China to adopt a green GDP index to measure economic growth:
"Development should be balanced and sustainable. It should pursue harmony between cities and rural areas; between regions; between society and the economy; between man and nature; and between domestic and external economies" (Wen Jiabao, China premier).
At 8% GDP growth per year for the past 25 years, the environmental cost of expansion in China has been huge. The Yellow River often runs dry, 90% of cities suffer serious water pollution, the atmosphere is often choked with smog, wildlife is scarce and the desert is advancing. Adopting a green GDP index is a step toward sustainable development: the index would be calculated by subtracting values for resource depletion and pollution from gross domestic product. "We might end up with a green GDP figure that is negative" (Financial Times)
Friday, December 12, 2003
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