Blue Skies Over Beijing: Economic Growth and the Environment in China

China's unprecedented growth has made the country both the envy of the developing world and infamous for pollution. Kahn (economics, Univ. of Southern California; Green Cities: Urban Growth and the Environment) and Zheng (deputy head, Dept. of Construction Management, Tsinghua Univ., China) provide an overview of pollution and environmental policy in China over the last several decades. The authors postulate that although past growth "relied on the smokestack model, an approach that yielded economic growth but also led to very high levels of local and global pollution," poor air quality will decrease, as has been seen in some cities, and that ultimately "economic growth is positively associated with improvements to the environment." The authors use this theme to frame a variety of environmental issues. The book provides substantial data but covers a wide breadth of topics including industry-specific pollution data, activism, litigation, and government policies.