How have the changes in China's laws affected its economy?

China's economic growth averaging 8% or more annually over the past two decades has produced an high increase in the standard of living for hundreds of millions of Chinese citizens. At the same time this economic development has had major ramifications for the natural environment. There has been a dramatic increase in the demand for natural resources of all kinds, including water, land and energy. Forest resources have been depleted triggering a range of devastating secondary impacts such as desertification flooding and species loss. Moreover poorly regulated industrial and household emissions and waste have caused levels of water and air pollution to skyrocket. China's development and environment practices have also made the country one of the world's leading contributors to regional and global environmental problems, including acid rain, ozone depletion, global climate change, and biodiversity loss.