A staggering migration – 250M people into Chinese cities in 12-15 years [video]
nytimes.com
nytimes.com
The people who continue to live in rural areas should focus on farming efficiently for large populations rather than for subsistence. If you can move the subsistence farmers into cities, and if (this is a big "if") they can work and earn a decent wage without obliterating the current economy, then they will more than likely be better off personally, and will consume fewer resources globally.
I happen to think that this is a very difficult thing to do, and that their timeline is probably way too optimistic, but I don't think China should be criticized for trying. They stand to gain tremendously if they can pull it off.
I'm not really sure I have an example for the contemporary United States that even comes close. I suspect you'd have to change the definition of 'farmer'. Perhaps a family living in a dilapidated trailer, unemployed, growing cheap, starchy foods in what little land they can rent, in an area with poor or nonexistent utilities, would be a more accurate comparison.
Comparing a planned city such as Chengdu with a similar effort elsewhere, say in India, is another surprise. Ahmedabad is a pretty good example.
I have come to the conclusion that communism is an impediment to human excellence.[1] However, seeing the extreme levels of poverty that the central government is trying to resolve, and has resolved to a certain degree, I can understand the difference in prioritization.
There was a link to a book on cooltools years ago http://kk.org/cooltools/archives/461 that I just noticed was available on the Kindle. Poverty is so outside the understanding of most of us that it's not just about not having nice things. Poverty in the developing world and in the undeveloped world is so much worse that it's almost as if an impartial, uninformed observer would wonder if we are the same species, and I don't base that on skin color, eye shape, gender, etc.
[1] I don't care if you disagree on this point. I grant you a perpetual, irrevocable, license to do so.
Better cage them up in modern labor camps to produce smartphones for fat Americans. Free market, baby!
it. fucking. sucks. it's not the US countryside. there aren't red barns and guys riding Indian motorcycles and nice roadside cafes to check out the shots you took on your DSLR.
there's a reason that during the mao era people were sent there for punishment. these poor people want jobs and money not open ditches full of cow shit and 7-day a week hard farm labor.
But of course all of the comments so far have been about the environment, the Chinese do not give 2 shits about pollution and sustainability, the motive is clear KEEP THE PARTY IN CONTROL AT ALL COSTS
In all seriousness, some tips:
- Stop being racist
- go and learn a little bit about Chinese political landscape, and modern history
- Reduce your ignorance.
The Chinese (government) care greatly about the environment and the people, and that is why they have year-on-year improved hundreds of millions of lives in both health and wealth for the past 60 years.
Yes, they are a 1 party communist political system... but so what, judge by action, not ideology.
Parent is wrong though, the CCP most definitely cares about the environment; it has gotten so bad that they are in crisis mode right now. Xi just made a speech about it this weekend, the gov is taking it very seriously and people do care, especially here in Beijing.
Corruption, economy, and pollution (include food safety) are the biggest threats to the CCP's grip on power.
Are you saying that isn't racial prejudice?
I understand you may have a grudge, but how would you describe that?
And stop with the "racist" crap, in light of news of widespread NSA surveilance and changes over last year the USA ain that far behind.
It didnt take long for members of the Ministry of Truth to popup and try to "reeducate" readers regarding my earlier comments.
Oh I see, so we can just generalise about any country because the US is doing horrible things.
> It didnt take long for members of the Ministry of Truth to popup and try to "reeducate" readers regarding my earlier comments.
More wumao bullshit. Just because someone doesn't buy into the US constructed narrative of "US is good, cares about it's people and the environment, China is evil and just wants to control the world" they have to be Chinese shills...
How about showing me some data that proves I'm wrong?
EDIT: Here is some that shows I'm right:
http://www.gapminder.org/world/#$majorMode=chart$is;shi=t;ly...
The "Party" (calling them Communist is a bit of a joke by now) only cares about its own survival and continuing grip on power and control of 1/6th of the worlds population.
It's not a strawman it's very pertinent.
I think you need to read Capital (Marx), before judging whether they are communist/socialist, either way they call themselves that.
Saying "the Chinese think blah" is the same as saying "the Americans think blah". So stop with the racist crap.
If he said "the Han do no care about pollution or the environment" then fine, you'd have a great point.
clarification by a guy who does numbers for a living..
as land values rise in these rural areas some people have become rich very quickly. People in my hometown have started to fence up land that was previously unmarked (and worthless). It's an interesting phenomenon.
Not sure what conclusions to draw from the video, just an interesting anecdote. Things are happening quickly in China, for better or worse - there are huge differences every time I visit.
I'm presuming they are doing something good, and not considering all the cons that will ensue.
And there lies the rub. A) It is entirely possible that China will screw up something in their planning resulting in poorer environmental outcomes. B) This demographic shift will almost certainly come matched with an economic uplifting, and regardless of efficiencies of scale and density (which is what a city gives you), the increase in standard of living (and therefore energy and other related 'products') can result in increased environmental damage.
It really comes down to a question of execution.
You can see the effect of years of exposure to soot on the faces of people who live in rural China (and, I daresay, anyone who lives in similar circumstances). These people are not living particularly environmentally clean lives right now (although, to be fair, they probably do consume far fewer manufactured goods than their city-dwelling brethren).
Something of interest is the prevalence of solar water heaters, both in urban and rural areas. They are surprisingly common, much better than heating water using fire or electricity, and affordable even to those outside the cities.
Sadly, the video says this is meant to increase the economy, get them buying more stuff. I imagine that there will be a very efficient system for shipping all these people into massive factories to make plastic crap, so that all these newly converted consumers can buy more plastic crap, 98% of which ends up in landfills within 2 years, which I suppose is what they'll be using their old farmland for! lol.
I agree with leke.
/s