Latest comments posted about The (impossible) American dream on ChinaDialogue en-gb http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/1779-The-impossible-American-dream http://staging.chinadialogue.net/images/cdlogo.gif http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/1779-The-impossible-American-dream Individual actions are relatively small . . . but are crucial because a tiny few individuals will effect inspiration and massive policy change at commercial and government levels. This is universally true. Wed, 20 May 2009 04:51:16 +0000 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1779#comment-8889 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1779#comment-8889 I think that this is a very good article and brings about some very powerful and interesting points. I do agree that China can't follow the US's development pattern because this is simply impossible. I do think that it is important for China to come up with alternative methods to develop but I think that this is a far fetched reality at the present time. The government likes to get rich and there is no way to stop this. Also if you close the factories or demand higher prices then foreign investors will go else where to find people who will do the work for less money. In addition, if there are no jobs from the factory how will you stimulate economic growth and crate new jobs? Marisa Millard 马萤栅 Thu, 01 May 2008 02:26:24 +0000 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1779#comment-7316 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1779#comment-7316 The author does well to point out the 'exportation of pollution,' by otherwise environmentally devastating American industries. Much of China's pollution belongs to the United States. To the extent that China has embraced, rather than accepted out of necessity, its role as the industrial arm of the US, the country is that much responsible. China artificially devalues its currency, keeping trade with American businesses cheap and lucrative. This undercuts not only its citizens right to the fruitful economy they've worked for, but also their industrial clean-up enterprise. China must strike a balance between clean manufacturing and staying attractive to foreign investment on the one hand, and on the other hand, allowing its economy to flourish for the sake of its citizens. Tue, 29 Apr 2008 13:24:52 +0000 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1779#comment-7291 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1779#comment-7291 From the author: thanks to everyone for your comments and interests. The ecological situation (whether China or the whole world) is indeed quite gloom. But hope is a choice. We can choose not to care or to despair—or we can try to remember that both pessimism and optimism can often be self-fulfilling prophecy. If you want to read something more hopeful, here is an old article of mine “Stemming the tide: The New Rural Reconstruction Movement in China” www.tni.org/detail_page.phtml?act_id=16530 It is about a grassroots movement that is trying to address many issues I discussed in “the impossible American dream”. An Jinlei, a permeculture peasant I mentioned at the end of this article, is one of my most admired role models. As a peasant in rural China, he probably has access to less resource compared to almost everyone who is reading chinadialogue.net. Yet he is doing his best to care for the earth. So on blue days, I just remind myself: if people like Mr. An haven’t give up, I should not give up. Dale Wen/文佳筠 Tue, 11 Mar 2008 20:22:50 +0000 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1779#comment-7135 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1779#comment-7135 Dale Wen's article is very classic and it analyzes the idealism of sustainable development. High energy-consuming, emission and highly polluting companies want to export pollution from developed countries or regions to developing countries or regions. They may think no one can sense the pollution transfer. But doesn't it exist any more? Isn't it polluting the air on the Earth? (Chu Qiao) Mon, 10 Mar 2008 22:45:40 +0000 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1779#comment-7127 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1779#comment-7127 I am a Mainland Chinese living in Europe,I have to say comparing with most Chinese, Europeans are consuming much more regardless of food, everyday living or energy, for example,let's look at the textile industry. In a store called Primax, some pieces are even cheaper than what Chinese can buy at in China. It is so cheap that the consumers will buy madly without exactly thinking,and most of the products are from China,even they might have been put together in Eastern Europe or other Asian countries,but in the end all the invisible environmental cost will be left in China. European consumers will consume without second thought,I think cheap stores are bad for the market, in the end nobody is benefiting...... Syssy Liu Tue, 11 Mar 2008 07:39:21 +0000 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1779#comment-7132 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1779#comment-7132 The way is using as little natural resource as possible while developing. Mon, 10 Mar 2008 09:00:07 +0000 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1779#comment-7123 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1779#comment-7123 Notwithstanding that Mr. Wen's article states the obvious; it shows that common sense (especially in the USA) is not very common after all. It is the air, soil, and water that provides life, not iPods... Mon, 10 Mar 2008 10:21:22 +0000 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1779#comment-7125 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1779#comment-7125 I'm not optimistic on the envioment issue. There won't be a common sense, not to say action. My hometown is in central china and it's poor and clean. it looks like both of this will disappear. How can you stop people, especially govenors, from getting rich? Mengfei, student in Beijing. if there was no problem with my computer, i'd rather comment in Chninese..... Mon, 10 Mar 2008 05:24:50 +0000 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1779#comment-7122 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1779#comment-7122 As a chinese citizen, I think chinese govenment should found out a new way of creating more job opportunities for rural residents in case that in their hometown the high-polluted industury is closed by local govenment. For the present economy is supported by large number of town and township enterprises which created large profits and pushing china's morden development. If all those factory are closed, who will gurantee the local residents' right to earn money and how to guarantee? if there are few opportunity offered, what will they live through? This is another plainly truth. Sat, 08 Mar 2008 21:03:37 +0000 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1779#comment-7120 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1779#comment-7120