The "Price" China is Paying for Torrid Growth

Environmental damage from China's breakneck economic growth, the spread of AIDS and growing poverty threaten the future of China's drive to better living standards, the United Nations said in a report released Thursday.

China faces daunting shortages of productive farmland and water, said the U.N. Development Program study. Untreated sewage discharge and industrial effluent have left most rivers, lakes and groundwater heavily polluted, it said.

"China is not yet on track in reversing the loss of its environmental resources," said the report, which assesses the country's ability to meet goals set by the Millennium Summit in 2000.

The report underscores tough challenges facing the country as it struggles to balance economic growth with the pressures of its rising population.

Acknowledging the human cost of dramatic growth, China's leaders say they're adjusting policies to ensure sustainable development.

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