Manuel Jagan 4th Period
Pollution in China:
Industrialization and the overall implementation of manufacturing have impacted different countries in different ways. We see that industrialization has caused lots of problems in China’s large cities resulting in horrible living conditions that cause the population to be unhappy in general.
    The first problem that we have is how the increased industrialization has displaced many citizens. There are many citizens that have moved to distant cities and towns but still work in polluted cities. This results in problems for everyone. By creating urban living cities there is a further decrease of the natural vegetation in China which can cause problems as it is quickly being cleared to make space for homes, apartments, and the amenities that are needed for the new residents. Furthermore, as the number of residents far away increases, the number of automotive vehicles that are needed further increase as well. This increase will obviously increase carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere. This paired with the fact that China’s economy is still growing fast will most likely cause further expansions as builders will have to create areas to house people. Another, problem that arises is that there many many residential areas in these cities so that people can live near work and not have to worry about commuting. However, the prices in these areas have increased as being that close to an urban center has many benefits. However, this has served as a significant push factor that is stronger than the pull factors of the urban center. Thus lead to many people often being very dissatisfied with their life.
    We also find issues not only with emotional stresses but also the controversial medical issues that many face. There are many concerns over air, food, and water pollution. Air pollution on its own is known to have a damaging impact on health, cognitive performance, labor productivity, and educational outcomes. Many claim that it is necessary that people use face masks and air purifiers and spend as little time as possible outside in nature. This pushes for those who live in the inner cities to be vocal about the situation they are in as they know that living in the inner cities will no doubt have horrible impacts on their health in the long run.
   









Overall the situation that these inner Chinese cities are in, show the necessity for the cities and government, in general, to make sure that the citizen’s safety and health are not put into jeopardy in the name of increasing revenue.

What do you think the Chinese government can reasonably do to fix this problem?
How would you address the growing need for residential areas that are closer to cities?







Comments

Anonymous said…
In China, air pollution currently kills around 1.1 million people per year and is the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, which indicates the Chinese government needs to make significant changes to the city’s use of resources in order to protect both the environment and the people. In 2014 at the Communist Party’s annual congress, Premier Li Keqiang declared “war” on air pollution by reducing the production of steel and coal-fired electricity, which has resulted in China becoming one of the world’s largest investors in renewable power sources such as wind and solar energy. The Chinese government has been attempting to take action by encouraging the city’s citizens to give up coal stoves and furnaces, requiring higher quality gasoline and diesel for vehicles, and the implementation of new car emission standards, which will take place in 2020. The government has also been closing numerous coal-fired power plants, which has reduced the amount of particulate pollution, but has also alternatively cut steel production capacity. Due to the fact that there has been public outcry over pollution, the government has constructed a network of monitors that track the amounts of the tiny, combustible particles PM2.5, which are able to penetrate the body and can cause breathing problems, heart attacks, strokes, and neurological issues. Both the data from those monitors and measurements from outside of factories has been made publicly available, so Chineses citizens possess the ability to track air quality levels and report any factories that violate emissions limits through an app that can accessed through phone. The national government of China has been making great strides in providing awareness regarding the dangerous levels of air pollution and has been implementing measures to reduce emissions, but further work is still needed to ensure that the nation switches to more renewable methods of energy production. (Source: https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/05/china-air-pollution-solutions-environment-tangshan/).
January 30, 2019 at 6:38 AM
Anonymous said…
The micro dust problem in China has moved via wind into South Korea, contaminating the air quality. This has caused significant damage to the citizen’s health and agriculture production. It is very common to see people walking the streets with masks covering their nose and mouth. South Korea is left vulnerable to this situation, but cannot appeal to the Chinese environmental department in fear of straining relations. Thus, a greater power ought to instill themselves into global emissions and air quality organizations to prohibit such dangerous and health-harming behaviors.
January 30, 2019 at 10:29 AM
Anonymous said…
I think that it is essential to the health of everyone that China address its pollution problem. I think a practical way that China can try to resolve the pollution is by planting more trees. Also, they should try to use more renewable resources, like solar and wind energy, and less renewable such as coal and oil energy. The citizens should also be more conscious of how they are using their resources. If China takes even more green initiatives they can inspire more countries to follow. Moreover, every change China makes will have a significant impact on the Earth’s health.
January 30, 2019 at 10:38 AM
Anonymous said…
Judging from the growing environmental issues in China, it is critical that the Chinese government works to lower emissions. China's decision to join the Paris Climate Accord is the first major step. From here on, China should work to promote sustainable practices amongst its citizens (like biking, mass transport, and recycling) and should implement long-term solutions (like switching to renewable resources, establish sanctuaries and national parks, and should reduce the expansion of cities). When it comes to the growing neighborhoods, China should limit the amount of space per household and should increase mass transportation. If they minimize the use of land and the use of pollutant-emitting cars, China could address the issues by focusing on the ways that the suburbs pollute the environment. China could also offer support to farmers by rewarding them for sustainable practices to encourage the industry and fix the environment.
January 30, 2019 at 5:55 PM
Anonymous said…
I agree that China's decision to join the Paris Climate Accord is a good first step to lowering their emissions. I also like that you said they should promote sustainable practices. Additionally, cities could try implementing roof top gardens or other unconventional ways to add plants into their cities. This might not help a ton, but it could help filter out some of the CO2 to make the cities more habitable. China should really be focusing on how thier way of life is negaively impacting the environment and citizens health. Spreading knowledge could be a key way in fixing this problem.
January 31, 2019 at 6:42 PM
Michelle Sun said…
As most of China's population is crowded into the highly urbanized east coast, the pollution that comes from these cities negatively affects the majority of the people. In fact, the increasing industrialization of China has made ambient air pollution one of the leading causes of premature deaths in China. Inner-city residents don't have potable tap water and must buy bottled water for all of their drinking and cooking needs, increasing waste. Insufficient recycling methods fail to solve this issue. This makes China's air, food, and water pollution pressing issues that we need to solve. China recognizes these problems and is attempting to solve them, taking steps to decrease emissions of industrial and metal plants and funding research into renewable energy sources. While China is moving in the right direction by encouraging switches to more sustainable energy sources, they may need to enact more severe measures to successfully reverse their trend of increasingly dangerous pollution.
January 31, 2019 at 6:44 PM
Anonymous said…
These growing environmental issues in China pose significant threats to people’s health, air, and food. It is crucial that the Chinese government works to find ways to lower emissions and preserve the environment. I think good ways to resolve such problems could be using more reusable resources, planting more trees, and overall being more cautious of how people have an influence on such issues themselves.
January 31, 2019 at 7:29 PM
Anonymous said…
In the past years, China has remained notorious for its poor air quality and rampant pollution levels. Chinese people live in a place where a bustling economy is normal, and smog from pollution is an everyday occurrence. However, I believe that it is necessary, especially now, to begin taking steps towards a more sustainable and healthy environment for future generations. What China can do to counter the pollution levels is to propose a tangible goal for fossil fuel reduction in the coming years. For example, they could propose to cut down on their usage by a certain percentage of enforce certain protocols for citizens to uphold, as well. I don’t believe that it is too late for China to change its ways and, thus, change its reputation as the world’s pollutant.
January 31, 2019 at 10:25 PM
Anonymous said…
With China’s overpopulation, the amount of displacement is even larger than it would be for a normal sized country. Its industrialization has caused massive amounts of pollution. According to the Chinese Ministry of Health, industrial pollution has made cancer China’s leading cause of death. Every year, ambient air pollution alone killed hundreds of thousands of citizens. Waging a war against smog, China should go against a long-standing policy of sacrificing the environment for the sake of economic growth.Their government can implement more policies to help reduce carbon emissions and reduce air pollution. We must help China in its efforts to solve this pressing issue and ultimately the bigger goal of saving our planet.
February 1, 2019 at 6:48 AM
Anonymous said…
China’s pollution is not only a concern for China, but the rest of the globe. China could focus more on its agriculture, and try and incorporate urban planting to try and soak up carbon emissions and increase oxygen levels. The government could also follow through with its joining the Paris Climate Accord, and try to reduce emissions that could cause global warming. To solve the need for residential areas around the city, China could work to make residency near the city selective, and they could build higher up, instead of spreading wide.
February 1, 2019 at 12:48 PM
Anonymous said…
I don’t think the Chinese government can avoid or restrict people’s desire to live closer to large cities, but the government can address the pollution and air quality issues. First, the Chinese government must take a step forward reducing the number of fossil fuels used in China. In 2017, an estimated 37 billion metric tons of CO2 was released in China alone, an increase from 2016 and the most in the world. China should work to cut down on this amount by regulating the burning of fossil fuels. Secondly, a big factor people don’t often consider is the production of concrete. The production of concrete requires the melting of limestone, which release CO2. China should seek to avoid using concrete when expanding their urban areas and replace it with a more natrual and healthier alternative.
February 2, 2019 at 1:41 PM
Anonymous said…
Another fun fact is that not only can you buy bottled water in China, but also bottled AIR. (Sources: https://www.cnn.com/2015/12/15/asia/china-canadian-company-selling-clean-air/index.html). All fun and games aside, I would have to agree with Michelle that we need to fix the insufficiency of the Chinese public when it comes to recycling. Every second that they continue to pollute, the more negatively it effects Chinese citizens and citizens of those around them. I believe that China might need to have more severe measures to ensure that the pollution is controlled. A possible solution might be to face pressure from the international community. This is most likely the best way to get China to actually put laws in place, due to the political climate. With China being one of few remaining Communist states, it may be difficult with internal pressure against the government. Another reason international convention might be needed is just the efficiency of the Chinese economy. With China quickly becoming a world power equivalent to forces such as the US, Britain, and France, the alarmingly efficient system in place might deter the government frown stopping the growth or changing it in any way.
February 4, 2019 at 8:59 AM
Anonymous said…
I believe that the Chinese government can fix the environmental conditions such as the air quality. This can be fixed by reducing the burning of fossil fuels or by decreasing the amount of factories being used. They could also focus on creating more agricultural based industries which will not only help the pollution but also help the food supply and the conditions of the working class in china. These agricultural lands could provide money for the workers and can also provide food for the workers. This could improve the conditions of the working class. It is also possible that this could decrease the amount of people leaving due to pollution because the agriculture reduces pollution.
February 4, 2019 at 8:13 PM
Caroline Tuggle said…
I remember when my brother and dad went to china for GDYO a few summers ago, they sent pictures of them in various places from small towns to the Great Wall of China and one similarity I saw was the foggy atmosphere that was actually smoke and pollution. I finally understood just how much factories and production effected their daily life. They were to the point where they needed masks in order to breath in somewhat clean air. The fact that so much of what we have today is produced in china just solidifies the degree of just how much pollution is expelled into the atmosphere every single day. If those who produced some of these goods discovered alternative ways to produce the same products while producing less pollution, I believe that it would gradually improve the living conditions for not only those who live in china, but those who visit it as well.
February 5, 2019 at 8:23 AM
Anonymous said…
China is easily one of the most influential countries in the world today. With it’s increasingly high population and vast labor force, it is not difficult to see why the country has expanded so rapidly or why industrialization has completely taken over many of its larger cities. However, with such advancement also comes a price. The pollution in China is so vast that it is becoming hazardous to people and other plants and animals in the region to survive with the polluted air. This not only forces people to move away, into suburbs, causing the clearing of more land and the destruction of more habitats, but also endangers the future. In order to take steps to ensure a better life for future generations, China could possibly aim to use more renewable resources and reduce the usage of fossil fuels. Although difficult, this would make a significant impact on ensuring a reduction in the amount of air pollution and making Chinas practices much more sustainable.
February 5, 2019 at 10:07 AM
Anonymous said…
China’s pollution is not just a problem in China, it creates problems all over the globe. With all the industrialization and population growth there the pollution has increased rapidly. It is hazardous to the people, plants, and animals there and will spread to the rest of the world quickly. The governemnt can definitely do something to help limit the amount of pollution in the air. Instead of continuing to industrialize they should add areas to big cities with trees and other plants to help reduce the amount of CO2 in the air. Another way the governemnt could help is by using less coal , oil, and other non renewable resources and start using other types of resources such as sunlight or wind. Making changes like this will help control the amount of pollution and make it better for people, plants, and animals to live there.
February 5, 2019 at 10:16 AM
Anonymous said…
China’s vast amount of pollution not only impacts China, but the rest of the world. Pollution is detrimental to plants, animals, humans, etc, as it can have negative health effects. It is time for China to take an initiative and help reduce their pollution levels. First off, their nonrenewable resource usage needs to be reduced, such as oil or coal. Secondly, they can focus on agriculture rather than mass industrialization. China can also build their cities to be as environmentally friendly as possible and promote this ecofriendly infrastructure throughout the nation.
February 5, 2019 at 11:50 AM
Anonymous said…
Pollution in our world has reached unprecedented levels and it is shocking to see the effects of it not just in China but all over the world. Pollution has such far reaching effects that hurt not only the current populations and animal species but also future generations, exposing them to more and more UV radiation because the ozone layer is slowly becoming less effective. In order to fix these effects, China needs to look at more efficient means of energy use by using renewable energy or other alternate ways of production.
February 5, 2019 at 12:06 PM
Anonymous said…
Pollution brings many harmful effects to the environment, worldwide; therefore, China’s pollution problem effects not only locally, but globally. The immense amounts of pollution is caused by the rapid growth of the industries and population in this well off country. Although this industrialization has brought out positive effects such as economic success, the effects of this activity is very hazardous to the society, plants, animals, etc. To reduce this issue, I think the Chinese government can enforce the use of renewable resources and the replanting of more trees to reduce the amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The government can also make people more aware of the damage that is being done through the overuse of the burning of fossil fuels and make known that the earth should be conserved for the younger generations.
February 5, 2019 at 12:13 PM
Mallory Odom said…
It's unsettling that there are places in the world with such dangerous living conditions due to pollution. China is a major world power with millions of residents. If China continues to foster these hazardous environments, it would have global consequences. By joining the Paris Climate Accord, they are clearly taking the steps to try and start to reverse the damage the pollution has done, but there needs to be more solutions proposed if they want to actually improve the living conditions for the people of China.
February 5, 2019 at 3:45 PM
Anonymous said…
There are two ways in which I believe the Chinese government can significantly help this situation. One is public transportation. I do not know much about public transportation in China but by implementing a widespread system and providing incentive to use it a lot of pollution can be prevented. Furthermore, the government needs to set aside land for parks and plants. Median can be used to plant trees, the government can promote people keeping plants on their balconies or building roofs, and parks can be established. This greenery should significantly help clear up the dirty air that resides in China.
February 5, 2019 at 3:47 PM
Anonymous said…
China’s air pollution has reached a critical state, and is characterized by heavy coal smoke and a wide presence of ozone and particulate matter. The pollution problem has reflected a need for national emissions policies to be optimized to address multiple problems with maximal benefits, and not just one. Fortunately, China’s massive shift from coal power to renewable energy is already underway and is key to ensuring further air quality improvements. China is cleaning up its air faster than the United Kingdom did after its Industrial Revolution. Despite this early success, however, China could spark even more efficient improvements by adopting market-based incentives.
February 5, 2019 at 6:03 PM
Anonymous said…
The air pollution in China has reached a dangerous state that can be a hazardous environment to many of China’s people. It is important that the Chinese government addresses this situation in order to limit the effect pollution has on China and to stop this problem form evolving into something that is out of hand. China could implement policies in order to give incentives to corporations to use cleaner energy as well as limit the amount of non renewable energy they use. This of course comes at a price as of course renewable energy is not as effective as non renewables which poses a problem that money will be lost in the process of transferring to renewable energy. There are still ways around this with new sources of energies that are being produced such as geothermal which takes the energy stored and generated in the Earth for human use. It is important to preserve the environment in order to preserve both our and other organisms life span. -Adam Ghanem
February 5, 2019 at 8:05 PM
Anonymous said…
The extent of air pollution China currently faces is unrivaled by almost any country and needs to be addressed immediately, specifically by the Chinese government. Through policies which regulate carbon emissions, smarter buildings through urban planning, and an increased reliance on solar energy, China should be able to reduce the speed at which is spiraling into a pollution waste hole. To fix the problem of people wanting to live closer to the city, China could continue building vertically or instead expand districts that contain urban sections to accommodate more area. That way, people will be able to live near important centers while also having some space. Overall, China does need to address the over-pollution problem immediately or the results could become even more disastrous.
February 5, 2019 at 9:30 PM
Anonymous said…
Pollution in China is a very interesting issue especially on the global scale. With the pulling out of the Paris Accords by the United States Chian has been able to spearhead the climate change fight. They are moving to renewables, encouraging their citizens to drive let, and pushing other nations towards better climate change policy. This push for change is extremely welcome as the worsening pollution and smog throughout China has been not only problematic to its citizens but also the citizens of the world.
February 6, 2019 at 1:17 PM
Anonymous said…
The Chinese government needs to implement incentives to get people to switch to electric cars and more electrical equipment over gasoline. Doing this would drastically reduce the pollution and make the air much more healthier than it is right now. Also incentives, such as tax cuts, to plant trees will help the environment too.
February 8, 2019 at 12:06 PM
Anonymous said…
It's a shame, but we've seen countries that go through rapid industrialization such as the US go through the same phases as China, and eventually (I hope) they will level their problems out once they reach their max. I just hope that China's government will be as strong as the US's and start implementing enough regulation to control their industry later on as who knows what a communist government will decide on. Really hope they do the right thing for their people and our world.
February 10, 2019 at 12:01 PM
Anonymous said…
With the increase in economic development, china has seen a rising problem of pollution. The pollution has become so dangerous that people are starting to move away, into suburbs, causing the clearing of more land and the destruction of more habitats. The Chinese government needs to incentivize the use of electric cars and alternative energy sources in order to combat issues. This problem doesn't just affect the people in china but will eventually catch up with the rest of the world making it a global problem, therefore we need China to make drastic efforts to reduce pollution.
February 12, 2019 at 9:21 PM
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