Chuck Chiang: China replanting forests to fight pollution

 

 

 MARCH 23 2014

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Residents of Shaanxi province plant trees during China’s National Tree-Planting Day.

Photograph by: China Photos , Getty Images

It’s no secret that China’s rapid industrial and economic expansion in the past decade has taken a toll on its environment — not completely dissimilar to what was seen in Europe during the Industrial Revolution during the West’s own modernization, albeit at a faster pace and on a larger scale.

One of the often-overlooked aspects of the environmental degradation is the issue of deforestation. But as Beijing increasingly focuses its attention on a cleaner environment to placate the public, officials are also now more keenly aware of the well-being of China’s forests. And these officials want the West to be equally aware of Beijing’s efforts to reforest the country during the past decade.

Last month, the country’s State Forestry Administration issued its latest review of China’s forest inventory. Cutting through the political language in the report, the raw numbers illustrate that China’s efforts to plant new trees appears to have already brought some sizable results.

According to the report, China’s forests currently cover 21.6 per cent of the country’s landmass, a total of 208 million hectares. Reuters reported that in the last five years China has planted 13 million hectares of new forests. That is roughly the same area as Greece — or about four times the size of Vancouver Island.

The report also states China is committed to increasing forest cover to more than 23 per cent of its territory, in accordance to a promise made at a United Nations climate change summit in 2009. That process, officials say, in currently 60 per cent complete.

Reuters reported that some experts have concerns regarding the specifics of the reforestation program, namely that the focus on new forests being the driver of the growth outlined in the state agency’s report.

Reuters quoted a professor at the Kunming Institute of Botany as saying the plantation forests may be planted with species that bring economic benefits (such as rubber or fruits), without considering what works best with the local ecosystem.

Regardless, the sheer number of trees being planted is staggering, with an environmental impact to match: Beijing now estimates China’s forests will be able to store 8.43 billion tonnes of carbon emissions and conserve up to 580.7 billion cubic metres of water — in addition to absorbing 38 million tonnes of “pollutants” per year.

The forestry narrative is just the latest in a string of announcements from Beijing targeting what many believe to be one of the most important issues facing Chinese authorities in the future. Earlier this month, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang made it abundantly clear that Beijing has now “declared war” on pollution.

He wasn’t joking. The country’s environment ministry said last week it has started using drone aircraft to search for illegal polluters in northern China.

The country’s rise since the 1980s has increased the standard of living dramatically for hundreds of millions of its people when it comes to most economic and general quality-of-life factors. But environmental degradation — most visibly the air pollution seen in major cities — remains an outlier in that regard.

Besides the pollution being a serious health concern and potentially leading to astronomical medical costs down the road, officials are now recognizing its immediate economic impact. According to the American Chamber of Commerce in Beijing, a recent survey shows that 48 per cent of 365 foreign companies doing business in northern China expressed concern that the region’s pollution levels are turning senior executive away. That’s a jump from the 19 per cent recorded in a similar survey in 2010.

Essentially, pollution is preventing top-end talent from embracing China fully.

And a report from the World Bulletin last week noted that some foreign companies had to offer extra financial incentives, such as higher pay and/or heftier insurance packages, to entice executives, which adds extra costs for firms doing business in China.

With competition for global investment rising, especially from Southeast Asia, pollution has become a rare disadvantage for China — one Beijing is now actively tackling. The forest expansion is just one aspect of that initiative.

There is another economic aspect to consider when it comes to China’s reforestation, and it is an issue that British Columbia should keep a close tab on. Beijing’s forest report clearly outlined one of the key benefits of reforestation is the increased “provision of lumber products for the development of economy and society.” The report also notes that the plantation forests — which now account for 46 per cent of China’s domestic lumber production — will allow for the country to protect natural forests while continuing to maintain (or even increase) lumber production levels.

The likelihood of China’s reforestation having an immediate impact on the country’s demand for Canadian lumber is slim. But if Beijing follows through with its plans, it may force B.C. rethink its lumber export goals.