China paying heavy price for pollution brought by economic development

Beijing - China is paying an increasing price for environmental and ecological damage brought about by rapid economic development, a report has claimed.

According to the statistics released by China Green National Accounting Studay, the cost of environmental and ecological damage to the country soared to almost 1.4 trillion Yuan in 2009, an increase of 9.2 percent on the previous year.

The report said China spent 3.8 percent of that year's GDP to clean up the environment, The China Daily reports.

The Chinese Academy for Environmental Planning, an institution of the Ministry of Environmental Protection said in a report that the average cost of the country's resources output is 320 to 350 dollars per ton, far below that of developed economies, which is between 2,500 to 3,500 dollars per ton, and it is still decreasing.

According to Ma Jun, director of the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, a non-government organization protection agency based in the capital, the figures means China consumes about ten times more energy than the developed economies for the same amount.

The report pointed out that many local governments, such as those in North China's Hebei province, that seek a booming economy, are attracting investment home and abroad, at the cost of the environment.

"The pollution produced by companies, especially those in the steel, smelting, cement and chemical industries, is far beyond those cities' capacity to control. It's irresponsible. We enjoy the temporary prosperity and leave the burden to our next generation," Ma said.

The report also showed that carbon dioxide emissions in China had more than doubled from 3.5 billion tons in 2000 to 7.2 billion tons in 2009, making China the biggest producer of carbon dioxide worldwide.

According to the paper, it is the third time the Chinese Academy for Environmental Planning has issued the report, also known as the Green GDP National Accounting Study, since 2006.