This year, TRUMP CALLED SOURCE COUNTRIES of U.S. IMMIGRANTS SHIT HOLES—IN 1991, OTTAWA USED SIMILAR WORDS TO DESCRIBE SOURCE COUNTRIES OF CANADA’S IMMIGRANTS
In 1991, Canada’s Intelligence Advisory Committee published a report called “The Environment : Marriage Between Earth And Mankind”. That report described China as “An Environmental Catastrophe” and India as an “Environmental Disaster”. China and India (particularly the Punjab) are two of the major sources of Canada’s unnecessary immigrants.
According to sources such as “When A Billion Chinese Jump”, environmental conditions in China have not improved much since 1991. See http://immigrationwatchcanada.org/2011/09/25/september-22-2011-when-a-billion-chinese-jump-part-1/ The text below quotes from the China section of Canada’s Intelligence Advisory Committee report. This text does not consider the Indian section of that report or the implications of environmental catastrophe/disaster status for China and India on Canada. We will deal with those matters in a subsequent bulletin.
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CHINA : ENVIRONMENTAL CATASTROPHE—MAY, 1991
(1) As of 1991, when China had a population of 1.1 billion, China had annual population increases of 15.5 million. In other words, every two years, China’s population increased by almost the total population of Canada. (P.40)
(2) By 2001, it was predicted 450 of China’s 644 cities would have chronic water shortages. In 1991, the ground waters of Beijing and Tianjin were exhausted. (https://www.nature.com/news/sustainability-transfer-project-cannot-meet-china-s-water-needs-1.18792 ) Most of China’s water and population is in the south while most of its industry is in the north. A South-to-North Water Diversion Project was considered. (P.40)
(3) In 1991, approximately 25% of China’s total water resources had been polluted to varying degrees. Over 80% of the water that passes through cities is considered not clean enough for drinking or fish breeding. “Official Chinese estimates, which undoubtedly understate the problem, indicate that over 150 million people drink polluted water.” (P.41)
(4) In 1991, Chinese industry was dumping 30 billion tonnes of liquid waste annually into its rivers. Almost all of it was untreated.
(5) For centuries, China has relied on intensive land use to achieve food self-sufficiency. But with nearly one-quarter of the world’s population in 1991, China has only 7% of the world’s farmland. In 1991, China was losing farmland at an alarming rate. In 1991, it was estimated that each year, one million hectares of farmland were being lost to industry. poor irrigation, erosion or desertification. Given the difficulties of further enlarging the cultivated area, China may find it increasingly difficult to feed itself. (P.41)
(6) In 1991, understated Chinese statistics indicated that forests covered approximately 12 % of the land. This compares to Canada’s 37% or to Japan’s 66%. By the year 2000, it was estimated that China would have only 8% forest cover. The Great Dragon Forest Fire of 1987 destroyed 3 million acres of prime timber. A national program of planting 5 trees per person had only limited success. (P.41)
(7) Deforestation is speeding up desertification and erosion in China. In 1991, deserts covered one sixth of the country. Dust storms will once again become a major problem for many major cities, including Beijing.
(8) Five Billion tonnes of soil are lost per year through erosion. The Chiangjian (Yangtze) River (the longest river in Asia, it stretches from Tibet to Shanghai) alone carries over 55 million tonnes of silt to the sea yearly. Water levels of China’s major rivers have risen by as much as 10 meters in places and have increased the risk of major flooding. When the Chiangjian flooded in 1988, over 6000 people died, 4 million were left homeless and over 11 million hectares of land were covered. When combined with the potential sea level rise predicted as a result of global warming, even greater natural calamities can be expected in the future. Prevention of such calamities will be hugely expensive. One estimate, for example, suggested that it would take 0.5 percent of China’s GNP to save the city of Canton (population 2.3 million in 1991) if the sea level were to rise 0.5 meters.
(9) As of 1991, China produced over 40 billion tonnes of solid industrial waste annually. Leaders hoped to limit the rate of growth in the production of this waste so that it reaches “only” 50 billion tonnes by the year 2000. Less than 20 percent of this waste is treated or recycled. Ongoing dependence on the ubiquitous coal as the primary source of energy means that efforts to limit the rate of growth of this pollution so that it is no higher than 20 million tonnes by the year 2000 are doomed to fail.” The 20 billion figure is likely to be surpassed by 1995. Pollution levels in Beijing where there are over 7000 coal boilers and over 1.4 million small coal stoves, average 25 times above maximum Canadian acceptable levels during their winter months; and Beijing is not the worst offender. The city of Benxi, which covers an area of 43 square kilometers. is widely considered to be the second most polluted city in the world, behind Mexico City. In July, 1988, satellite photography could not locate Benxi because the smog was so thick.” (P.42)
(10) Unlike many developing countries, most of which are located in temperate or tropical climates, much of China experiences cold and harsh winters.Combined with ongoing population and economic growth, the demand for energy will continue to escalate. Fully 75% of China’s total power generation of 120 megawatts comes from coal, 17 % from from oil, 5% hydroelectric and 3% natural gas. The tremendous inefficiency with which coal is used is indicated by the fact that the production of carbon dioxide per dollar of GDP is more than double any other country in the world. Distorted energy prices are very likely a factor contributing to these inefficiencies. Because of this reliance on coal, most of it low-grade, China was in 1991, the world’s third highest producer of carbon dioxide, the primary greenhouse gas.
(11) The options for switching to alternative energy sources are unfortunately limited. As of 1991, China stood on the brink of becoming a major emitter of CFC’s owing to the demand for refrigerators, the acquisition of which has become viewed as a social right and evidence that modernization is taking place. (P.43)
