Air Pollution in China
Air pollution in China has increased at a phenomenal rate along with its increased economy. It is currently held responsible for over 410,000 Chinese deaths a year [1] Guardian unlimited, Jonathon Watts. Some publications have taken to calling it the ‘air pollution capitol of the world’ due to the abnormal rates of pollution it has. The local population are being put at serious risk from the high levels of pollutants they are inhaling, causing serious illnesses such as lung problems, cancer and in many cases death.
The blame for this pollution lies in the huge steel and chemical factories up and down the country which daily pump tons of pollutants and toxins into the air. Sulphur dioxide, soot and ash are thrown in to the air, so much so that in some cities, the ash and soot literally has to be swept off the street. State run enterprises are not exactly helping the situation either with a newly planned petrochemical plant underway which will cause even more pollution to the already dangerously polluted air. In addition to this the rapid rise of car ownership attributes to the growing problem. Streets are clogged with cars, whose exhaust fumes fill the city air, and are breathed in, by millions of its inhabitants. A secondary consideration of air pollution is water pollution. Acid rain falls from the skies over China, which runs in to rivers, lakes and streams, consequentially polluting the water supply.
‘China is the world's second-largest producer of greenhouse gases, and the World Bank has warned it is home to 16 of the planet's 20 most air-polluted cities.’ [1] Guardian unlimited, Jonathon Watts
Pollution is beginning to negatively affect agriculture, and is literally threatening the survival of their crops. Incomplete combustion of fossil fuels produce hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides, which are highly reactive gasses that build up in the lower levels of the atmosphere. Thought needs to be given to air pollution in order for the Chinese population to be
The blame for this pollution lies in the huge steel and chemical factories up and down the country which daily pump tons of pollutants and toxins into the air. Sulphur dioxide, soot and ash are thrown in to the air, so much so that in some cities, the ash and soot literally has to be swept off the street. State run enterprises are not exactly helping the situation either with a newly planned petrochemical plant underway which will cause even more pollution to the already dangerously polluted air. In addition to this the rapid rise of car ownership attributes to the growing problem. Streets are clogged with cars, whose exhaust fumes fill the city air, and are breathed in, by millions of its inhabitants. A secondary consideration of air pollution is water pollution. Acid rain falls from the skies over China, which runs in to rivers, lakes and streams, consequentially polluting the water supply.
‘China is the world's second-largest producer of greenhouse gases, and the World Bank has warned it is home to 16 of the planet's 20 most air-polluted cities.’ [1] Guardian unlimited, Jonathon Watts
Pollution is beginning to negatively affect agriculture, and is literally threatening the survival of their crops. Incomplete combustion of fossil fuels produce hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides, which are highly reactive gasses that build up in the lower levels of the atmosphere. Thought needs to be given to air pollution in order for the Chinese population to be