As important suppliers of energy resources, mining areas have made huge contributions to China's socio-economic development. However, some factors are inhibiting the further development of mining areas and, thereby pose a threat to social stability, as well as resource and energy security in the country. In 2012, the National Development and Reform Commission formulated a project aiming to support the sustainable development of mining areas. This study collected and compiled the project's first-hand survey data from 128 mining areas across China and comprehensively investigated the current development status of the country's mining areas. The problems facing the development of China's mining areas are analyzed, and four specific suggestions are provided, namely: promote industry transformation, remove institutional constraints, improve people's livelihoods to maintain the stability of mining areas, and protect the environment to provide a clean, healthy living environment for mining area residents. This paper provides the first comprehensive and systematic picture of China's mining areas and highlights the importance of mining areas for the country's economic and social development.
LI Qian, ZHANG Wenzhong, WANG Dai
. Current Status, Challenges and Policy Recommendations Regarding the Sustainable Development of Mining Areas in China[J]. Journal of Resources and Ecology, 2014
, 5(1)
: 42
-52
.
DOI: 10.5814/j.issn.1674-764x.2014.01.005
Al-Hinti I, A Al-Ghandoor, B Akash, et al. 2013. A comparative analysis of energy indicators and CO2 emissions in 15 Arab countries. International Journal of Environment and Waste Management, 11:129-47.
Andrews-Speed P, Ma G, Shao B, Liao C. 2005. Economic responses to the closure of small-scale coal mines in Chongqing, China. Resources Policy, 30: 39-54.
Asafu-Adjaye J. 2005. Environmental economics for non-economists. Singapore: World Scientific Publishing.
Auty R M. 1994. Industrial policy reform in six large newly industrializing countries: The resource curse thesis. World Development, 22, 11-26.
Barnes T, R Hayter. 1994. Economic restructuring, local development and resource towns: Forest communities in coastal British Columbia. Canadian Journal of Regional Science, ⅩⅤⅡ (3): 289-310.
Bebbington A J, J T Bury. 2009. Institutional challenges for mining and sustainability in Peru. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106: 17296-17301.
Business Partners for Development. 2003. Tri-sector partnership results and recommendations: Putting partnerships to work, 1998-2001. Business Partners for Development, London.
China Commodity Net. 2007. Rich reserves of mineral resources in the United States. http://ccn.mofcom.gov.cn/spbg/show.php?id=6372
Corden W J and J P Neary.1982. Booming sector and de-industrialization in a small open economy. Economic Journal, 92(9):825-848.
CPGPRC (The Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China). 2007. Revitalization of northeast China's old industrial base. http://www.gov.cn/xxgk/pub/govpublic/mrlm/200805/t20080505_32834. htm
CPGPRC (The Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China). 2004. Opinions about solve the housing difficulties of urban low-income families. http://chinaneast.xinhuanet.com/2004-05/08/content_3193475.htm
Crush J. 1994. Scripting the compound: Power and space in the South African mining industry. Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, 12: 301-324.
Dincer I. 1999. Environmental impacts of energy. Energy Policy, 27: 845-854.
Feagin J R. 1985. The global context of metropolitan growth: Houston and the oil industry. American Journal of Sociology, 90: 1204-1230.
Golusin M, O M Ivanovic. 2009. Definition, characteristics and state of the indicators of sustainable development in countries of Southeastern Europe. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, 130: 67-74.
Grabher G. 1993. The weakness of strong ties: The ‘lock-in' of regional development in the Ruhr area. In: Grabher G (ed.). The Embedded Firm: On the Socio-Economics of Industrial Networks. London: Routledge, 67-94.
Hall P A and D Soskice. 2001. An introduction to varieties of capitalism. In: Hall P A and D Soskice (eds.). Varieties of capitalism: The institutional foundations of comparative advantage. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Hamann R. 2004. Corporate social responsibility, partnerships, and institutional change: The case of mining companies in South Africa. Natural Resources Forum, 28: 278-290.
Hassink R, Shin D H. 2005a. The restructuring of old industrial areas in Europe and Asia. Environment and Planning A, 37(4): 571-580.
Hassink R, Shin D H. 2005b. South Korea's shipbuilding industry: From a couple of cathedrals in the desert to an innovative cluster. Asian Journal of Technology Innovation, 13, 133-156.
Hassink R. 2005. How to unlock regional economies from path dependency? From learning region to learning cluster. European Planning Studies, 13: 521-535.
Hassink R. 2010. Locked in decline? On the role of regional lock-ins in old industrial areas. In: Boschma R, R Martin (eds.). The Handbook of Evolutionary Economic Geography. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 450-468.
Hilson G. 2000. Sustainable development policies in Canada's mining sector: An overview of government and industry efforts. Environmental Science and Policy, 3: 201-211
Houghton D S. 1993. Long-distance commuting: A new approach to mining in Australia. Geographical Journal, 15: 281-290.
IIMI. 2007. Escaping from the resource curse: Evidence from Botswana and the rest of the world. IMF Staff Papers, 54:663-699.
Karakosta C, D Askounis. 2010. Developing countries' energy needs and priorities under a sustainable development perspective: A linguistic decision support approach. Energy for Sustainable Development, 14: 330-338.
Kaygusuz K. 2012. Energy for sustainable development: A case of developing countries. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 16: 1116-1126.
Liu J, Wang R, Sun Y W, et al. 2013. A barrier analysis for the development of distributed energy in China: A case study in Fujian Province. Energy Policy, 60, 262-271.
Liu X Y. 2001. Obstacles and countermeasures on the development of mining cities in China. Resource & Industry, 11, 15-17.
Martin R, P Sunley. 2006. Path dependence and regional economic evolution. Journal of Economic Geography, 6: 395-437.
Matshediso I B. 2005. A review of mineral development and investment policies of Botswana. Resources Policy, 30: 203-207.
Marais L. 2005. Public finances, service delivery and mine closure in block. Town and Regional Planning, 48: 5-16.
Marais L, Venter A. 2006. Hating the compound but…mineworker housing needs in post-apartheid South Africa. Africa Insight, 36: 53-62.
Martin R L.1998. Energy future from the United Sates perspective. Renewable Energy, 15:8-9.
Matshediso I B. 2005. A review of mineral development and investment policies of Botswana. Resources Policy, 30: 203-207.
Medina-Ross J A, J C Mata-Sandoval, R López-Pérez. 2005. Indicators for sustainable energy development in Mexico. Natural Resources Forum, 29:308-21.
Midilli A, I Dincer, M Ay. 2006. Green energy strategies for sustainable development. Energy Policy, 34: 3623-3633.
MFPRC (Ministry of Finance of the People's Republic of China) and SAPRC (State Administration of Taxation). 2010. Notice about the city and state-owned mining shanty areas tax incentive. http://www.chinatax. gov.cn/n8136506/n8136593/n8137537/n8138502/9708263.htm. (in Chinese)
MFPRC (Ministry of Finance of the People's Republic of China) 2008. Notice on the financial issues related to the Housing relocation of workers lived in mining areas. http://www.gov.cn/zwgk/2008-05/04/content_961128.htm. (in Chinese)
MHURDPRC (Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of the People's Republic of China). 2009. Guidance on the remolding of the city and state-owned mining shanty areas. http://www.mlr.gov.cn/zwgk/zytz/201001/t20100114_132728.htm. (in Chinese)
NBSC (National Bureau of Statistics of China). 2012. China Statistical Yearbook 2012. http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjsj/ndsj/2012/indexch.htm. (in Chinese)
NDRC (National Development and Reform Commission). 2013. Notification on the implementation of the first relocation and transformation project of the mining areas. http://www.chinaneast.gov.cn/2013-04/11/c_132301338.htm. (in Chinese)
Ni W D, T B Johansson. 2004. Energy for sustainable development in China. Energy Policy, 32, 1225-1229.
Olson M. 1982. The rise and decline of nations: Economic growth, stagflation, and social rigidities. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. Peck J and Zhang J. 2013. A variety of capitalism... with Chinese characteristics? Journal of Economic Geography, 13(3): 357-396.
Rehfeld D. 1995. Disintegration and reintegration of production clusters in the Ruhr area. The Rise of the Rustbelt. London: UCL Press, 85-102.
Rufael Y W. 2010. Coal consumption and economic growth revisited. Applied Energy, 87:160-167.
Sachs J D, A M Warner. 1999. The big push, natural resource booms and growth. Journal of Development Economics, 59(6):43-76.
Saha P C. 2003. Sustainable energy development: A challenge for Asia and the Pacific region in the 21st century. Energy Policy, 31: 1051-1059.
Schilling M, Chiang L C. 2011. The effect of natural resources on a sustainable development policy: The approach of non-sustainable externalities. Energy Policy, 39: 990-998.
Siddique M A B. 2009. Western Australia-Japan mining co-operation: An historical overview. Discussion paper, The University of Western Australia.
Taylor R. 1987. Migrant labour in the mining industry: A future perspective. South African Journal of Labor Relations, 11: 24-32.
Van Eeden E. 2012. Theorizing the way forward regarding transdisciplinary research on environmental crisis in small towns. In: Donaldon R, L Maraos (Eds.). Small Town Geographies in Africa: Experiences from South Africa and Elsewhere. New York: Nova Publishers, 83-100.
Vera I A, L M Langlois, H H Rogner, et al. 2005. Indicators for sustainable energy development: An initiative by the international atomic energy agency. Natural Resources Forum, 29:274-83.
WCED (World Commission on Environment and Development). 1987. Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development: Our Common Future. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 400.
World Bank. 2002. It's not Over when it's Over: Mine closure around the world. The World Bank Group Mining Department, Washington, DC.
Wright J. 1991. Indicators for sustainable energy development. Center for Resource Management, Information Paper, 28.
Zen A C, A Lima, A L Brianch, L Babot. 2012. Sustainability, energy and development: A proposal of indicators. International Journal for Infonomics, 5:537-41.
Zhang Y C. 1998. The sustainable development of mining cities. Beijing: Petroleum Industry Press, 536-577. (in Chinese)
Zhang P Y. 2011. Vulnerability on man-land system in mining cities. Beijing: Science Press, 42-46. (in Chinese)
Zhu L B. 2012. Analysis of Chinese private capital and its management. Northern Economic, 2:27-29. (in Chinese)
