Impact Of A Decade Of Economic Growth On Air And Water Quality

Since the reform and openness, Chinese economy has been kept the continuous and rapid growth status. However, with the rapid economic growth, the pressure on exhausted resource and environmental pollution problems have inevitedly become more serious, and the conflict between ecological deterioration and economic growth has been become a hot issue. In Shandong province, as a populous region, the environmental pollution problems also become more serious with its rapid economic growth. It is become a crucial issue to study the relationship between environment and economy, as well as how to coordinate the development of economy and environment.In this paper, the development of the environmental resource shortage theory is firstly described. The research status on the relationship between economic growth with environmental quality, and pollution loss accounting are also been eluted. Then, the economic growth and environmental quality change of Shandong provice from 1995 to 2005 have been systemly explained. Based on the previous results, the econometric method has been used on the empirical study of EKC. And at the same time, the environmental pollution loss has also been accounted. The policy suggestion on realizing sustainable economic development in Shandong province has been eventually pointed out. The main study issue and conclusions of this paper are listed below:At first, the study results of economic development status, pollutants emission and environmental quality trends in Shandong province have showed: from 1995 to 2005, the national economy has kept continuous, steady and rapid growth. The economic structure has evidently been changed. However, the main reason for the economic growth is the tremendous energy resources consumption. The pollutants emission showed downward trends, and mostly occoured on 1997 to 1999, then the downwoard trends become more slowly. At the same time, environmental quality took on strong relativity with geological situation by using GIS technical methods. Following the different levels of economic growth and pollution control investment, urban air and surface water quality showed variable trends in 17 cities.Secondly, the econometric study results of the relationship between economic growth and environmental quality have showed: most relationship curves between environmental pollution factors and GDP per capita are U-shaped and N-shaped. At present levels of GDP per capita, most pollution factors tends to decerate, but accelerate again at high levels of e GDP per capita. The industrial sulfur dioxides and sulfur dioxides concentration in urban air will be increased in several years, which.means more control measure should be take on sulfur dioxides emission The scale and composition effects, which produced by the economic structure change and the industry ratio decrease, have showed positive effects on environmental quality. The pollution control investment and government policy can also decrease the pollutant emission. It will be effective channel to promote environmental quality by enhancing the industrial pollution source control, which can be reduced from the consistency between pollutant emission factors and environmental quality factors.Thirdly, the sudy results of the environmental pollution loss accounting showed: from 2000 to 2005, based on the damage loss accounting, air pollution loss were 9.67, 10.89, 12.74, 14.86, 16.86 and 18.70 billion RMB, respectively; Water pollution loss were 5.07, 7.09, 8.46, 13.17, 23.31 and 35.70 billion RMB, respectively. The damage loss has increased rapidly in the study years. While, the cost loss on pollution control has kept a level, which means pollutants emission has been controlled well and emission level has not tremendously been increased. The growh rate of the enviromental pollution loss is evidently higher than the GDP growth rate, and the enyiromental pollution loss ratio in GDP is almost 3%. It should be pay more attention by the goverment.Finally, the correlation analysis between environmental policy and pollutants emission showed: establishing the merit system on envriomental quality for the government officer has greatly increased the environmental protection investment and promoted the environmental quality. Based on these analyses, the policy suggestions on setting up the sustainable economic development in Shandong province have also been brought forward.