When a Billion Chinese Jump

Jonathan Watts, Asia environment correspondent for the Guardian newspaper, writes here about the four corners of China, starting with the modern story of Shangri-La and of the impact of the world’s highest railway from Xining to Lhasa. He then moves through the different regions of China, discussing their economies, cultures and ecologies.

But this is no geography text; it’s more a series of case studies illustrating trends such as the huge social upheavals of the past century. Inevitably, Watts’s word pictures can only be snapshots and he extrapolates somewhat in reaching conclusions, which nevertheless appear to be valid.

The four broad areas of China differ in their modernity and outlook, but all are degrading the environment. Although it has more nature reserves than anywhere else, the loss of species in China is currently twice the global average.

He talked to the locals whenever he could, but had to be careful, as journalists are still regarded with suspicion by authority. These conversations make for an informative and entertaining read, and our common humanity shines through in the dialogues.

Watts discusses China’s choice: accept environmental disaster or make radical changes. He gives plenty of examples where China might be moving from red to green. For example, it’s a chestnut that China builds two massive coal-fired power stations every week, but did you know that they also put up a new wind turbine every hour? One team is working on a proposal to cover a third of China’s immense desert with solar panels.

The return of the otter to our rivers in increasing numbers has been rightly celebrated as a sign that our environment is improving. Watts’s book reminds us that our gain has been China’s environmental loss, because our manufacturing is done there now. The Chinese pay a heavy environmental price for our gadgets and toys.