Government should focus on preserving natural environment less than on economic development.

Recent changes in government priorities have seen a reduction in financial support for natural environment preservation. This is occurring at a time when there is severe soaring pollution on envrionment and increasing rise of economic development. The issue of environment and development has been the subject of dispute for some time. Many argue that government should concentrate on economic development more than protecting natural environment in order to satisy basic needs of the general public. However, it is my contention that government should be strongly urged to provide more financial assistantce envrionment preservation for the alarming damages done by pollution.

It has been argued that a large number of children in remote and impoverished area are still suffering from insufficient education by some experts. Many, as this argument goes, are forced to drop from elementary school for their parents could not afford it. It is concluded therefore that government should make economic development top priority other than envrionment preservation. However, since China has ranked as the fourth economic power according to the annual report released by World Bank in 2006, the government is able to appropriate a large amount of funds for the development of remore areas. The access of children to education could be easily expected. In addition, as economic development is no more our headache, or a blessing, it should not stand top on our agenda.

On the other hand, severe pollution brought about by heavy industry is a big headache, or a curse to the publich and government. It is envrioment preservation that should engage much attetion of our government. According to the study conducted by the Ministry of Health, mass heath is peeling. Pollution has made cancer China’s leading cause of death. Ambient air pollution alone is blamed for hundreds of thousands of deaths each year. It is a tragedy that only one percent of the five hundred million city dweller have the right to breathe safe air. Nearly five hundred million people are deprived of drinking clean water. If our government continues to ignore environment degradation with the excuse of economic development, no doubt that we will have to pay far more higher price for the lesson.

It is ture that economic development is fundamentally important. However, natural enviroment is highly worthy of our government’s attention and appropriation. No one is willing to see numerious cities wrapped toxic gray shroud, deprived of sunshine, devoid of clean water and air. No one is ready to embrace this catastropic. So, maybe it is the time to take a stand, to rever the tide, or we will not all end up in dead cities.