Water pollution during China's industrial transition

Hu, Yuanan; Cheng, Hefa

doi:10.1016/j.envdev.2013.06.001

Cited by 143 publications

(68 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…The drive for cheap production is not always congruent with the triple bottom line of sustainable development, but quite the opposite: there are examples of well-established companies that have struggled with environmental and social norms in low-cost manufacturing countries [60][61][62][63]. For instance China, one sourcing country also in our case study, is well-known for low-cost manufacturing, but also for social and environmental problems related to rapid industrialisation and weak enforcement of social and environmental regulations [64][65][66]. Similar challenges are related to raw material extraction, as well as end-of-life solutions.…”

Section: Pitfallsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Potential and Pitfalls of Frugal Innovation in the Water Sector: Insights from Tanzania to Global Value Chains

Hyvärinen¹,

Keskinen²,

Varis³

2016

Sustainability

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Abstract:Water is perhaps the most intertwined, and basic, resource on our planet. Nevertheless, billions face water-related challenges, varying from lack of water and sanitation services to hindrances on livelihoods and socio-economic activities. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) recognize the broad role that water has for development, and also call for the private sector to participate in solving these numerous development challenges. This study looks into the potential of frugal innovations as a means for the private sector to engage in water-related development challenges. Our findings, based on a case study and literature review, indicate that frugal innovations have potential in this front due to their focus on affordable, no-frills solutions. However, we also recognize pitfalls related to frugal innovations in the water sector. Although the innovations would, in principle, be sustainable, deficiencies related to scale and institutional structures may emerge. These deficiencies are linked to the importance of water in a variety of processes, both natural and manmade, as well as to the complexity of global production-consumption value chains. Increasing the innovations' sustainability impact requires broader acknowledgement of the underlying value chains and their diverse links with water. A holistic view on water can mitigate water-related business risks while increasing wellbeing on an individual level.

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Section: Pitfallsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Potential and Pitfalls of Frugal Innovation in the Water Sector: Insights from Tanzania to Global Value Chains

Hyvärinen¹,

Keskinen²,

Varis³

2016

Sustainability

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“…This corroborates the hypothesis that the urbanization has dramatically affected the water quality of the Yangtze River. In general, domestic sewage, agriculture sewage, and industrial wastewater are considered three primary sources of water pollution in these areas [32][33][34].…”

Section: Spatial Change Of the Water Qualitymentioning

confidence: 99%

A Novel Calendar-Based Method for Visualizing Water Quality Change: The Case of the Yangtze River 2006–2015

Huang

Zhong

Gan

et al. 2017

Water

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Abstract:Mapping water quality change is helpful in the study of the water environment of a region. Using visual methods, interpretation of water condition and pollution issues can be intuitive and easy to understand. In this paper, we present a map to represent the spatial and temporal variation of water quality change in the Yangtze River during the period from 2006 to 2015. The calendar view was developed to explore the water quality condition and water pollutants for sections of the Yangtze River. A "W" construction was proposed to arrange the weekly water quality data in a continuous logic, and qualitative colors were designed to identify the change in major pollutants throughout the period. This map provides a promising visual analytical approach to investigate the water quality status and reveal the spatial and temporal patterns of water quality change in the Yangtze River.

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“…Rapid industrialization has greatly deteriorated water quality due to the great amounts of industrial wastewater emissions with toxic heavy metals [3]. Previous research has demonstrated that increasing industrial wastewater emission is the main culprit of this country's water pollution [23,30,32]. In 2012, the total wastewater emission reached 68.5 billion tons, three times the amount documented in 1990 [30,33].…”

Section: Analytical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…In 2013, the emergence of cadmium poisoned rice in Hunan Province and Guangdong Province have brought unpredictable risks and influences on both public health and environment, which triggered a public crisis and caused tremendous political concerns [20,21]. Regarding heavy metal water pollution in China, industrial wastewater, municipal sewage, and the discharge of agricultural wastewater are considered the main pollution sources, especially with respect to industrial emissions [6,14,[22][23][24]. For example, the leather industry merely contributed (less than 1%) to the total industrial output to Shandong Province in 2010 but produced over 40% of the total discharged Cr waste [6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial Assessment of Cancer Incidences and the Risks of Industrial Wastewater Emission in China

Liu

et al. 2016

Sustainability

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China's rapid economic growth and social transitions have deteriorated environmental conditions and caused further public health issues in last three decades. This study examines the complex mechanisms of how socioeconomic transitions and physical environmental conditions impact public health, especially with respect to increasing cancer incidences in mainland China from a spatial-temporal perspective. Specifically, (1) spatial variations of seven types of cancer incidences were analyzed in relation to heavy metal emissions from industrial wastewater at the prefecture-level city scale from 2004 to 2009. Additionally; (2) spatial statistical methods were employed to explore the associations between health outcome, heavy metal emissions from industrial wastewater (arsenic, chromium, cadmium, mercury, lead), as well as socioeconomic transitions (industrialization, urbanization, globalization) and physical environmental factors (hydrology and vegetation coverage). Results showed a significant increase of cancer incidences between 2004 and 2009. Consistent with the spatial pattern of heavy metal emissions, cancer patient clusters were identified in both traditional industrial bases and newly industrialized economic zones, especially in major cities located at downstream watersheds, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenyang, and Wuhan. The results also revealed the double-edged effects of industrialization, economic growth, and urbanization on natural environment and human health. The findings provide informative knowledge of heavy metal pollution and cancer outbreaks in China and therefore offer valuable reference for authorities formulating regulations.

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Water pollution during China's industrial transition

Cited by 143 publications

References 37 publications

Potential and Pitfalls of Frugal Innovation in the Water Sector: Insights from Tanzania to Global Value Chains

Potential and Pitfalls of Frugal Innovation in the Water Sector: Insights from Tanzania to Global Value Chains

A Novel Calendar-Based Method for Visualizing Water Quality Change: The Case of the Yangtze River 2006–2015

Spatial Assessment of Cancer Incidences and the Risks of Industrial Wastewater Emission in China

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