How Canadians Can Minimize Pollution in China - Term Paper Example

Recently, China has become the manufacturing hub of the world due to the low costs of labor and favorable government policies supporting the establishment of factories (Sun, 2017). China has vast landmass that is rich with natural resources such as minerals that lead to a decreased cost of manufacturing. The governmental regulation on environmental pollution and its enforcement in the country are also lax and this contributes to the low cost of manufacturing. The combination of these factors has made China as manufacturing nation with major corporations based in the United States and Canada such as Apple, Walmart, and Nike outsourcing their manufacturing to the country (Low and Elms, 2013). The manufacturing has resulted in high levels of pollution in the country that have never been experienced before on earth. This pollution has adverse effects not only on people who live and work in China but also to all people worldwide. This essay discusses how Canadian can tackle the pollution in China that has been attributed to the goods they consume.

Canadian should reduce the quantity of goods they consume from China. This boycott includes targeting products of Canadian and American firms that have outsourced manufacturing until the firms can confirm that all their components and the goods have been produced in an environment-friendly method. Most of the products manufactured in China ranging from iPhones to coffee makers which are destined for the American markets have been responsible for high air emissions and disposal of effluents into Chinese rivers. In China, one of the largest causes of high emission levels is the over-reliance on petroleum products to produce electricity (Minchener, 2004). The electricity produced through renewable methods is not sufficient to the large volume of manufacturing in the world and reduced consumption of Chinese goods by Canadians will lead to reduced manufacturing which in turn will lead to a reduction in over-reliance on non-renewable energy and thus, reduced emissions.

However, boycotting products because they are Chinese will not be in the spirit of open markets and there is a high probability that China will retaliate. The retaliation may lead to dire repercussions to some Canadian firms who have China as their key market especially in the information technology sector This might bring a diplomatic dispute which is not favorable for any efforts to combat environmental pollution. Under international trade laws, it is illegal to discriminate goods based on their source unless sanctions are put in place provided that a nation has opened its borders.

Canadians should purchase from firms that are manufacturing in the country. Although, the products may be slightly more expensive, the benefits accrued by the purchase heavily outweigh the option of purchasing goods manufactured in China. The environmental regulations in Canada are better than the Chinese and they are also enforced strictly. Thus, purchasing Canadian produced goods will be more beneficial to the environment. Buying Canadian-manufactured goods will also increase the taxes collected by the Canadian government, increase in available employment opportunities and this will lead to improved standards of living in Canada.

It is important for the Canadian government to set up a standard for goods that can be sold in the country based on their adherence to the manufacturing process to environmental conservation. In this format, all the organization selling their products to Canada will be required to agree that they will ensure that the products are manufactured in a method that is friendly to the environment. All manufacturers who will be found liable not following these industrial specifications should have their products not allowed into the country. This will force the firms outsourcing their manufacturing to China to ensure that their plants in the country adhere to international laws environmental regulations. This will ensure that all goods consumed in Canada do not contribute to the environmental degradation to any part of the world.

It is very clear that there is very little that the people of Canada can do to combat the environmental pollution in China (Miller and Spoolman, 2007). In fact, the only thing they can do to is boycotting the products of China or reducing their rate of consumption of the products. However, this may have very adverse effects both diplomatically and economically. In Canada, most corporations are manufacturing their products in China and this makes it difficult for the Canadians to find the substitutes for these Chinese-made products. With major Canadian brands manufacturing in China, it becomes very difficult for the average consumer to determine which products are made specifically in China and whether the Chinese factories are doing enough to protect their environment.

The other options available for Canadians are very uneconomical. According to Larcon and Liu (2006), the products made in North America or Europe are much expensive than the Chinese made products. In this economy where the cost of living is quite high, it will be almost impossible to keep people from buying Chinese products as long as they are in stores. Thus, unless through a government intervention, there is very little that the Canadian consumer can do to combat environmental pollution in China

References

Larcon, J.-P. & Liu, C. (2009). Chinese multinationals.

Low, P. & Elms, D. K.,. (2013). Global value chains in a changing world. Geneva: World Trade Organization.

Miller, G. T., & Spoolman, S. (2007). Living in the environment: Principles, connections, and solutions. Belmont, CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole.

Minchener, A. J. (2004). Coal in China. London: IEA Coal Research.

Sun, I. Y. (2017). The next factory of the world: How Chinese investment is reshaping Africa. Boston, Massachusetts: Harvard Business Review Press.