Research On Urban Living Pollution Problem In The Period Of Social Transformation

Accompanied by the flourishing economy and the rapid modern development, the contradictions between human beings and the nature are intensifying in the modern society. The problem of environment are more stressed and become the great universal challenge for mankind. The development of the society has made cities and urbanization is the main content and basic symbol of it. But the relative concentration of the population and industries in cities, together with the weak ecosystem, has made the environment problem exceptionally serious here. Urban environment pollution is becoming a big barrier restricting the development of cities. Thus, the study on urban environment, especially on those typical ones is very necessary. The problem of urban environment can be divided into industrial pollution and social life pollution according to its cause. There are more technological problems appeared in industrial pollution, so this has already been controlled under improved circulation with the advanced technology and the preventing measures taken by the government and enterprises. Living pollution has gradually taken more portions in the environment pollution while the industrial one taken the less, it takes more blames on this sharpening problem and now becomes the main substance. Living pollution appears more as social problems. It's more suitable to study and solve it by sociology means than by traditional administrative and technological measures. The thesis tries to study the social characters, causes and managing straits of urban living pollution in the specific city of Benxi during the specific time of the society changing in the course of Chinese modernization, then discusses on the effective ways to solve urban living pollution. On the study means, it takes the combination of data analysis, specific case study and document research in the thesis. Benxi lies in the east mountain area in Liaoning province. It is a heavy industrial base known for the products of steel, coal, constructing material and chemical ones. Same as other heavy industry cities, Benxi has also paid heavy environmental prices at the same time of obtaining achievements in economical development and city construction. According to its emerging causes, the environment pollution in Benxi can be divided into industrial and social life pollution. For a long time, the industrial pollution here has been serious and been the main factor of the problem of urban environment. While recently, the government and factories have paid more attentions on the industrial pollution, strengthened management to it, invested more money and improved the technology, as a result, the industrial pollution in Benxi has presented a decreasing trend and receded to the second place in urban environment pollution. At the same time, because of the enhancement of urbanization, the prosperous Third Industry and the improvement of living standard of people, living pollution has taken the place of industrial one to be the main factor affecting urban environment. The social characters of urban living pollution in Benxi chiefly presents in the following aspects: 1. Wide range and lots of living pollution spots, large total amount and gradually serious harmfulness. 2. More pollutions in living areas and direct harmfulness to people's health. 3. Close relationship with the living and consuming style of citizens. 4. More presentations on the contradictions between people which may easily bring about social conflicts. 5. Less attention on it comparing with the industrial pollution. The social and economical construction changing brought about by the society changing are pounding at people's ideas, conceptions and acting mode, and they have caused the urban living pollution in Benxi. The most presentations are: 1. The rapid enhancing urbanization; 2. A quick upsurge in the Third Industry; 3. The changes on the living and consuming style of Urban citizens. On the environmental management, living pollution controlling is also facing difficulties. First of all, the present environment management system is relatively sluggish and no longer suitable for administering living pollution. Secondly, the style of environment management leading by the government has difficulties to bring living pollution under control. The present government and the environment protection administrating departments are in a dilemma when the living pollution keeps increasing while it is difficult to control.To solve the problem of urban living pollution and break away from the difficulties in controlling and managing living pollution, the thesis holds the opinion that we should conform to the trend of social organization division and reorganization, change the government function, enlarge the public attention and make a full play of the role of social and folk environment protection organizations based on the characteristics of urban living pollution. Social districts are basic social organizations in cities. urban living pollutions most happened in social districts. That is to say, strengthening the management of social districts on living pollution has positive meanings to solve it. Strengthening the management of social districts on living pollution is to make a full play of the role of neighborhood committee. In the course of improving environment managing system, the environment protection department may put certain administering rights and responsibilities, through distributing the rights and letting the emphasis down in the managing rights on living pollution, on the neighborhood committee in social districts. Neighborhood committee in social districts may be entrusted to play the government's environment managing function on controlling living pollution, to strengthen the environment management in social districts, so to realize the "entering of environment protection into social districts". The roles of neighborhood committee in social districts on controlling inner-living pollution are mainly as the unity of planning, the unity of coordination and the unity of supervising. In addition, by the ways of propaganda and education, the neighborhood committee may also gradually change the residents'living style and consuming actions which are not benefit for environment protection, reduce the living pollutions caused by them. It is the extending of the government managing function on environment to strengthen social districts management and to make full play of their roles in controlling urban living pollution, it is the necessary compensation of the present environment managing system and needs the support and cooperation from the government and environment protection departments. In recent years, organizations in social districts are becoming complete in Benxi, the elementary establishment of social districts'net has made a solid foundation for socialdistricts to take part in the environment protection and control living pollution. Solving the problem of urban living pollution also needs to enlarge the participation of the public, to train and strengthen the folk environment protection strength, to promote the development of "the third department", folk organizations, of environment protection who can by degrees assume the concrete social affairs on environment protection, promote the government to change its function and realize "the populization of environment protection". Developing folk environment protection organizations can enhance the strength of folk environment protection and change the state of government leading in this area; it can promote the public self-education, self-restricting and self-management, strengthen its consciousness on this and improve its capability in participating in environment protection; it can increase the environment protecting efficiency of the government; it can also avoid the happening of vicious environmental conflicts and the losses brought by them, so as to solve the environmental conflicts on the organization level through ordered mutual action. In the accelerated social changing in China, various beneficial conditions for the appearing and development of new social organizations come into being. It will be very helpful to promote the environment protection if we can take advantage of these conditions and push the development of folk organizations forward. These social conditions caused by social changing are about to be divided into two basic aspects ----the changing of social object environment and the changing of value conception of social action subject. They have mutual functions, therefore, are more beneficial for the development of folk environment protection organizations. Under the present circumstances in China, the developing of folk environment protection organizations can't exist without the support from the government first of all. Then more system measures should be build to cultivate its social foundation and set up source leading mechanisms for folk organization developing. Thirdly, working space and conditions should be created to encourage and lead the development of those folk and voluntary organizations. Finally, more attentions should be paid to train "entrepreneurs"in the field of social business during the development of folk environment...