AsiaHuman Environmental

Interaction

Agriculture• Many countries in Asia have land that is good for

farming• Tropical crops are grown in countries with tropical

climate zones• Rice• Coffee• Cocoa• Sugar cane• Rubber

• Rice is the most important food crop in the region

Methods of farming• In mountainous areas

of Asia people practice agricultural terracing

• In areas with tropical forests people use slash and burn farming

• Many tropical cash crops are grown on large plantations

• In most areas people still practice subsistence farming

Wet Rice Agriculture• Japan, Indonesia,

China, Vietnam• Rice is a staple food in

most Asian countries• Altering of landscapes• Excessive extraction

of raw materials• 2008 Rice Crisis• $300 to $1,200 per ton

Use of Pesticides• Pesticides and

herbicides used more in industrialized countries such as Japan and China• Linked to cancer, birth defects• Breakdown slowly in the environment affecting animals

Yangtze River• 40% of China's total

grain production, 70% of rice output, and more than 40% of the population are associated with the Yangtze River

• Flows through many major cities and is 3519 miles long

Three Gorges Dam• Largest in the world• 610 feet high, 1.3

miles long• Proposed in 1919,

completed 2012• Goals:• Increase clean energy• Control floods• Stimulate economic development

Controversies with the Three Gorges Dam• 13 cities, 140 towns and over 1,300 villages were

submerged by the Three Gorges Reservoir• 1.5 million people will have to abandon their homes.

More than 160,000 citizens have already been relocated

• 1,300 known archeological sites were lost forever under water

• Over 265 billion gallons of raw sewage will back up in the reservoir

• 1,600 factories and abandoned mines were submerged

Deforestation in Asia• Indonesia, Cambodia, North Korea and Papua New

Guinea were rated as being at 'extreme risk’ • major causes of deforestation:• economic growth, poverty, corruption, and the rise of

biofuels

Under development for a palm oil plantation, Indonesia

Air Pollution

• 80% of Asia’s air pollution is because of fumes

• Minimal vehicle fitness testing

• Weak emission laws• Open burning

Beijing, China