Why China Could Lose Its War on Pollution

Both boosters and critics of the Chinese Communist regime seem to agree on one thing: When the government puts its mind to something, it gets done. Supporters boast that’s how China quickly controlled the spread of Covid-19; rivals warn that’s why China poses such a threat to the more divided democracies of the West. In fact, what both sides should worry about isn’t the fact that China can do big things, but the ways in which it can’t.

The country’s ongoing struggle against pollution presents the clearest example. Chinese leaders once viewed air and water pollution largely as a Western problem. After decades of rapid industrialization, however, China is struggling with issues even the West never had to confront. An estimated 80% of Chinese citizens are regularly exposed to pollution levels much higher than those considered safe by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. While China has recorded only around 4,600 Covid-19 deaths, each year 1.24 million Chinese die from pollution, second only to India.