PSU Magazine Fall 2013

I f you could fly high over the People's Republic of China, you'd see a layer of sooty air blanketing much of the country. This layer, an unwanted byproduct of China's rapid industrialization, reduces the amount of sunlight, adversely affecting crop yields. That's a serious problem for a country attempting to feed one-fifth of the Earth's population with barely 7 percent of the world's cultivable land. China is paying the price for its burgeoning economy. As many as half of its rivers are now fouled with pollu– tion. Grasslands that once covered most of the country are either gone or degraded. Major cities such as Shanghai and Beijing are overcrowded and choked with traffic, dust, and other air quality problems. Several thousand miles on the other side of the Pacific, amid wel– comes from Portland State and local political leaders, China began a quiet but potentially significant search for solutions. Some 36 senior-level Chinese officials arrived at the College of Urban and Public Affairs in July for an international training program in sustainable land use development. Sustainability, a concept endemic to Oregon, seeks to balance economics and environment. A first for the United States and China, the program is expected to result in a multi-year training program that includes classroom work and site visits around the state. "China, unfortunately, faces major threats to the viability of its natural environment," says Nohad Toulan, dean of the College of Urban and Pub– lic Affairs. "In Oregon, we are known worldwide for our leadership in envi– ronmental protection and manage– ment and are prepared to share our experience." T e College of Urban and Public 1 h~ffairs, itself, has a national rep– utation in sustainability issues. Faculty members Deborah Howe and Janet Hammer lent their expertise and tapped into local government, indus– try, and private foundation resources for an intensive three-week curricu– lum. The focus: class work and site vis- its tied to sustainable planning, reduc– tion of greenhouse gases, environmen– tal quality, transit, and livability issues. The program, originally proposed by the Portland-based International Sustainable Development Foundation and the China-U.S. Center for Sus– tainable Development, grew out of last year's U.S. visit by Vice Minister Li Yuan of China's Ministry of Land and Resources (MLR). The ministry, estab– lished in 1999, is responsible for pro– tecting China's farmland and forests while providing for more rational development of urban areas. Chinese officials played a key role on the for– mat of the PSU program, telling their American hosts what issues and infor– mation they were most interested in. '[:lor both countrie the stakes are c~igh. For instance, China's grow– ing air pollution doesn't just stay in Asia, but hitchhikes on the Pacific Ocean jet stream to the Pacific North– west. And if China, which is still con– sidered a developing country, used as FALL2001 PSU MAGAZINE 11