This article analyzes the pollution and economic growth trends in China as it has industrialized exponentially in recent decades. The article claims that unless China changes its methods, it will become environmentally and socially unstable. Instead of analyzing city GDP or overall GDP, the article highlights the “city-clusters” that have been essential to rapid Chinese growth. Specifically, city-clusters are groups of large cities dotted across China. Instead of an interconnected whole, the author explains how large cities form in groups and clusters. This seems a lot like American urbanization/suburbia; however, China’s clusters are far smaller and more densely populated. These economic hubs, sometimes acting completely self-sufficiently, contribute a lot to Chinese growth but also utilize an extreme amount of resources. These city-clusters tend to form around the eastern coast, where access to local trade and more natural resources gives more economic output. Some of these city clusters are now struggling to maintain the same levels of output, as they have decimated the surrounding natural resources (natural gas, coal, etc.). China is also facing water shortages, which the city-clusters are worsening with over-consumption and pollution. Much of China’s little available surface water is already polluted. In the conclusion, the author explains how China’s aspirations are unrealistic for its reality. Urbanization cannot increase at the previous rate, and estimates that by 2020 (this was written in 2006) China will face resource shortage. This is a similar theme I have found in scholarly literature—that China is approaching a tradeoff point, and must decide if it will take care of its domestic issues or keep pushing for economic output. If they choose the latter, the economy could crumble in the long-run. The article used scholarly literature and aggregate data to support its claims. It used environmental data such as water quality and PPM (parts per million) and for economic data primarily relied on GDP of individual city-clusters.

Shao, Min, Xiaoyan Tang, Yuanhang Zhang, and Wenjun Li. “City clusters in China: air and surface water pollution.” Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 4, no. 7 (2006), 353-361. doi:10.1890/1540-9295(2006)004[0353:ccicaa]2.0.co;2.