Salzburg, AUSTRIA
Dr. David M. Johnson was appointed as a Fellow
to the Salzburg Seminar for its session on China: The
New Global Economic Engine?, which was convened at Schloss
Leopoldskron in Salzburg, Austria, from December 5 to 10, 2006, gathering
some 53 participants from 24 countries, representing intergovernmental
organizations, business, academic and research institutes, and banking
institutions.
David Johnson is Associate Dean and Professor
of Chemistry and Environmental Science, School of Natural Sciences
and Mathematics, Ferrum College and Senior Environmental Scientist,
MapTech Inc., Blacksburg. His B.S. (Chemistry), M.S. and Ph.D., (Environmental
Health Sciences) are from The University of Michigan.
China’s explosive growth has exercised a
profound impact on the world’s economic order during the past decade.
Since the 1990s, when it began implementing the reforms that helped
fuel its unparalled economic success, China has become a major player
on the global arena. However, the scope, scale and speed of its transition
into a global, privatized and urban-based market economy are causing
enormous tensions among its Asian neighbors as well as in the United
States and the European Union.
Sustaining the momentum of China’s phenomenal
growth means that it needs to harness its scarce natural resources,
particularly in the energy and water sectors. On the other hand, the
resulting degradation of its environment poses long-terms risks to
its sustainable growth and political stability. The enormity of the
challenges that China faces today require that it achieve new levels
of cooperation with its global partners, like the United States and
India, even as it moves its political economy towards implementation
of existing environmental laws and regulations.
The Salzburg Seminar session analyzed the
challenges, risks and opportunities faced by China as it emerges into
a key force in the world economy. It likewise explored future scenarios
for a new world economic order, and evaluated practical choices faced
today by policy makers in government and business in China, in the
West, and elsewhere in Asia.
Ferrum College is a four-year, private, co-educational,
liberal arts college affiliated with the United Methodist Church.
Ferrum offers a choice of nationally recognized bachelor’s degree
programs at a cost well below the national average for private colleges.
For more information on Ferrum, visit www.ferrum.edu.
