More Good News From China ...2.63 Million Trees Planted
With the recent victory in Xiamen, followed the Chinese Government releasing its first ever, national climate change strategy this week, I thought I’d spotlight another great story or two, from the oldest civilisation on the planet… and because this one comes close to home too.
The 62-page action plan, created by the Chinese government promises to join the international effort to control global warming by improving energy efficiency, increasing its use of renewable energy, developing drought-resistant crops ...bad news for GM foods and perhaps even bees?... but good news for expanding forests that absorb carbon dioxide, and hold back the creeping deserts and increased dust storms.
According to Chinese officials, China’s new goal of improving the environment will be undertaken, "...without sacrificing the long term goal of economic growth." Yep, the oldest civilisation on the planet has got the consumerism bug, too...
'The Plan’ further stipulates that the country’s first priority remains, "sustainable development and poverty eradication."
Good luck juggling that amidst the population boom...
But, talking about advancing deserts and increased dust storms ...which I have done once before <<here>>… another really uplifting tale from China on just his very problem, as they tackled it head on and have quietly been planting millions of trees to help stop the desertification of the Fuguan Province, (near the Mongolian border)...where seven years ago, advancing deserts were clocked at 3km (2 miles) a year.
China immediately began building what is known today as its "Green Great Wall", a 700-km (435 mile) barrier of trees and enclosed grassland, which will ultimately stretch across Inner Mongolia, Hebei and Shanxi provinces by 2010.
The project has often meant mass re-location, as in the case of Deng Baogui, who was a shepherd and wheat farmer in the Inner Mongolian village, where his family had lived for three generations.
An ordinary citizen until a giant sand dune swallowed Deng Baogui’s home.
Fortunately for Deng, whose plight might have easily been ignored, the desertification which made it nearly impossible for him to eke out a living, also fuelled the spring-time dust storms that blow through Beijing, leaving tonnes of sand on the streets.
Deng's entire village -- whose 478 residents are all Han Chinese -- were relocated by the government to make room for the “Great Green Wall.” which Beijing hopes will be completely effective in holding back the desert, upon its completion.
Further impetus was added to the project in 2001, when Beijing was announced the winner of the next Olympics, despite comments that the dust storms do not ordinarily happen in and around the month of August.
On a government trip organised for foreign media, Deng had a chance to voice his viewpoint on having to leave his ancestral home for the project.
"In our hearts we were reluctant to move because we were nostalgic. It's not easy to leave the place I was born and grew up," said 50-year-old Deng, standing in the living room of the four-room brick house where he now lives.
"But it was getting very hard to earn a living,” he added, saying, “ The government came again and again over half a year to try and convince us. Finally the sand came and showed us the way."
Deng and his family retain ownership of the 6 acres of land where their old home stood and tend the trees that now grow there.
Desertification is no longer just a problem for China and the thick yellow dust of the sand storms now reaches as far as South Korea, Japan and at times even the United States and Canada.
OVERGRAZING
Fuquan is in Duolun county, near the Mongolian Border, some 350 km north of central Beijing and close to the site of 13th century Mongol Emperor Kublai Khan's summer place Xanadu.
The Suzhou wood industry in Duolon, fast becoming popular too for it’s solid tigerwood flooring.
By 2000, overgrazing, deforestation, wind erosion and drought meant nearly 90 percent of Duolun county was affected by desertification.
Since then, 2.63 million trees have been planted, farmers have been forced to switch from wheat to grass production and all grazing has been banned in the worst affected areas.
China's anti-desertification campaign has not been without controversy.
Exile groups accuse the government of using the environment as an excuse to further assimilate the Mongolian community, which is now outnumbered about five to one in Inner Mongolia thanks to decades of migration by Han Chinese.
"The forced eviction of ethnic Mongolians is really intended to complete the Chinese government's long-term goal of eliminating the ethnic Mongolian population and traditional culture," the Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Centre says on its Web site (www.smhric.org).
Duolun county officials are keen to stress that local residents, particularly the 8,300 people like Deng who have been relocated, have benefited financially from the changes.
"Before relocation, the average annual income of the farmers and herdsmen was less than 700 yuan ($92), now it's 2,608 yuan.
In other parts of his county, better soil conditions have enabled the planting of apricot trees, but it is mostly poplars that now populate an area with 385 mm of annual rainfall, not affected by the sparse conditions.
Officials now report that the battle against the advancing deserts is not won but the first goal of stopping the desert moving south has been achieved.
Sources: Story, Reuters and Fuguan Facts by Ben Blanchard
The 62-page action plan, created by the Chinese government promises to join the international effort to control global warming by improving energy efficiency, increasing its use of renewable energy, developing drought-resistant crops ...bad news for GM foods and perhaps even bees?... but good news for expanding forests that absorb carbon dioxide, and hold back the creeping deserts and increased dust storms.
According to Chinese officials, China’s new goal of improving the environment will be undertaken, "...without sacrificing the long term goal of economic growth." Yep, the oldest civilisation on the planet has got the consumerism bug, too...
'The Plan’ further stipulates that the country’s first priority remains, "sustainable development and poverty eradication."
Good luck juggling that amidst the population boom...
But, talking about advancing deserts and increased dust storms ...which I have done once before <<here>>… another really uplifting tale from China on just his very problem, as they tackled it head on and have quietly been planting millions of trees to help stop the desertification of the Fuguan Province, (near the Mongolian border)...where seven years ago, advancing deserts were clocked at 3km (2 miles) a year.
China immediately began building what is known today as its "Green Great Wall", a 700-km (435 mile) barrier of trees and enclosed grassland, which will ultimately stretch across Inner Mongolia, Hebei and Shanxi provinces by 2010.
An ordinary citizen until a giant sand dune swallowed Deng Baogui’s home.
Fortunately for Deng, whose plight might have easily been ignored, the desertification which made it nearly impossible for him to eke out a living, also fuelled the spring-time dust storms that blow through Beijing, leaving tonnes of sand on the streets.
Deng's entire village -- whose 478 residents are all Han Chinese -- were relocated by the government to make room for the “Great Green Wall.” which Beijing hopes will be completely effective in holding back the desert, upon its completion.
On a government trip organised for foreign media, Deng had a chance to voice his viewpoint on having to leave his ancestral home for the project.
"In our hearts we were reluctant to move because we were nostalgic. It's not easy to leave the place I was born and grew up," said 50-year-old Deng, standing in the living room of the four-room brick house where he now lives.
"But it was getting very hard to earn a living,” he added, saying, “ The government came again and again over half a year to try and convince us. Finally the sand came and showed us the way."
Deng and his family retain ownership of the 6 acres of land where their old home stood and tend the trees that now grow there.
Desertification is no longer just a problem for China and the thick yellow dust of the sand storms now reaches as far as South Korea, Japan and at times even the United States and Canada.
OVERGRAZING
The Suzhou wood industry in Duolon, fast becoming popular too for it’s solid tigerwood flooring.
By 2000, overgrazing, deforestation, wind erosion and drought meant nearly 90 percent of Duolun county was affected by desertification.
Since then, 2.63 million trees have been planted, farmers have been forced to switch from wheat to grass production and all grazing has been banned in the worst affected areas.
China's anti-desertification campaign has not been without controversy.
"The forced eviction of ethnic Mongolians is really intended to complete the Chinese government's long-term goal of eliminating the ethnic Mongolian population and traditional culture," the Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Centre says on its Web site (www.smhric.org).
Duolun county officials are keen to stress that local residents, particularly the 8,300 people like Deng who have been relocated, have benefited financially from the changes.
"Before relocation, the average annual income of the farmers and herdsmen was less than 700 yuan ($92), now it's 2,608 yuan.
Site of Kublai Khan's Xanadu
Officials now report that the battle against the advancing deserts is not won but the first goal of stopping the desert moving south has been achieved.
Sources: Story, Reuters and Fuguan Facts by Ben Blanchard
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Amongst all the bad there's some good things it seems.
katyzzz
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I am still very concerned about the Bees, still losing sleep over them thanks to Einstein
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That's great news. Nice to read about a government taking some positive steps in relation to the environment! Lots of little steps make a big difference!
Kylie
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..there certainly is...fascinating and sooo necessary.
I hope we take a leaf out of their forest.
Lilla ...
Australian Traveller
Flashes of memories
I LOVE GEOGRAPHY... I am intrigued by dune formations and how they move, erosion and ways of farming... all of it! It must be awful watching the desert encroach on your town... at the rate of 3km a year? wow!
I'm left open mouthed by this sort of statement... doesn`t anyone realise that if we don`t look after the environment we won't actually have a world to live in... thereby eliminating the need for 'economic growth' - obviously a country has to worry about it but why wouldn`t you view this is an untapped market where there are millions to made down the line when the rest of the world decides to 'Go Green'? Get it up on that highER list of priorities.
Show them ways of becoming self-sufficient and then later develop from there... market gardening?
It will be very interesting to see what happens to the relocated Mongolians later down the line... if this is just a pay out to get the authorities out of the spotlight over it. Amazing how money can throw people off the scent...
have a great night. Thanks for the info.... loved this post!
ash
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So I'm glad that good things are still happening!
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Ha! …you’re an old cynic… /seriously/ I had the same feeling. *lol*
If this carbon credit things takes off like I think it will, every corporation will be donating money to planting trees to get them…good news for us all?
Who knows, maybe the olympics will showcase the Great Green Wall and other nations will follow suit... I hope Peter Garrett wakes up soon? Perhaps he burnt too much of the midnight oil to remain passinate about it as our own deserts also move forward at alarming rates!
The bees is another issue, I agree and not an easily solved one…although digging a little deeper I uncovered an interesting article from *cough* that talks of a strain of genetically modified bees some ten years ago… it seems that genetically modifying them would have produced better honey ..oh please *slaps forehead*
Ooh I know, next thy’ll be talking about cloning bees, perhaps?
Getting angry… detatching…
Thanks for your great comment.
Lilla …
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I thought so too and it lifted my spirits to think other nations would play copy cat…
As you say, worldwide, that’d be a lot of trees…here’s hoping?
Lilla …
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thanks for the positive feedback!
I wish there'd be Green Walls around every desert... CHina may just yet lead the way on this one and with the olympics there to chowcase it, perhaps show us all up?
We can hope.
Lilla ...
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As if it a separate entity and we’ll survive after the earth perishes… well many do believe we’ve done it before and come here from Mars or God knows where… why not?
Just makes me want to sit and cry.
Market Gardening is exactly the way. And in my article on the Plan B Budget it is clearly outlined that all charity to third world nations, comes to nought, without teaching the locals to be self sufficient. You are sooo right there.
Mmm..conspiracy thoughts of relocating them because of the olympics? Possible.
Thanks for your great comment Ash, it is a joy to have such positive feedback on my posts. Am honoured, thanks.
Have a great weekend!
Lilla …
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…as I’ve said, hopefully other nations like Australia and Central America, will follow suit, Olympics or not.
With water levels tipped to rise 3 metres per decade and deserts blowing in at 3kms a year…well let’s just say that the east coast of Australia, hasn’t got much leeway without some action?
Indeed we can do nothing else but watch… although I plant trees also, as often as possible…making my own green wall
Lilla …
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Is it enough?
Well perhaps if all the world gets behind it ...and ...well... new coal factories... um ...that is depressing...for us all ... unless like in our last post... more people become avtive in caring about this planet we live on...and voicing their opinions and objections.
What I want to know, is where the bloody hell is Peter Garrett... I doubt that no news, is good news in this case, don't you?
Lilla ...
fantastic post! Loved the pictures...and hurray for China!
Take care,
Nick
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Thanks for the compliment and comment,
Hurray indeed!
Trust you are improving daily,
Lilla ...
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Like Cib, I hope that this endeavor will be managed properly... It is so important that countries (especially the heavily populated ones) take iniatives to improve the environment in every way possible. But all will be for naught if attentions to details waver.... Would like to see successful projects well documented, researched, and managed effectively replicated in other countries
Mis
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..I couldn't agree more on the mangement of things, but the fact that there are 2.63 million more trees soaking up carbon is wonderful in itself, to me...
Of course there are considerations now for water too, so I guess if things are not managed properly trees won't be able to grow...
It infuriates me that bloody Coca Cola can take tons of water from places like China, for Coka and Fanta chemical cocktails, used to make the west even more brain dead... to me that is the worst management of all!
If I had my way? .. Coca-bloody-cola would be banned above a certain quantity.
Inforced moderation...is there such a thing? *chuckle* they had rations during the war ...
...oops, quick grab the soap box will ya, before I get stuck up here... I think I feel a need to go and write to someone in government, probably to our useless, ex-pop star, Minister for the Environment!*lol*
Thanks for your great comment, I'll keep you posted on these trees...
Lilla ...