farmland.
100 cities suffer from extreme water shortages and 360 people living in China don't have access to clean drinking water.
Land Degradation
Despite having 22% of the worlds population China only has 6.4% of its land and 7.2% of its farmland.
Raid urbanisation reduces the amount of usable land for farming. 40% of Chinas farmland is now at risk from soil erosion.
Overcultivation and deforestation has lead to soil erosion in the north and south.
Over- explotation of resources and resource pressure
China has an abundance of oil and coal as well as metals such as iron
China does mine and process its own recources, however it is also responsable for defrestation in Africa and Latin America due to the high demand.
Loss of Biodiversity
In 2015 WWF found that China vertebrates had declined by 50$ since 1970.
Half of Chinas vertabrated had vanished is 45 years
The main cause for loss of biodiversity is loss of degradation of natural environments by economic development.