China

The US and China, the two countries who produce and consume the most will largely determine our environmental future. The effects of our choices will probably be felt most and most immediately in Africa.

Mark Hertsgaard writes extensively on China in his excellent book Earth Odyssey. This article is based on the book.

People

Wang Canfa, director of the Beijing-based Center for Legal Assistance to Pollution Victims.

Wang Yongchen, a journalist with China National Radio, co-founded Green Earth Volunteers, one of China's first environmental NGOs.

Video

Photographer Edward Burtynsky documents how humans alter the world, and to a lesser degree the people engaged in doing the work [1]. A video, Manufactured Landscapes, (trailer) was made about his trip to China and its factories and the Three Gorges Dam. Excerpt from Manufactured Landscapes.

Design: e2 - China: From Red to Green. The series moves to China, whose soaring population and rapid industrialization have created a boom in urbanization that is unprecedented in human history. In an attempt to tackle this global issue, the episode explores design solutions in both theory and practice, including Steven Holl’s Linked Hybrid Project, which when completed will be the largest residential, geothermal heating/cooling and greywater recycling system in the world. Also featured is architect, designer and winner of three U.S. Presidential Awards William McDonough. Recognized by Time magazine as “Hero of the Planet,” McDonough talks about his innovative plans to make China an entirely sustainable country and how it will demonstrate the ways architecture can be both profitable and environmentally intelligent.

Books

China's environment and the challenge of sustainable development Armonk, N.Y. : M.E. Sharpe, c2005 McH Stacks - HC430.E5 C43 2005 Online