The 2013 Human Development Report – "The Rise of the South: Human Progress in a Diverse World" – examines the profound shift in global dynamics driven by the fast-rising new powers of the developing world and its long-term implications for human developmentChina has already overtaken Japan as the world's second biggest economy while lifting hundreds of millions of its people out of poverty India is reshaping its future with new entrepreneurial creativity and social policy innovation Brazil is lifting its living standards through expanding international relationships and antipoverty programs that are emulated worldwideBut the "Rise of the South" analyzed in the Report is a much larger phenomenon: Turkey, Mexico, Thailand, South Africa, Indonesia and many other developing nations are also becoming leading actors on the world stage

Human Development Report 2013. The Rise of the South: Human Progress in a Diverse World

Contamination features and health risk of soil heavy metals in China

Remediation techniques for heavy metal-contaminated soils: Principles and applicability

Solid waste issue: Sources, composition, disposal, recycling, and valorization

Lead (Pb) isotopic fingerprinting and its applications in lead pollution studies in China: A review

Municipal solid waste (MSW) as a renewable source of energy: Current and future practices in China

Heavy metals in the surface soils from lands of six different use types in one of the world's most densely populated regions, which is also a major global manufacturing base, were analyzed to assess the impact of urbanization and industrialization on soil pollution. A total of 227 surface soil samples were collected and analyzed for major heavy metals (As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) by using microwave-assisted acid digestion and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Multivariate analysis combined with enrichment factors showed that surface soils from the region (>7.2 × 10(4) km(2)) had mean Cd, Cu, Zn, and As concentrations that were over two times higher than the background values, with Cd, Cu, and Zn clearly contributed by anthropogenic sources. Soil pollution by Pb was more widespread than the other heavy metals, which was contributed mostly by anthropogenic sources. The results also indicate that Mn, Co, Fe, Cr, and Ni in the surface soils were primarily derived from lithogenic sources, while Hg and As contents in the surface soils were controlled by both natural and anthropogenic sources. The pollution level and potential ecological risk of the surface soils both decreased in the order of: urban areas > waste disposal/treatment sites ∼ industrial areas > agricultural lands ∼ forest lands > water source protection areas. These results indicate the significant need for the development of pollution prevention and reduction strategies to reduce heavy metal pollution for regions undergoing fast industrialization and urbanization.

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Assessing heavy metal pollution in the surface soils of a region that had undergone three decades of intense industrialization and urbanization

Geochemical processes controlling fate and transport of arsenic in acid mine drainage (AMD) and natural systems.

China needs to and is undertaking several initiatives to conserve its water supply for human health and national productivity.

Yuanan Hu

Papers

Lead (Pb) isotopic fingerprinting and its applications in lead pollution studies in China: A review

Municipal solid waste (MSW) as a renewable source of energy: Current and future practices in China

Assessing heavy metal pollution in the surface soils of a region that had undergone three decades of intense industrialization and urbanization

Geochemical processes controlling fate and transport of arsenic in acid mine drainage (AMD) and natural systems.

Meeting China’s Water Shortage Crisis: Current Practices and Challenges