Solutions

Although the issue is far too broad to have just one simple solution, there have been attempts and proposals of ways to reduce the environmental impacts of urban population growth in China.  As explained above, China’s One Child Policy is one of the largest attempts to control the population.  Although there are and have been many humanitarian concerns over such a policy, it has been effective at slowing population growth and stabilizing China’s population.  Recently, the Chinese government has become more lenient on the One Child Policy for rural inhabitants, which has helped to slow the rate of urbanization and has somewhat addressed humanitarian concerns.  

Another popular solution to overpopulation is women’s empowerment.  By increasing the educational and economic opportunities available to women, they are more likely to make decisions to limit childbearing.  Another important factor in this is the availability of contraceptives, which greatly decreases fertility rates (Kavanaugh, January 22, 2015).

One important solution to urbanization is careful urban planning.  As explained above, a lack of planning led to serious problems in many cities during the industrial revolution.  Especially for previously rural areas, good urban planning can ensure proper sanitation, decrease pollution, and prevent a loss of biodiversity in and around the city.

The availability of resources, however, is perhaps the biggest long-term concern to a country like China.  As food and water demand increases and supply decreases, China must find new ways to maximize food production using fewer inputs.  One way to do this is to use treated waste water for irrigation, eliminating the need for Nitrate-based fertilizers while also saving large quantities of water (http://www.sciencemag.org).  

Organizations such as the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) are working with Government organizations, nonprofits, and businesses in China to find economically feasible ways to address the country’s environmental issues.  EDF has started a series of initiatives which give incentives to businesses that limit carbon emissions and adopt green-friendly practices.  In offering similar rewards to poor farmers that adopt low carbon farming methods, EDF and China have also reduced poverty and increased agricultural efficiency.  These programs have been very successful in reducing China’s carbon footprint so far, and look to continue increasing their scope (http://www.edf.org).