China's Progress in Environmental Protection: A View from the Farm Sector. Gregory Veeck, Western Michigan University, Department of Geography, Kalamazoo, MI 49008 Recent American assessments of China's environmental problems have been most dire. Concerns range from air and water pollution, to land degradation, to deforestation, and deforestation. Many of these concerns are legitimate, but it is ironic that these critical assessments come at a time when US domestic environmental protection efforts face considerable uncertainty due to funding disputes and legislative changes (ANWR; Yucca Mountain, national lead and mercury standards; water removal from the Great Lakes Basin). With over 1300 superfund sites, including 69 in Michigan, there is something of the "pot calling the kettle black" in recent reports. Through a series of maps and the presentation of time series data from SEPA (the Chinese EPA), this paper argues that while China's environmental protection challenges remain daunting, considerable progress is being made in a number of specific areas related to agriculture including: reforestation, reductions in use and residues for most dangerous types of pesticides, some aspects of water management, and soil erosion controls.
