By: Carlos David Rueda
“The Chinese have figured out that they have a giant environmental problem. Folks in Beijing, some days, literally can't breathe. Over a million Chinese die prematurely every year because of air pollution.”
-Joe Biden
Streets filled with cars, skyscrapers on each side, and people wearing masks trying to save their lives. China's air pollution is getting worse every day, spreading to other countries, causing premature deaths, just because they prioritized economy over public health, and their attempt to fix it with inefficient air quality regulations is just wasting time and money. Air pollution can cause many health issues such as weak immunity, asthma, increased cancer rate and heart disease or stroke.
The Voice of the People is Hardly Heard
Even though millions of people are begging for a change to green or renewable energy, in 2017 at least 200 new coal power plants are going to be created created across the country. According to ABC news, 40% of the smog in Beijing is caused by burning coal. The World Health Organization (WHO) recorded that cities such as Shijiazhuang have air quality of 1000 PM2.5 (particles that can get into your bloodstream and lungs) and anything over 25 PM2.5 is a health hazard. In 2016 there was hope for improvement, until coal production went up in September. In early 2016 Beijing went into red alert closing schools, factories and construction sites and ordered half of private cars off the road.
In 2008 the government made a big effort to clean the air and improve its quality for the olympics, it was very frustrating for the citizens to see this effort go to waste after the olympics.“ Women whose pregnancy were in those 8 weeks of improved air quality got babies with a significantly higher … birth weight… if your birth weight is higher your later life is healthier”. states Dr. Jim Zhang. After the olympics the pollution started to worsen again and the government tried to hide, but it got so bad that they couldn't hide it anymore, they tried to fix it but their air quality regulations were really ineffective. It's amazing how they prioritize economic interest over public health interest.
http://money.cnn.com/2015/12/08/news/economy/china-pollution-business/
http://money.cnn.com/2015/12/08/news/economy/china-pollution-business/
A perfect demonstration of how the haze of pollution has everyone in masks.
U.S., Japan and Korea affected by China’s Stubbornness
Recent studies demonstrate that China’s air pollution is raising the strength of cyclones that form over the Pacific Ocean, it’s even spreading noticeable amounts of contamination to the western part of the U.S.. Yuang Wang's research team created a simulation which concluded that cyclones brought pollution to the U.S. as well as American consumers who buy a lot of products made in China.
China produces a lot of winds called westerlies across the pacific which has entered the U.S. airspace, some of the pollution in westerns U.S. can be traced to China. On spring 12-24% of sulfate air pollution came from China, as well as 4-6% of carbon monoxide and 2-5% of ground level ozone.
China not only has affected the U.S., but Japan and Korea have sounded the alarm about hazardous air pollution from northern China which will worsen in winter. In Japan people were told to stay at home because toxic pollution blanketed Tokyo, they are concerned because westerly winds will bring pollution once again. “The options are to go on vacation, change your residence or find a new hop free from… pollution,” states the Mainichi newspaper. “Children don't want in doors all day… they cannot go to the park when it's very bad” says Kanako Hosumara a housewife from Tokyo. China and Japan have to work together because of their feud of senkaku Islands, absence of urgency for both countries, Japan how to fix this air pollution with technological solutions because of its air pollution past.
Is public health really worth sacrificing for economic growth?
The government justifies their massive use of coal by saying that if they stop using coal it will create unemployment and unrest. This is very absurd since because of coal mines thousands of people are dying in numerous accidents. In 2006 alone, 3,306 accidents happened in China and 5,938 workers lost their lives. Many people who prioritize economy over health will say that China has put a lot of fees on the big companies that produce the most pollution, but the money these companies pay is nothing compared to what they gain. in 2004 China produced 2.2 billion tons of coal and consumed 2.1. People can’t deny the fact that China has one of the worst air pollution in the world, if they want to improve China’s air quality they have to accept that public health is more important than economic growth
The government of China should start reducing the amount of coal plants and start being power plants that are less contaminant. China is known as the 1st countries in the world to produce the most energy, all of that energy comes from coal in fact 40% of China's energy is from coal. Even though China uses artificial rain to “clean” the air is not enough, they should start reducing their coal mines as well, if they have this much coal they won't have anything else to do than to burn it, plus workers in this mines are also dying by numerous accidents. To accomplish all of this, they first have to come out of their “perfect country” bubble, they have to accept that their country is mass polluted, they have to accept the fact that their citizens are dying, if they keep themselves in this ideal that everything will be alright, the process of slowly making a change to the better will always be an unreachable fantasy.
Carlos David Rueda
Mr. Joyce
Science
27/05/2017
Works Cited
"The Problems Of Air Pollution." The Problems of Air Pollution in China | Greenpeace East Asia. Greenpeace, 22 June 2011. Web. 25 May 2017.”http://m.greenpeace.org/eastasia/high/campaigns/air-pollution/problems/”
This source is relevant because even though it's biased it presents the effects of air pollution in the humans. It explains how it can cause immunity, and how it affects children with asthma and other respiratory illnesses. And how it can cause cancer, heart disease and health risks to the cardiovascular system. It also states how different cities in China exceed the world health organization (WHO). This source is known to be biased with blaming the governments in several nations for causing the pollution, that's why I only recorded the illnesses from this source
Ambardar, Rekha. “China and India: The Price of Economic Growth.” The World and I, vol. 29, no. 9, Sept. 2014. Questia School, www.questiaschool.com/read/1G1-393516514/china-and-india-the-price-of-economic-growth. Accessed 2017.
This source from questia explains how having a good economy can have consequences. It states how China had to put fees on big companies who produce a lot of CO2, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and ammonia nitrogen. It states how they had to pay the price of 5000 accidents in coal mines were 3000 people were killed. It's a relevant article that shows that everything comes with a price, and in this case China is far from overcoming it.
Matthew Carney. "China's Air Pollution Crisis Shows No Sign of Ending as Nation Fails to Lower Coal Use." China's Air Pollution Crisis Shows No Sign of Ending as Nation Fails to Lower Coal Use - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). ABC, 10 Jan. 2017. Web. 25 May 2017 “http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2017-01-08/chinese-air-pollution-crisis-caused-by-ongoing-coal-use/8168702”
This article from ABC news explains how even though people are begging for a change in energy use in China because of all the pollution in the air, but the authorities ignore them and prioritize economy, they are building even more power plants across the country throughout 2017. It shows detailed and specific percentages that show how China exceeds the PM2.5 limit by a 100 times, according to the world health organization. It also states how there was so many opportunities for china's air quality to improve, for example: in early sep. there was hope of improvement since coal went down until late sept. when it went up again.
"What Is China Doing to Tackle Its Air Pollution? - BBC News." What Is China Doing to Tackle Its Air Pollution? BBC News, 20 Jan. 2016. Web. 25 May 2017.”https://www.google.com/amp/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/3535159”
BBC News concluded that China is getting worse and worse in air quality, it will not improve even though it has entered in red alert several times. This article explains that a big amount of pregnant mothers have children with a low amount of weight which also affects their future, women who gave birth in the 8 weeks of the olympics were air cleansing occurs have ,much heavier and healthier babies. According to Dr. jim Zhang in 2008 air pollution problem was kept secret by the government but because of massive events that happened such as red alerts were people can't go out of their houses in 2013 it was out. “Because of prioritising economic interest over public health interest, the way they implement the existing air quality regulations is very inefficient
Stromberg, Joseph. "Air Pollution in China Is Spreading Across the Pacific to the U.S." Smithsonian.com. Smithsonian Institution, 21 Jan. 2014. Web. 25 May 2017. “http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/air-pollution-china-is-spreading-across-pacific-us-180949395/”
Joseph stromberg states that different natural phenomenons such as westerlies (winds that travel to the west) are bringing pollution to western U.S. as well as american consumers that buy a lot of products from China, this pollution is also recorded to cause cyclones according to a simulation made by Yuan Wang's research team. It presented that in spring of 2016 12-14% sulfate air pollution came to the U.S. from China as well as 4-6% of carbon monoxide and 2-5% of ground level ozone. It shows us how China's pollution is spreading across the world, one more reason for its improvement
Julian, Ryall. "Japan, South Korea Concerned That China's Smog Will Affect Them." Japan, South Korea Concerned That China's Smog Will Affect Them. South China Morning Post, 6 Nov. 2013. Web. 25 May 2017. “https://www.google.com/amp/m.scmp.com/news/china/article/1348605/japan-south-korea-concerned-chinas-smog-will-affect-them%3Famp%3D1”
Julian and Ryall conclude that China's amount of smog is so big that it has spread to Japan and Korea, and that they'll need Japan's experience to solve this problem. Both Korea and Japan sounded the red alarm (hazardous) from China which will worsen on winter. “Children don't want to be indoors all day… they cannot go to the park when it's very bad”. They state that because of China's and Japan's feud with senkaku islands they will be forced to work together to solve this problem.
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