China

In a yearly report released earlier this month, China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection announced progress on pollution reduction. In 2007, sulfur dioxide emissions fell 4.66%. Organic pollutant emissions into water systems, which were measured by chemical oxygen demand testing, dropped 3.14%. However, other pollution rose. The percentage of coastal waters with the worst ratings for pollution increased 25.4% last year from 24.3%, while the percentage of coastal waters rated in good condition fell from 67.7% to 62.8%. The number of cities with extremely polluted air decreased, but the number with good quality air was the same. Air quality is likely to improve more quickly than water quality due to air flows and the mostly government control of factories that emit toxins. Source: New York Times

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