Choosing between environmental protection and county development Since economic reforms began in the 1970s, China has entered a stage of rapid country development. According to the 2001 World Bank report, China's average economic growth has been close to 9% per year for the past 25 years. However, a number of environmental problems related to rapid growth have also emerged, and air pollution is one of the most serious problems facing China right now. In this essay I will talk about when, faced with air pollution caused by China's rapid growth since the 1970s, the Chinese government should focus more on protecting the environment rather than developing the country. Below, I will discuss the main reasons causing air pollution in China, and after that, we will see what the Chinese government could do to prevent and solve the air pollution problem in three approaches. To achieve a high level of economic development, China is under high pressure due to energy consumption by industry and population, which is harming China's air quality and people's health. “About 30% of its GDP is dedicated to physical investment…The investment share of China's industry is very high compared to other countries.” (Qin & Candidate, 2008) Furthermore, as the country has the largest population in the world, the demand for energy in China is always increasing, especially in magical cities such as Beijing and Shanghai. Fossil fuels and coal are China's main source of electricity supply. According to a study by the University of Leeds, coal burning is the main cause of air pollution in Beijing and surrounding areas. (The Problems of Air Pollution, 2012) Due to high energy consumption, PM 2.5 level has become the main concern in China, which is the result of fossil fuel and c......half of paper..... .peace in East Asia. (2012). The problems of air pollution. Retrieved from http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/campaigns/air-pollution/problems/Greenpeace East Asia. (2012). Pollutants from air pollution. Retrieved from http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/campaigns/air-pollution/problems/pollutants/Managi, S., & Kaneko, S. (2006). an empirical analysis of productivity. Economic Growth and Environment in China, 6(1), 89-127.Yan Qin and Ph.D Candidate (2008). Dilemma between economic growth and environment in China. Education and Environment, 11(1), 284. Zhang, D., Anuan, K., Seip, H. M., Larrsen, S., Liu, J., & Zhang, D. (2009, November8). Assessment of health damage caused by air pollution and its implications for policy making in Taiyuan, Shanxi, China. Energy Policy, 38,491-502.doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2009.09.039. Retrieved from www.elsevier.com/locate/enpol.