Since the late 1970s China’s energy intensity began to fall due to the replacement of the heavy industry by the export sector that used far less power. Between 1978 and 2000 the energy intensity dropped by two-thirds. That is why the policymakers did not even have to try to encourage sparing use of resources, it just happened naturally.
Until 2002 when the virtuous cycle went into reverse. The energy consumption suddenly began to grow one-and-a-half times as fast. The authorities were taken by surprise and didn’t react immediately. But not only the authorities were surprised, so were the global commodities markets. Resulting in rapid inflation continues to this day.
Although the authorities should have seen this coming, between 2000 and 2005 the share of metal-processing doubled and that of petrochemicals rose by two-thirds. Cement, glass, paper and other energy-intensive industries also boomed.
But why was there such a booming of the heavy industry? Economists offer two opposing, some believe that China has reached a stage in its development when labour becomes scarce and growth begins to rely more heavily on investments. The other opposing is that raising wages leads to higher incomes which leads to more spending power. So the people start to buy homes, cars and televisions. Resulting in a bigger need of natural resources.
For a lot of people economic growth is their first priority and not sparing energy. Do now China is importing even more environmental and social pressures along with the raw materials with which it fees its hungry industries.
1 opmerking:
It really turns out the wrong way if you see that their energy intensity dropped by two-thirds. Let's hope that they will work on it so they can have a better environment, what's not that easy with all their industries nowadays.
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