...Summary "an air pollution catastrophe" happened in China because of its rapid industrialization. China achieves high economic growth but also led to veiled skies of toxic air and cause health problems. It also leads environmental degradation. This book provides an overview of China’s air pollution problem and describes how and why China is dealing with such a terrible situation as well as the government’s doing to address the problem. It will be difficulties to attempt to reduce the pollution. In addition, the analysis is based on both academic studies and grey literature. Looking at the grey literature will help us listen to the voice of who suffer from the pollution to allows the reader to have a better grasp the condition on the ground. This book also...
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... China’s tremendous growth in GDP over the years has indeed shocked the world. With the implementation of the Chinese Economic Reform, China’s GDP has seen a tenfold increase and has even overtaken Japan to be the second largest economy after the United States. However, there is always a downside to economic progress in a country. Pollution. Not only is pollution is a huge problem in China, it is in fact a problem in many industrialised cities. China is saturated with heavy industry, metal smelters, and coal-fired power plants which are all paramount in maintaining the fast-paced economic growth it is currently experiencing; even as they generate tons of hazardous gases and soot into the air. The air pollution and smog in two of China’s biggest cities -Beijing and Shanghai- are sometimes so bad, airports are forced to shut down due to of poor visibility. That is not all, the air quality of Beijing is said to be 16 times worse than New York City. Blue skies are a rare sight and buildings several blocks away are difficult to locate, visually. Apart from that, sometimes you can't see the street from the 5th floor window in Shanghai....
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...Course : Environmental Science The primary air pollutants in China Associate Professor : XU Bin Student: Dragan Cigoja Student number: 1593686 Mentor: Lecturer WU Bing The primary air pollutants in China API Air Pollution Index China State Environment protection Agency started with daily pollution monitoring from 2008 and it was covered 86 most important cities. Its purpouse is to check daily air quality by measuring the level of six atmospheric pollutants (table 1). Air pollutant Particle pollution Formula Source Health implication PM2.5 Particular matters of 2,5 micrometers or smaller. motor vehicles, power plants, residential wood burning, forest fires, agricultural burning Bring toxic chemicals and heavy metals into the body and with them risk of cancer as well as heart and lung diseases Particular matters larger than 2,5 micrometers and smaller tha 10 micrometers in diametar. Near roads and dusty industries irritation of the eyes, nose and throat coughing, chest tightness and shortness of breath,reduced lung function, irregular heartbeat, asthma attacks,heart attacks, premature death in people with heart or lung diseas. Short term exposures result with an multiplicity of harmful effects including bronchoconstriction and increased asthma symptoms. These effects are partialy important during the exercising or playing. long-term exposure to NO2 levels currently observed in Europe may decrease lung function and increase the risk of respiratory symptoms such as acute...
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...Economic impact of industrial pollution in China Outline I. Introduction Brief overview why China is the target country II. Overview of the problem a. Large population are suffering from the pollution b. Industrial growth based on coal uses; serious air pollution in most cities in China III. Economic effects c. Reduction of the labor force: high death rate to workers due to the pollution, especially air pollution; high risk for children to grow up in such environment. d. Fewer foreign investments: Foreign companies’ policy or culture require good environment for their employee; high rate of employee turnover because of pollution IV. Possible solutions e. Solution 1: Increased oversight on industrial operations f. Solution 2: Restrictions on development of new industries g. Solution 3: Use of change leadership to overhaul current policies tax subsidy/ mandates /cap and trade invest in new technology V. Conclusion/Recommendation The Chinese government needs to create new laws, borrow a leaf from The Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Introduction In an economically competitive world, most countries around the globe constantly compete to attain the top position in the international market in order to reap the benefits that come with such progress. For this reason, most countries insist on industrialization with some showing more zeal as compared to others through political policies...
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...The Barrier to China sustainable economic growth: Pollution Problem China, the world’s second largest single-country economy, has achieved economic growth over the past 30 years, however, growing the GDP at any cost has created many environmental problems. China’s facing severe pollution and environmental degradation for many reasons such as rapid industrialization, reliance on coal as an energy source and manufacturing industry. One of the environment problems for China is pollution. The current air pollution has become a threat to Chinese people health. 33 shocking photographs were posted on social media under the caption ‘Pollution in China is out of control’ catching world’s attention. This problem has thus become serious problem which call for rethinking of government policies. The Chinese Prime Minister, Li Keqiang, also responded to this problem declaring war against pollution and fighting it with the same determination China battled poverty. From my point of view, it’s the big challenge for China to improve the environment quality while achieving rapid economic growth therefore I think one of the greatest barriers to sustainable economic growth for China is the pollution problem. The impact of China's economic development on the environment has become increasingly serious, China has been facing a growing imbalance between economic achievements and the quality of the environment. At present with economic growing, China's energy consumption and environmental...
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...Pollution: A Pressing Issue Mikayla Schott 007848737 4 November 2013 Biology 21 Professor Poffenroth Mikayla Schott Pollution: A Pressing Issue Pollution is one of the most harmful environmental issues our earth faces today. Pollution is defined as the initiation of contaminants into the environment. The most alarming factor about pollution is that it is almost entirely the result of human action. One of the most polluted nations is China; contrarily, though many Americans fight to protect the environment from such harm, there still exists pollution in our nation, today. Unfortunately, pollution affects everyone; however, children are suffering everywhere from their lack of knowledge of how to protect themselves from such harm, as well as the fact that much of the detrimental effects of pollution in children’s health occurs before they are even born, when they are still in the womb. Negative reports of reproductive health in China prompted scientists to look further. The effects of pollution on the development of children in China and America, though different, are comparable. Pollution in China has increased due to the rapid industrialization of the nation in the past 30 years. According to the World Bank reports in 2007, “of the 20 most polluted cities in the world, cities in China account for 16 of them.” And according to Environment and Reproductive Health in China “Air quality in China is among the worst in the world, with air pollution levels...
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...Pollution for Economic Growth? As China grows so does its pollution. The “new normal” in Beijing is to send your child to school wearing a gas mask that retails for about $60 a piece. (Larson, 2013) Recent reports state that the particulate matter (PM), which is damaging to health, reached a record high in January of 2013. These levels were 993 micrograms per cubic meter. According to the World Health Organization, PM levels over 25mcg/m3 are considered unhealthy. (WHO, 2011) China has begun drafting rules that would include shutting down factories that produce iron, steel and building materials, plus limit the number of vehicles on the road during heavy pollution days. Fines could possibly range from 50,000 Yuan to 500,000 Yuan. China produces 70% of the world’s iron and steel along with half the world’s cement. (Times, 2013) The biggest problem China’s government faces are that the country needs these jobs for the millions of new migrants to the big cities. Shutting down factories will slow growth and limit the number of new jobs that will become available. However, if China does not implement a solution for the pollution the air will only become more hazardous and will begin to affect other people around the globe. Very simple, China must take action and measures to lower the pollution. China has started in the right direction by becoming the globe’s biggest producer of wind turbines. Additionally, the country has begun pushing efforts to build nuclear power plants....
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...Pollution Pollution Table of Contents Introduction 1 Causes and effects 1 Impact of the issue on the world 3 Impact of the issue in the U.A.E 4 Comparison of the issue U.A.E. V.S China 4 Conclusion 5 References 5 Introduction Pollution is the contaminates of the natural environment. There are many types of pollution such as air pollution, water pollution, noise pollution, land pollution. It’s an important issue because its more safer and healthier to live in clean environment. Causes and effects Causes and effects of Air Pollution: * Industries * Vehicles and Domestic fuels * High proportion of gases such as: A. Carbon monoxide: produced when carbon do not burn to fossil fuels. Takes away oxygen from the body which leads to headaches, fatigue, and impaired vision. B. Sulfur dioxide: produced when coal and fuel oil are burned. Causes respiratory symptoms and disease, difficulty in breathing which can lead to asthma. C. Nitrogen dioxide: produced when nitric oxide combines with oxygen in the atmosphere. Affects lungs and increases the chance of respiratory infection. D. Ground level ozone: Ozone protects Earth from sun’s harmful UV rays at upper level. While at ground level ozone is harmful toxins formed from car, power, and chemical plant use. In China around 656,000 people die each year because of air pollution. In India, around 527,700 people suffer from air pollution a year. Water Pollution: it can be: ...
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...RISKS OF LIVING AND WORKING IN CHINA MISHINGO FUTURE IYE MOCHAKULA ABSTRACT There are two countries in the world whose culture has the historical depth, confidence, and population spread to make them hold-outs in a world that is increasingly homogenous, and those are India and China. Both are attractive in different ways for Westerners seeking experience living and working in a different culture. China, the subject of this report, attracts foreigners by its past and present profile: an old eastern culture that is rapidly rising to take its place among the world’s greatest modern civilizations, a stature that is all the more intriguing given the way it is blazing its own path in terms of the social contract. Do not be dissuaded by an element of bad press in the West; news tends to wallow in the alternative reality of political drama, while the realities on the street are something quite else. Chinese people are indeed largely welcoming and open, and opportunities abound for the astute. Yet China is not easy. Strange food, different ways of doing things, different social contracts and expectations, uneven levels of development and modernity, and the widespread inability to communicate in English all combine to make China a hard country to move to. But for those who brave the adversities, and immerse themselves into China, the rewards are undeniable—at the very least you learn something...
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...My Le Professor Robb A. Bajema EL 100 April 26th, 2013 Air pollution in China Air pollution is one of the most serious environmental problems in China. According to a new analysis, approximately 1.2 million people die prematurely from exposure to outdoor air pollution in China. A study by Greenpeace and Beijing University focusing on four Chinese cities estimates the number of people dying prematurely from air pollution is close to three times that killed by traffic accidents. The air has been classified as hazardous to human health, at its worst hitting pollution levels 25 times that considered safe in the US. The entire city is blanketed in a thick grey smog that smells of coal and stings the eyes, leading to official warnings to stay inside. The majority of the air pollution in China is generated by the burning of coal to generate electric power. China gets 80 percent of electricity and 70 percent its total energy from coal, much of it polluting high-sulphur coal. Around six million tons of coal is burned everyday to power factories, heat homes and cook meals. Jerry Goodell wrote in Natural History magazine: “In China coal is everywhere. It’s piled up on sidewalks, pressed into bricks, and stacked neat the back doors of homes. It’s stockpiled into small mountains in open fields, and carted around behinds bicycles and wheezing locomotives. Plumes of coal smoke rise from rusty stacks on every urban horizon. Soot covers every windowsill and ruins the collar...
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...Rogers Natural Science Cluster Dr. J. Kullman April 25, 2013 Air Pollution kills over 1 million in China I found this article titled “Air Pollution Linked to 1.2 Million Premature Deaths in China” in The New York Times on April 1, 2013. I found it interesting because prior to reading this article, I did not know air pollution was such a big problem, particularly in China. Edward Wong, journalist for The New York Times, wrote this article about premature deaths due to outdoor air pollution. According to Wong, air pollution is linked to 1.2 million premature deaths in 2010. This is nearly 40 percent of the global total. Ambient particulate matter pollution was the 4th leading risk factor for deaths in China. A study showed that the growth rate of disclosure of pollution information has slowed; meaning China is not disclosing this information to the public. China needs to figure out how to get a handle on their air pollution problem. China is no stranger to air pollution. According to the article, 350,000 to 400,000 people die prematurely each year because of outdoor air pollution. This is nearly 40 percent of the global total. In 1990, air pollution killed 800,000 people prematurely world wide. India also has densely populated cities that struggle with air population as well. India also had 620,000 premature deaths in 2010. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development stated that “urban air pollution is set to become the top environmental cause of morality worldwide...
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...Free Market Name: Institution: Date: Free Market Introduction The pollution levels in China hit an alarming rate in the recent past. Generally, China has been notorious in breaking environmental conservation pacts signed by all nations in the world. Environmental conservationists in Beijing, China have held the issue of environmental pollution. With 80 percent of the world’s most polluted cities being in China, the nation’s population is at a big risk since these people are breathing air that is clinically unsafe. This situation raises several ethical questions. Ethical questions The high levels of pollution in Beijing and other cities in China raise serious ethical questions. The first is whether China is committed to the internationally signed pacts on environmental pollution and regulation of industrial emissions (Beech, 2013). The international community, especially the developed nations, signed a pact in Tokyo, Japan committing themselves to reducing the level of industrial activity. The aim of the pact was to reduce air pollution and global warming. With the events happening with China, the nation’s commitment to the pact is in doubt. Another ethical question is whether Beijing and China in general are concerned about the welfare of the city residents. The air pollution had caused low visibility on the streets and in the air, risking the lives of pedestrians, motorists and even air safety. The air in residential places is also polluted and even with air purifiers, the...
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...is affecting their environment. The implications from industrialisations which results in over exhausting natural resources, has caused environmental degradation, and most of this is done by human activity especially international business activities. This essay will look at the impact of economic globalisation on China while focusing on China’s ecological environment. To start off, the essay will look at the definitions of globalisation and economy, followed by China’s change from being an agriculturally farming intensive country towards rapid industrialisation. Because of this activity pollution, emissions as well as environmental degradation resulted in serious ecological problems. International bodies such as the Kyoto Protocol, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the United Nations Environment Programme, have stressed the importance or reducing pollution and emissions in developing countries in order to maintain sustainability. Cancer villages are becoming a major concern in China and that was enough to make the Chinese political party to take responsibility and change their views on the ecological environment. The question here is can China implement these changes to maintain sustainability for future generations, and if so what methods are they using to achieved this by? According to Morrison (2011), globalisation is the “process by which products, people, companies, money and information are able to move quickly around the world.” (p. 43). The definition...
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...EXTERNALITIES PATRICIA BLAZEY* I INTRODUCTION China’s economic growth over the past fifteen years has turned it into the world’s major manufacturing base, making it one of the world’s four largest economies.1 During this period, China’s average annual real Gross Domestic Product (‘GDP’) grew by 9.7 per cent peaking at 11.9 per cent up to the second quarter in 2007, the highest growth rate over that period of time.2 At the same time the negative environmental externalities of economic growth have escalated and are causing concern not only within China itself but also globally. China has suffered severe ecological destruction and serious environmental problems which threaten both its economy and the health of its people. Apart from air and water pollution, unprecedented growth in household and industrial waste, loss of biodiversity, felling of rain rainforests and overfishing has occurred. On a global level, China’s air pollution levels have contributed substantially to the negative effects of climate change. China’s rapid growth has been accelerated through its membership of the World Trade Organization (‘WTO’)3 and policies of trade liberalisation. Foreign investment has escalated due to preferential tax treatment and the relaxation of bureaucratic obstacles which in the past had slowed down the process of getting projects up and running. Special Economic Zones (‘SEZs’) set up in coastal provinces in order to encourage foreign investment because of easy access to port facilities...
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...One of the most serious problems that China faces today is water pollution. Beijing, Capital of China, just like many other Chinese cities, it is suffering from high levels of water pollution. A report made by the state of environmental agency concluded that the level of pollution in Beijing’s water sources is not safe. Another investigation made by the Environmental Protection Supervision Center of North China shows that the north Canal, which provides water to more than 70% of Beijing’s total population had a level of pollution that is 95 times higher than what is considered safe. “Zhao Feihong”, a water researcher in Beijing healthcare association states that there is in Beijing over 100 rivers, however only two or three of them are safe to be used for tap water. These and many more reports made, show that the water sources in Beijing are not safe to drink, however, what are the causes and effects of this pollution? Now, I will be discussing the causes and effects of water pollution in Beijing, and how it differs from other mega cities in the world, such as Jakarta, and New York. With being one of the largest population cities in the world, it’s not surprising to see a huge amount of wastewater produced in Beijing. Due to untreated urban sewage, this wastewater which contains human waste, washing water, urban runoff, industrial wastewater, etc. often end up in the drinking water supplies that Beijing’s citizens consume. In addition to that, the lacks of enforcement of environmental...
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