Putting a Stop to Land Pollution

Caixin Century Weekly

July 14

According to China's Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP), of all the soil samples obtained at testing sites, 19.4 percent are polluted, a sharp rise from the 10-percent pollution rate of the 1990s. This is undoubtedly bad news for China, whose per-capita arable land is only 40 percent of the world's average.

In April, the Ministry of Land and Resources in cooperation with the MEP enumerated three major ways polluted soil harms the country. First, it leads to the decline of grain output and quality, and most importantly, for those ingesting this produce over an extended period of time, long-term health concerns. Second, polluted soil in turn contaminates the surrounding environment and further affects human respiratory and physical health. Finally, polluted soil jeopardizes China's ecological environment.

The pollution of soil, particularly in arable land, is so terrible that work must begin now if there's any hope of repairing the damage done. However, the restoration of polluted arable land is a very difficult project both technically and financially. So far, there has not been a successful land reclamation project anywhere in the world that can be emulated.

The good news, however, is that earlier this year, the MEP passed an action plan on the prevention and treatment of soil pollution. Many detailed measures are mentioned in the plan to prevent soil pollution and move forward with land protection, which are designed to reverse the deterioration of soil pollution and bring contamination under effective control by 2020.

Concerns Over GM Seed Monopoly

South Reviews

July 29

Current disputes regarding genetically modified (GM) food focus on the safety of such agricultural products. However, another equally important issue that is often overlooked is GM food-related intellectual property rights (IPR), and IPR-based business expansion.

Species across the globe should not be subject to anyone. Those modifying the genes of certain species and applying for patents, however, can now claim these species as their private property, forcing others to pay for access to them.

Traditional methods like hybrid technology are slow to bring profits, but GM technology is quick in producing new species. Pesticide-resistant genes found in bacteria can be transplanted into corn, beans, potatoes and many other crops, and in this way seed companies can apply for more than one patent. This in turn brings in long-term profits.

Since the 1990s, when GM crops were first allowed to be used for commercial purposes, pesticide resistance has been the focus of the majority of GM patent applications. Comparatively, other scientific achievements in seed research are rarely seen. This is harmful to the overall biological science behind agriculture.

Worse still, as a result of the monopoly over seed research and its market, farmers will have to struggle against heavier economic pressures due to rising agricultural costs. They will someday find most of the natural seeds they are familiar with disappearing from the market, with only a few expensive GM species left in their place.

Humans or Dogs at Fault?

People's Daily

July 29

In the past decade or so, the number of dogs kept as pets has increased sharply across China. Now, people are raising dogs not just for their company, but also as part of a growing trend in pet ownership. It is important to remember that dogs are not human beings—they require human care and training. Some dogs are dangerous by nature, and cannot control their basic impulses. Thus, if owners do not or cannot control them, these pets may pose a risk to others.

In cities, dogs live together with their masters in apartment buildings and share the community at large with other dogs. It is not surprising that disputes related to dogs are happening more and more frequently. The major reason behind this is that many dog owners care only about their own rights, ignoring the effects their pets might have on others. Without the attention of owners, dogs pollute the urban environment and might even attack other dogs or people. Therefore, training a dog to make it safe is the responsibility of its owner.

The government, for its part, should strengthen management of dog ownership. The lack of control over incompetent owners is the first issue that must be fixed. Tens of millions of dogs are now living together with hundreds of millions of people. In order to make the overall situation more beneficial for both humans and dogs, governmental dog ownership management is absolutely necessary.