ABSTRACT
Since launching its open-door policy and economic reforms in late 1978, China has experienced spectacular economic growth and hundreds of millions of the Chinese people have been raised out of poverty. In this course, China has been heavily dependent on dirty-burning coal to fuel its rapidly growing economy. Moreover, until recently, China had valued economic growth above environmental protection. A combination of these factors has given rise to unprecedented environmental pollution and health risks across the country (Ho and Nielsen, 2007; The World Bank, 2007; CAEP, 2013).
