As China's industrial development becomes a new major source of
pollution, the world's attempts to address it run into concerns such
as expressed in the following made by a Chinese official: "The Western
countries dealt with pollution when they became wealthy. We are having
to deal with it when we are still poor."

This is true. However what also true is the following: The pollution-
control technology exists already, and its research and development
costs, like the costs of making them effective and affordable, have
already been borne by the Western countries. So it should not be
economically difficult for Chinese industrial enterprises to acquire
such technologies at costs that they can afford.

By pollution-control technology, I do not mean technologies that are
in initial development stages. I mean the regular water outlet
filters, smokestack filters, and other devices already in place in
Western industrial enterprises that minimize the health and
environmental costs to people who live nearby. The same devices, if
put in place in Chinese industrial enterprises, will cut down
drastically on their health damage to the people living in Chinese
cities. Which not only will improve significantly the lives of the
Chinese citizens, but will also reap tremendous economic benefit to
China through reduced health costs and greater health and productivity
of the population.

The economic benefit realized by this will far outstrip costs of
putting in place such technology. The healthier people work better and
faster. They also make fewer errors in their work. The healthier
population also gives the country better social indicators with which
to show itself to the world. And if the benefit of Chinese people
themselves is at all a concern to the Chinese government, then their
health and the health of their cities should be a factor in and of
itself.

If many of the Chinese enterprises are not easily able to afford such
technology at once, there are many ways that it can be financed,
whether through private sector or through public and private sector
working together. The Western governments and enterprises, standing as
the producers of the technology to benefit to the tune of many
billions of dollars and many high-paying jobs, should see this as
great growth-generating and job-generating opportunity. Overall, such
an effort would benefit both West and China - through wealth created,
costs saved, and health, productivity, and well-being achieved.

Are such efforts underway? And if not, is anyone up to putting them in
place?

Ilya Shambat.