China's population of 1.3 billion people puts strain on her natural resources. This account of the environmental challenges that China faces examines China's energy resources, their uses, impacts and prospects, from the 1970s oil crisis to the present and analyses the question of how China can best produce enough food to feed its population.

Widespread environmental problems discussed include: Water and air pollution Water shortage Soil erosion Deforestation Desertification Loss of biodiversity In conclusion, Smil argues that the decline of the Chinese ecosystem and environmental pollution has cost China about ten per cent of her annual GDP. This book provides the best available synthesis on the environmental consequences of China's economic reform program and will prove essential reading to scholars with an interest in China and the environment.

1. China's Biophysical Foundations
1.1 My Chinese Experiences
1.2 Challenges of Understanding
1.3 Interdisciplinary Perspectives
2. Energy
2.1 Half a Century of Advances
2.2 Continuing Importance of Traditional Energies
2.3 A Failed Strategy
2.4 From a New Saudi Arabia to Concerns About Oil Security
3. Food
3.1 The World's Greatest Famine
3.2 From Subsistence to Satiety
3.3 Dietary Transitions
3.4 Nitrogen in China's Agriculture
3.5 Can China Feed Itself?
4. Environment
4.1 Attitudes and Constraints
4.2 The First of Five Elements
4.3 China's Environment and Security
4.4 Cost of China's Environmental Change
5. Looking Ahead by Looking Back
5.1 Failed Forecasts
5.2 Contending Trends