East Asia Understanding the Environmental Issues Roger A

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The Ecological Footprint of East Asia Understanding the Environmental Issues Roger A. Williams, Ph.D. School of Environment and Natural Resources The Ohio State University

June 4, 2019 EAST ASIA COUNTRIES:

1. China. 2. Hong Kong. 3. Japan. 4. Macau. 5. Mongolia. 6. North Korea. 7. South Korea. 8. Taiwan.

. . Hong Kong Macau Ecological Footprint of China, 1961 - 2016 Country Total Per Person Ecological Footprint of Japan, 1961 - 2016 Country Total Per Person Ecological Footprint of Korea, 1961 - 2016 Country Total Per Person Ecological Footprint of Mongolia, 1961 - 2016 Country Total Per Person East Asia Country Comparisons, 2016 Total The carbon footprint is the largest total and per person contributor to the total footprint, except for Mongolia. Grazing is the largest contributor to the total footprint for Mongolia.

Per Person The ecological footprint of East Asia suggests that greater demands are placed on the environment than what it can support.

What are the problems and concerns that this situation creates? Population growth and economic development contribute to many environmental problems in East Asia. These include:

1. pressure on land, According to a World Bank report, in 2016 the world 2. habitat destruction and loss of biodiversity, generated two billion tons of 3. water scarcity and water pollution, municipal and household waste—up from 1.8 billion 4. air pollution, tons just three years earlier.

5. global warming and climate change. It projects that by 2050 the volume of such waste will 6. Trash/waste disposal. grow by 50 percent in East Asia. The Percent of Total Area in East 90 81.34% Asia that Each Country Occupies 80 China, Mongolia and Japan make-up almost 70 98% of East Asia based on land area, with the remaining 5 countries accounting for the other 60 2%. 50 Total area of East Asia = 4.57 million sq. miles. 40

30 Percent of Total Area ofTotal Percent 20 13.27% 3.20% 10 1.02% 0.85% 0.31% 0.0094% 0.0003%

0 East Asia Populations 1600.00 The current population of East Asia is 1400.00 1,658,606,927 according to UN estimates.

1200.00 This represents 21.51% of the total world 1000.00 population.

800.00 China alone represents 18.41% of the world population (ranks first as the worlds most 600.00 populated country)

Population (millions) Population 400.00

200.00

0.00 1 km2 = 0.4 mi2 = 250 acres

The population density in East Population Density in East Asia Asia is 144 per Km2 (372 people per mi2). $12,000 China Japan $10,000

South Korea $8,000 Taiwan Mongolia $6,000 North Korea (No Data)

$4,000 Billion US Dollars US Billion $2,000

The Total GDP of Countries in East Asia, 1980 – 2015 $50,000 $45,000 $40,000 China Japan $35,000 $30,000 S. Korea $25,000 Mongolia Taiwan (No Data) $20,000 (US Dollars) (US North Korea (No Data) $15,000 $10,000

Average Gross Annual Income Income Annual Gross Average $5,000

1974 1962 1965 1968 1971 1977 1980 1983 1986 1989 1992 1995 1998 2001 2004 2007 2010 2013

The Average Annual Income per Person in East Asia, 1962 – 2015 Share of Global Carbon Emissions from Fuel Combustion

France 1% East Asia accounts for approximately Poland China 36% of the global 1% Rest of World 27% carbon emissions. Turkey 24% 1%

Italy Australia 1% 1% United Kingdom 1% South U.S. Africa Indonesia 14% 1% 1% Canada Mexico 2% 1% Brazil Saudi Arabia India Russia 7% 1% 2% 5% South Korea Iran Germany Japan 2% 2% 2% 3% 12,000,000,000

China

Japan China 10,000,000,000 Mongolia North Korea 8,000,000,000 South Korea

United States 6,000,000,000 USA

4,000,000,000

2,000,000,000 Annual CO2 Emissions (Tonnes) Emissions CO2 Annual Japan S. Korea

0 N. Korea, Mongolia

1945 2015 1900 1905 1910 1915 1920 1925 1930 1935 1940 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

Annual CO2 Emissions in East Asia, 1900 – 2016 (USA as a Comparison)

Other Country Mammals Birds Reptiles Amphibs Fishes Mollusks Inverts Plants Fungi TOTAL China 72 96 47 87 137 15 64 596 1 1115 Hong Kong 4 21 5 5 16 1 8 10 0 70 Japan 29 49 25 20 77 33 143 50 4 430 North Korea 10 29 2 1 21 0 3 17 0 83 South Korea 12 33 3 5 29 0 8 33 1 124 Macao 0 4 1 0 10 0 1 0 0 16 Mongolia 11 24 0 0 2 0 3 0 0 40 Taiwan 12 24 9 10 75 1 128 85 1 345 TOTAL 150 280 92 128 367 50 358 791 7 2223

Endangered and Threatened Species in East Asia, by Country (2019) China Changes in Education Spending and Urban Populations in China

60 Changes in Urban Population in China 50

20 Percent of Total Population ofTotal Percent

1960 1963 1966 1969 1972 1975 1978 1981 1984 1987 1990 1993 1996 1999 2002 2005 2008 2011 2014 2017 What are China’s Environmental Problems?

1.6 million people in China are estimated Air Pollution (outdoor and indoor) to have died in 2013 from air pollution Water Pollution alone More than half the water in major rivers in eight Water Shortages 20%Chinese of China’s provinces farmland deemed unsuitable “unsuitable for croppingfor and Soil Pollution grazinghuman contact”due to pollution; as of 2015 soils polluted with herbicide residues and heavy metals from dumping Soil Degradation garbage is commonly handled via landfills (60.16 percent)of industrial/chemical or incineration wastes;(29.84 percent), leaching andinto ground Accumulating Wastes sometimeswater. untreated discharge (8.21 percent), with Habitat Loss the proportion of each shifting every year. Because landfills can no longer keep up with the demands of BeijingBiodiversity a day after Loss rain Beijing on a smoggy day growing cities, incineration is on the rise. Ecosystem Degradation Species Loss (Flora and Fauna); Habitat loss, fragmentation, alterations, pollution, invasive species PM2.5 Over China

China’s Water Pollution and Shortage China’sForest CoverPopulation in China Density Average Density = 375 people/sq. mi.

15 Percent 10

0 1949 1962 1976 1981 1988 1993 1998 2003 2008 2013 2018 2020 2035

Forest Cover Change in China, 1949 - 2035 1,600,000,000 25 Forest Cover (%) 1,400,000,000 Population 20

1,200,000,000

1,000,000,000 15 800,000,000 10 Population 600,000,000

400,000,000 Cover Forest Percent 5 200,000,000

0 0 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

Forest Cover and Human Population Changes in China 5.0 4.5

4.0

3.5 3.0 2.5 2.0 1.5 1.0

0.5 Land Area (million hectares) Area Land 0.0 1993 2000 2010 2015 Area (million hectares) 0.46 1.3 3.13 4.5 Much of the increase in forest area has occurred in southern China, which has been planted to non-native eucalyptus forests. The Giant Panda Range, Historic and Current 120 Proportion of species CRITICALLY ENDANGERED under threats of ENDANGERED 100 extinction: NEAR THREATENED Mammals – 22%

VULNERABLE Birds – 5% 80 Amphibians – 17% Reptiles – 9% 60

40 Number of Species of Number

0 Mammals Birds Reptiles Amphibians

Endangered Species Status in China

Some of the Endangered Species in China

Primates/Monkeys .François' langur .White-headed langur .Lar gibbon .Phayre's leaf monkey .Black crested gibbon .Shortridge's langur .Hainan black crested gibbon .Nepal gray langur .Northern white-cheeked gibbon .Bengal slow loris .Eastern black crested gibbon .Pygmy slow loris .Western hoolock gibbon .Eastern hoolock gibbon .Black snub-nosed monkey .Golden snub-nosed monkey .Gray snub-nosed monkey .Myanmar snub-nosed monkey .Stump-tailed macaque .Rhesus macaque .Tibetan macaque .Assam macaque .Formosan rock macaque .Southern pig-tailed macaque Some of the Endangered Species in China Pandas/Bears Cats Elephants/Rhinos .Red panda .South China tiger .Indian elephant .Giant panda .Siberian tiger .Javan rhinoceros .Sun bear .Indochinese tiger .Sumatran rhinoceros .Brown bear .Bengal tiger .Tibetan blue bear .North-Chinese leopard .Himalayan brown bear .Amur leopard .Asian black bear .Indochinese leopard .Snow leopard .Clouded leopard .Leopard cat .Wildcat .Chinese mountain cat .Jungle cat .Eurasian lynx .Pallas's cat .Asian golden cat .Fishing cat .Marbled cat Some of the Endangered Species in China Deer .Sichuan deer .Przewalski's horse .Moose .Mongolian wild ass .Water deer .Tibetan antelope .White-bellied musk deer .Przewalski's gazelle .Alpine musk deer .Mongolian gazelle .Black musk deer .Goitered gazelle .Siberian musk deer .Père David's deer .Anhui musk deer .Thorold's deer .Dwarf musk deer .Shika .Java mouse-deer .Indochinese hog deer .Eld's deer .Red deer Causes of Species and Biodiversity Loss in China

1. Deforestation (habitat loss) 2. Forest Fragmentation (habitat loss) 3. Alteration of habitat (changes in structure, species composition, invasive species) 4. Water, soil and air pollution 5. Illegal Wildlife Trade 6. Harvesting animal parts for traditional/cultural medicines 7. Eating of animals based on cultural beliefs 8. Climate Change Laws and Enforcement .New wildlife protection laws (WPL) went into effect in 2017. .The WPL assigns most responsibility for its implementation to provincial- level government departments, including responsibility for issuing trading permits and production quotas, but does not establish mechanisms for central planning, supervision or accountability.

.Captive breeding of wildlife for commercial purposes is still allowed, as long as a license is obtained from provincial-level government authorities.

.The WPL in general prohibits the sale, purchase, or use of rare or near- extinction wild animals, and their products, that are under special national protection. .The WPL restricts construction projects in nature reserves. .The new Law expands the hunting methods prohibited by the old Law to include poisons, explosives, electronic shock, electronic trap devices, snares, leg-hold traps, makeshift guns, etc. Laws and China’s Tigers .China is the original ‘tiger farming’ country. The first ‘tiger farm’ was established in Northeast China in 1986, 13 years after international commercial trade in tigers and tiger parts was banned. .This was a Government-funded operation to breed tigers for profit, primarily to supply bones for use in traditional medicine. .Trade in tiger bones and rhinoceros horns, which are used in traditional Chinese medicine, were officially banned in China by a 1993 State Council circular. .It is unclear whether the WPL will do much to deter this practice as international observers have found that tiger farms openly marketed products containing tiger parts and many of them stockpiled tiger carcasses in the hope that a legalized tiger trade would one day be reopened. Japan Japan

Japan has dealt with similar problems as China, but historically has been more advanced and proactive. The fact it is an island nation, and has a higher population density than China (874 people/mi2 vs. 375 people/mi2) has forced it to evolve more quickly. After World War II Japan very rapidly rebuilt infrastructure and manufacturing in efforts to restore its culture and livelihoods. The mentality of rebuild, restore, produce and clean later brought on an onslaught of pollution issues, for which it has been forced to deal with. It is ahead of China in this regard, but also has less cultural issues to deal with than China that hamper efforts. Comparison of the Ecological Footprint between China and Japan, 2016 Japan

Japan's Basic Law for Environmental Pollution Control was enacted in 1967 and the Environment Agency was established four years later and about the same time as the EPA was established in the US.. Today, Japan deals with: 1. Air pollution 2. Water pollution 3. Waste disposal 4. Loss of species and Biodiversity Because it is an island nation water and marine issues are more prevalent. The earthquake and tsunami in 2011 exacerbated this, particularly with the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Some believe that over 60 million Japanese have been exposed to radiation by the Fukushima nuclear plant, covering some 50,000 sq. miles of Japan.

The debate continues today, with scientists and government officials giving the “all clear” sign, while many others remain skeptical. Japan’s ForestPopulation CoverDensity 140,000,000 68 67 120,000,000

100,000,000 65

80,000,000 64 63 60,000,000 62 Population Forest Cover Percent 61 40,000,000 Population 60 Cover Forest Percent 20,000,000 59 0 58 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

Forest Cover and Human Population Changes in Japan Species Status in Japan As of 2018, a total of 3,675 flora and fauna species are red-listed in Japan as being endangered and threatened with extinction. . 44 species were added in 2018

. 2 species (both birds) were declared extinct.

If you include the 56 marine species, the total species count goes to 3,731

It is not just the loss of forests, but also the changes in forest habitat (by humans), the fragmenting of forests, and the introduction of invasive species and pollution.

Climate change forces species (flora and fauna) to migrate northward and into higher elevations; however, if there is no habitat to move into the species will suffer “To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering” ― Aldo Leopold

“The earth will not continue to offer its harvest, except with faithful stewardship. We cannot say we love the land and then take steps to destroy it for use by future generations.” ― Pope John Paul II