Timeline of pollution in China
From Timelines
This is a timeline of pollution in China.
Contents
Big picture
| Time period | Development summary |
|---|---|
| 1970s | "Economic reforms in the late 1970s that encouraged development in rural industries further exacerbated the problem"[1] |
| 1980s | "Epidemiological studies conducted since the 1980s in northern China suggest that poor air quality in Chinese cities causes significant health complications, including respiratory, cardiovascular, and cerebrovascular diseases"[1] |
Full timeline
| Year | Month and date | Event type | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | "It wasn’t until the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment that China began to develop environmental institutions."[1] | ||
| 2007 | "China is the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, having overtaken the United States in 2007, and was responsible for 27 percent of global emissions in 2014."[1] | ||
| 2007 | The year is known as China’s “first year of climate change communication research.”[2] | ||
| 2010 | "China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection calculates estimates the cost of pollution at around 1.5 trillion RMB ($227 billion), or roughly 3.5 percent of GDP, according to 2010 figures. "[1] | ||
| 2012 - 2014 | "China’s National Energy Agency claimed that coal use dropped to 64.2 percent of the mix in 2014, down almost two percent from 2012."[1] | ||
| 2013 | "China’s government said it was declaring war on pollution in 2013 and efforts to curb smog include closing down or moving heavily polluting factories and restrictions on the use of cars."[3] | ||
| 2013 | " In 2013, Chen Jiping, former leading member of the party’s Committee of Political and Legislative Affairs said that environmental issues are a major reason for “mass incidents” in China—unofficial gatherings of one hundred or more that range from peaceful protest to rioting. "[1] | ||
| 2013 | ", and in 2013 the discovery of thousands of dead pigs in the Huangpu river also spread rapidly online."[1] | ||
| 2013 | December | "In December 2013, China’s National Development and Reform Commission, the top economic planning agency, issued its first nationwide blueprint [PDF] for climate change, outlining an extensive list of objectives for 2020. "[1] | |
| 2014 | January | "Since January 2014, the central government has required fifteen thousand factories, including large state-owned enterprises, to publicly report real-time figures on air emissions and water discharges. "[1] | |
| 2014 | "China is the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, having overtaken the United States in 2007, and was responsible for 27 percent of global emissions in 2014."[1] | ||
| 2014 | March | ": Chinese Premier Li Keqiang declared a “war on pollution” in March 2014; "[1] | |
| 2014 | May | "in May of the same year the government strengthened the country’s Environmental Protection Law for the first time in twenty-five years. "[1] | |
| 2014 | "There were a record 17 million new cars on the road in 2014, further contributing to China’s high emissions. "[1] | ||
| 2014 | November | " In a November 2014 joint statement on climate change with the United States, China committed to hit its peak carbon emissions by 2030 and to have renewables account for 20 percent of its energy mix by 2030. "[1] | |
| 2014 | Water pollution | " In 2014, groundwater supplies in more than 60 percent of major cities were categorized as “bad to very bad,” and more than a quarter of China’s key rivers are “unfit for human contact.” "[1] | |
| 2014 | "China is one of the biggest investors in renewables, investing nearly $90 billion in 2014 as part of its pledge to cut its carbon intensity (far outspending the United States’ $51.8 billion)."[1] | ||
| 2015 | " In 2015, China’s coal power plant capacity increased by 55 percent in the first six months, 155 new coal-fired plants were approved, and China admitted that it had underreported its annual coal consumption since 2000."[1] | ||
| 2015 | March | " In March 2015, Under the Dome, a TED Talk-style documentary on China’s air pollution, went viral, attracting hundreds of thousands of views before internet censors blocked access"[1] | |
| 2017 | ". More recently, President Xi Jinping, on a state visit to Washington, announced that China would initiate a national cap-and-trade emissions program in 2017."[1][4] |
Meta information on the timeline
How the timeline was built
The initial version of the timeline was written by FIXME.
Funding information for this timeline is available.
Feedback and comments
Feedback for the timeline can be provided at the following places:
- FIXME
What the timeline is still missing
Timeline update strategy
See also
Timeline of pollution in Beijing
External links
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 "China's Environmental Crisis". cfr.org. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
- ↑ Li, Ji; Dan, Luo. "Climate Change Communication in China". doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780190228620.013.467.
- ↑ "Beijing meets national air pollutant standard for first time". scmp.com. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
- ↑ "China to Announce Cap-and-Trade Program to Limit Emissions". nytimes.com. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
