China and Sustainability Social Sciences Essay Paper

As Mansfield (2009) and other critical geographers contend, the idea of sustainability is anything by singular.  When we hear individuals or programs talking about "sustainability," we should immediately ask "sustainability of what, for whom, to what ends, and with what costs?" 

After reading Mansfield's (2009) brief chapter on sustainability -- which should familiarize you with several critical approaches to framing the concept -- write your own critical comment reflecting on China, sustainability, complexity, and considerations for the coming years.  I have provided you with several contemporary news stories that should spur your reflection on the complexities of China's social, political and environmental legacies moving forward.

Please refer to and cite the readings in your responses.

(1) responds to all aspects of the prompt, (2) use concrete examples from the text(s) to validate your response and be sure to cite, and (3) draws connections across of the readings.

Reading

1. Mansfield, B. 2009. "Sustainability," in The Companion for Environmental Geography.



2. Farming the World: China’s Epic Race to Avoid a Food Crisis. By Bloomberg News May 22, 2017



3. Wescott and Wang. 2017. "Can China fix its mammoth water crisis before it's too late?" CNN, April 20, 2017.

https://www.cnn.com/2017/03/21/asia/china-water-crisis/index.html