Along with the U.S., China is one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases in the world. In 2006 the World Bank, which offers financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the world, declared that 16 out of 20 of the world’s most polluted cities are in China.
So last Friday China announced that it is considering collecting environmental taxes from polluting companies.
The Chinese government, along with several environmental departments, are working together to see when the conditions will be right to actually impose an environmental tax in China. But it doesn’t look like they will need to search long with information like this:
- Last year the air quality in 2 out of 5 Chinese cities ranted from “polluted” to “hazardous”
- Surface water pollution is still a huge problem
- Coastal water suffers from light pollution
- City air pollution is still hazardous
- Rural environmental problems are increasing
It is obvious that the environment in China is not in good shape, but hopefully with an environmental tax the once flourishing study abroad location can become a healthier place for its residents and for tourists.
Source: Yahoo! News
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