Chapter 12 of “Collapse” deals with China and the different environmental problems that China has to contend with as the country try’s to become a 1st world economy. I have always thought that the reason that the rainforest in Brazil were being cut down was because Brazil wanted, desired more land for economical development and farming. That is not the case, as China develops an environmental conscience to save its own ecosystems from destruction; China is plundering Brazil and other tropical countries for wood because wood provides 40% of the energy for rural areas. Aside from the energy that China consumes as I was reading this chapter I started wondering why China has such a large population. What are the factors that caused China to have 1.1 billion people? And what effect will China have on the world as China becomes a 1st world nation.

So I decided to do some research and see what I could discover to answer my question. As I yahooed and goggled I started to discover some interesting facts about China. In 1949 the population of China was 118 million people, and Mao in his great wisdom decided that China needed a bigger population because he thought it would bring wealth to the country. Mao also thought that by a larger population China could produce more food, have a better military, and develop better communication systems for the country.

“Large birth rates was also considered a sign of recovery from war and hardships that China had to endure.”


“During the Great Leap Forward (1958-1961) pro-natalism was again espoused as the only possible socialist policy and most counseling and dispensaries of contraceptives were closed down. The party line was ‘the more people there are, the more, faster, better, and thriftier can we build socialism”.(Scharping) Mao announced a desire for over a billion people and argued that the China’s greatest problem in the future would not be overpopulation, but lack of manpower. 1962-66 saw a renewal of birth-control programs but these continued on a very small scale and with significant opposition.“


China’s population increase from 118 million to 540 million in the 1960’s then increased again to 712 million by the 1970’s. In 1982 a census was taken and the population was 1,008,180,738 people which are considered accurate by officials. It is estimated that in 2002 there are 1.28 billion people in China. From these facts one can ascertain that government mandate is one reason for the population crisis that China finds its self in. Rural birth rates are higher then urban areas (36% of the population, which means rural birth rates account for 64% of the population) because you need children to help work the farm, and to help in selling produce, and to take care of the parents in old age.
Another factor in China’s population numbers is that in 1949 a universal health care system was implemented resulting in people living longer. At present time China’s births outnumber deaths by 9 million.
The effect that China has on the world is being felt now as China vies for energy, and other natural resources. Last year in the Tampa Tribune there was an article that stated that China had bought up ¼ of the world supply of concrete for that year. I know that China desires to become a superpower, but they want to take short cuts.

Scharping, Thomas. Birth Control in China 1949-2000: Population Policy and Demographic Development. London: RoutledgeCurzon, 2003.