Jun 06 2006
Half a Million Court Envoys but Still Cannot Do the Job
NYT article: Chinese Official Sees Private Role on Environment
According to Zhu Guangyao, deputy chief of the State Environmental Protection Agency:
“China’s pollution problems cost the country more than $200 billion a year, a top official said Monday, as he called for better legal protection for grass-roots groups so they could help clean up the environment.”
“Despite the efforts of half a million environmental officials in his agency and other organizations, China’s environmental picture is worsening and ‘allows for no optimism,’ Mr. Zhu said, as he released a report that described China’s environmental situation as ‘grave.’”
–According to Christine Wong’s OECD paper, there is only 500 working for Ministry of Finance. In other words, for every state accountant, there are 100 environment police. But there is still $200B loss every year. Does another 500,000 cadre make a difference?
–The key is environmental cost is not factored into commodity price yet. Therefore, any measure to reduce environmental hazzard is an increase of cost.
–If the environmental cost if factored in, however, any environmental improvement will be a decrease of cost.
–The only way I can think of fairly factor in environmental cost is to allow popular participation and rule of law.
–Popular participation in enacting laws that will balance consumers and producers’ interests.
–Rule of law of course is to set a plain field.