Quote:
Originally Posted by smallpox
Well, the CCP is the patriarch of all authority in China. If anyone can stop it, it's them. I thought authoritarianism could do things faster, seems like if they gave a damn, they'd stop the practice right away, but no, it's been since 2001 and still nothing. So yeah, it's fair to say the CCP doesn't give a shit.
There isn't a million way to do the job. There's no such thing as my way, or the CCP's way. You either stop the industry, or you don't give a shit, or you don't give a shit and you say you do. When a party has ultimate control over everything, it only means that its responsibility for the well being of the country is that much higher. The CCP put themselves in that situation, and ought to act accordingly. By a single stroke of pen they could legislate against the wood industry, but I guess they're not even competent enough to do that  Poor CCP, I really feel sorry for it....
Again, stopping consumerism out of virtue is only trimming the weed, whether it's in China, Korea, Japan or anywhere else. In terms of consumerism Japan and Korea are just as guilty, but China has the added responsibility of supply and this plays the ultimate role.
Sure, add Japan into the mix, talk to Japanese stores and restaurants, it's good, but I know you're just trying to divert the blame away from the CCP, the CCP is the main culprit in it, and you would know it full well if you'd put aside your nationalism for a second. |
Your solution (banning the production of single-use chopsticks) is not only impractical, but also naive. Here is a quick run-through of some vital facts related to the controversy surrounding the disposable chopstick industry.
First of all, starting in 2004, China no longer issues the 13% tax refund for single-use wood chopstick exports. As a direct result, in the first quarter of 2005, the wood chopstick exports increased by a mere 0.8% to ~23,000 tons, while the bamboo (see below) chopstick exports increased by a whopping 55.5% to ~12,000 tons. More importantly, on April 1st, 2006, China started to tax the single-use chopsticks as a way to discourage its use and exports. In April 2006, chopstick exported from Dalian (70% of single-use chopsticks exported to Korea and Japan leaves China from Dalian) decreased 40% to 1773.2 tons from 2969.3 tons in April 2005. On the other hand, one of the biggest reason restaurant owners chose the single-use chopsticks is its low cost, thus heavy taxation on its use would definitely help convince them to switch to the more environmentally friendly reusable ones. Does this look like a government who doesn't give a damn on the deforestation problem it faced?
Secondly, the problem is not simply how many chopsticks are made, but also how they are made. Bamboos are considered as rapid replenishing resources, with an average growth time of ~3-4 years. Wood disposable chopsticks are often made out of birch and poplar, which take over 20 years to grow. Ideally, they should be made out of the more sustainable bamboos, or out of scraps. Unfortunately, because of the higher cost associated with making chopsticks out of scrap materials, many disposable chopstick manufacturers use the whole wood with low efficiency (only ~60% of material from the round wood are used) because of the low technology employed. Further, unlike in Japan, where the timber industry applies the 间伐 (cutting one tree while leaving many surrounding it untouched) method, some Chinese logging companies did in a destructive way by cutting down acres of trees leaving few untouched. Moreover, in Japan, many of the single-use chopsticks are washed and recycled to make paper. China needs to learn a lot from Japan in efficient use of the wood resources.
Thirdly, the wood consumed in the disposable chopstick industry made up only a small percentage of the total consumption in China, which if regulated properly (i.e. using exclusively scraps or bamboos, and recycle after use), can be turned into efficient use of natural resources rather than an environmental disaster. On the other hand, your single stroke of pen will put 100,000 people (that's how many people who were employed in the single-use chopstick industry in 2001) out of job instantly, and that’s something you failed to take into account. A radical approach like yours may look good on the paper, but is not necessarily the best approach.
Fourthly, consumption is the driving force of the production. If no one is using the single-use chopsticks, no one will be making them. I think it is important to let people know the severity of the problem, and let them make an informed decision. In this sense, Japan is every bit responsible for the environmental problem associated with the disposable chopsticks (200 pairs consumed per person annually!). Japan invented the single-use chopsticks, and started moving plants to other countries in the 1990s. When the first batch of Chinese made chopsticks entered the Japanese market, some manufacturers in Japan suggested to the Japanese government to limit the quota imported. However, in 1999, Japan lowered the tariff for chopstick imports from 5.2% to 4.7%. I think that reflects Japan’s attitude towards imports that may cause environmental problems in other countries. So yes, China will have to help itself instead of relying on other people's virtues (but that doesn't mean that we should just ignore problems in other places). It is unfortunate that China is going through what many developing countries went through: economic development at the cost of the natural resources and environment. Luckily, the government has realized the problem, and started to put a curb on this kind of destructive mode of economic development. The root of the problem, however, still lies in the consumption. China may one day ban the disposable chopstick manufacturing, but as long as we don’t tackle the problem of consumption, the desert may just emerge in Russia, or Chile, etc.
Finally, if you insisted on believing that my intention was to divert the blame away from the CCP by bringing up Japan, I wouldn’t be able to change it for you. I can only hope one day you will see it that not all Chinese supporters are nationalists or apologists.