Abstract. Despite China’s major economic and technological advances, the country is being faced with a threatening reality of toxic polluted water that negatively impacts the welfare of both its aquatic life, as well as, the water throughout the world. Through its economic advances, China has also created an overwhelming technique of mass fishing, to feed the global population. Research has suggested that the quality of water, and the life in it, have been viewed as replaceable, and something easily redeemable; not realizing that a combination of overfishing and releasing contaminated waste in the water takes generations …show more content…
So much so, that many of its citizens have been forced to use bottled water in their daily lives. This is because, to actually consume the water in China, is to drink the waste of animals and waste products from factories. And these toxic waters do not only affect sea life, they affect everyone and everything that consumes or drinks it. The Guardian revealed in 2013, the frightening scene of sixteen thousand rotting pig carcasses, that have been fished out of the Jianping Tang, a tributary of the Huangpu river which supplies drinking water to Shanghai, a city of over 23 million people (Richard, 2013). This reveals a multifaceted problem. To begin with, these pigs used this river as a drinking supply daily. The difference in their drinking water, versus what humans drank, is that theirs was unfiltered. What caused their death was ultimately the contamination of water supply; and the irresponsible disposal of wastes. To add insult to injury, these pigs were thrown back into the ocean; back into the fish’s gills, back into China’s body; contaminating what was already contaminated …show more content…
Until recently, it has ignored many of its environmental concerns. And while factors, such as air pollution have caused China’s people wear mask protectants, the major threat is the water; something we need as humans to survive. For a water quality that is not good for us, proves less beneficial for the species that live in it. To when thousands of fish are pulled from their natural habitat to be mass sold. And when those fish contain high levels of mercury (among other toxics), and damage our health, it is surprising and diverting, our newfound awareness. China is not a water-rich land, and if enough preventions are not taken, their population will demand a source from other places throughout the world. This is of course, after its aquatic life is depleted; after pigs and other farm animals are poisoned, and after, their rivers turn a shade of dirty