On February 28th, 2015, a Chinese journalist, Jing Chai, aired a self-supporting documentary named “Under the Dome,” which awakened numb nationals’ concern about the gray sky. In early 2013, Jing Chai was pregnant, but her unborn child was diagnosed with cancer; a birth surgery will be carried out. One of the main causations of this tragedy was carcinogenic pollutant PM 2.5 —“tiny particles in the air that reduce visibility and cause the air to appear hazy when levels are elevated (health.ny.gov).” Jing Chai and her unborn child are just one of millions victims that suffered through the air pollutant PM2.5. This documentary became very influential and brought a countrywide attention towards the “haze weather” problem. According to Jing Chai and her unborn child’s symptoms, nationals’ health is under serious threaten living in such air condition.
Human history has indicates that there is a connection between economic development and environmental pollution. Since the industrial civilization, economic
Global climate change is changing people 's survival from the ecological environment. Mr. Wong went on to say that it would be 16 years before levels of dangerous fine particulate matter in the Chinese capital would drop to an internationally recognized safe level. These serious fog and haze occurred this year warning us, air pollution has reached extreme dangerous level. It put pollutant emissions research, and environmental governance to a critical state. Environmental issues should not be underestimated. Starts the environmental protection without delay. Correctly handle the relationship between economic development and environmental protection, take the road of sustainable development, and maintain economic, social and environmental development are China 's strategic approaches to achieve
One of China’s best successes has in turn been one of its biggest downfalls. One of the main problems is China’s greatest success which has been its phenomenal economic growth. This is one of the main drivers of the current environmental problems that the country faces. Factories dump pollutants into the air and water. It is difficult to see the Chinese government making the significant sacrifices required to improve their environment if it means slowing down their economic growth.
American economist, Rostow through his ‘Stages of Economic Development’ demonstrates that economies may ignore environmental quality in their quest for growth. This notion is true in China, with government and private firms using unsustainable practices in order to maximise globalisation opportunities. China suffers mostly from chronic air and water pollution caused by both the demand for energy (i.e. coal mines) as well as the process of manufacturing. This effect on the Chinese economy is quantified through China’s emissions, which in 2010, was 8,286 million metric tonnes, 35% higher than the next uppermost emitter, the United States. China is also home to 16 out of 20 most polluted cities in the world. Consequences for not cleaning up the environment will not just be a health crisis but an economic one. The Chinese government is now recognising and addressing the environmental problems which have occurred due to both rapid economic growth and industrialisation. It has set targets which aim at reducing pollution levels with $6.6b committed in spending in order to achieve such targets. Such examples include investment in nuclear power instead of coal, hydroelectricity (i.e. Three Gorges Dam) as well as new stringent environmental laws. It is hoped that new regulations and investment will lead the way for renewable energy and a sustainable
Just like Klein states, “Protecting and valuing the earth’s ingenious systems of reproducing life and the fertility of all of its inhabitants, may lie at the center of the shift in worldview that must take place if we are to move beyond extractivism” (424). Indeed to build a better world, we must go beyond the capitalism, however, unlike the divestment movement around other countries, it is challenging for people in China to take action to against the air pollution due to the fact that those heavy industries and businesses have Chinese government in their back to support
As a world’s most populous country, China, is experiencing breakneck growth in the process of industrialization and urbanization, with a roughly rate of 10 percent on GDP each year for the last three decades (World Bank). Now it is choking on something which is not only suffocating the lifeline of this country, but also shrinking those GDP for decades. That is the smog, the other Chinese landmark you can see from space through NASA satellite picture besides the Great Wall. Obviously, smog cannot be ignored anymore, especially in 2013, when smog “blackened Chinese cities with appalling frequency, closed airport and roads, and sent children to hospitals with pollution – filled lungs”(Wong). Smog is also the main contributor
Jung Chang is a Chinese-born British writer that is known for her award-winning book, Wild Swans. After having several jobs at a young age, Jung Chang became an English-language student, and an assistant lecturer at Sichuan University. In 1978, Chang left China for Britain, where the University of York awarded her a scholarship. At the university, she acquired a Ph.D. in linguistics in 1982. Interestingly, Chang was the first person from the People’s Republic of China to obtain a doctorate from a British university. Jung Chang’s husband, Jon Halliday, is the collaborating author of the biography. He is an Irish historian that focuses on the history of modern Asia. Halliday was a former Senior Visiting Research Fellow at King’s College, University of London. He had written, and edited his eight previous books. Currently, Jung Chang and Jon Halliday reside in Notting Hill, West London.
China has approximately 20% of the world’s population, which is around 1.3 billion people (Morris, 2009, p. 111). Also, China has become one of the worlds biggest manufacturing countries within 30 years (Fawssett, 2009, p. 27). However, such rapid development has come at a cost, which has created various environmental problems. Coincidentally, China has 16 cities on a list of the 20 worst polluted cities in the world (Fawssett, 2009, p. 15). Therefore, this essay will explain the reasons for China’s environmental problems, then evaluate the claim that the Chinese government and people, are tackling these environmental problems. First, crop farming techniques over the last hundred years, and their consequences will be explained. Followed by, how peoples choice in food has changed over the last hundred years, and how this indirectly affects the environment. Then, how a capitalist economy is linked to agriculture, and finally what the Chinese government and people are doing to tackle these problems.
Air pollution is continuously deteriorating and influences the livability of society in Hong Kong. Thus, it is necessary to find some suggestions to control air pollution. Air pollution is a real public health and the environmental problem which consists of air pollutants such as carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, and fine and coarse particles. According to Environmental Protection Department (2016), Hong Kong is facing with two main air pollution issues: local street-level pollution and regional smog problem. EPD (2016) describes that the level of air pollutant in Hong Kong was 3.6 times higher than the World Health Organization recommended acceptable level. The mortality rate
Economic growth and industrialization usually comes at a large cost, namely in the form of pollution. China has recently been feeling that cost after decades of growth with little restrictions. Because of this, China has become the world's largest polluter and surpassed the United States in CO2 emissions in 2007. Thus far China has only started to implement regulations due to the outrage of the people and many are not followed. China’s environment shall definitely turn farther from green and decline as government regulations are ignored.
...et economy is not the main cause of pollution, it is the factories. At last, market economy brings more benefits than the disadvantages.
It’s become a common sight to behold. In other cities, popular must have fashion items include scarves, sunglasses and perhaps a striking pair of shoes. In Beijing however, surgeon masks have been “in style” for years and more recently more people have been sporting a can of fresh air; from Canada. The pollution has gotten so bad that people are willing to pay as much as 22.95 U.S dollars for a 10-liter bottle of “Pure Premium Oxygen’. “[The] first shipment of 500 bottles of fresh air were sold in four days,” said co-founder Moses Lam to the Telegraph. The government has faced increased domestic and international pressure to address the situation. Throughout the years, China’s industrialization and economic boom has brought millions of people out of poverty and skyrocketed their economy to first place, but in doing so, their environment has been seriously damaged. A new poll done by Gallup shows that 57% of Chinese adults believed that protection of the environment should be given top priority even at risk of slowing economic growth.
Many cities are currently affected by air pollution and Hong Kong is one example. Hong Kong’s air pollution level often exceeds the recommended air pollution level put out by the World Health Organization, and Hong Kong’s pollution index was at “very high” meaning that it exceeded 101, for 34% of the time (Hunt, 2011). Another example, when Hong Kong excee...
As China has industrialised, it has brought various environmental challenges into people’s life. The biggest one being air pollution, which has led to Beijing being addressed as the pollution capital of the world.
Pollution control supporters argue that given time humans will develop innovative technologies that will solve all environmental problems. The environment is seen as a service to humanity that should not limit development. The main priority is economic growth, mostly at the cost of the environment by exploiting resources. Little is done to preserve the environment, as policies act only in the interests of damage control and not the prevention thereof. Arguments supporting this method claim that pollution occurs in the early stages of industrial development and decreases as economic growth increases and pollution control policies are introduced. This argument does not take into account the fact that pollution can be displaced from country to country. It is evident that the pollution control method is market driven and
Economic growth and social development are complementary and they have a close but complex relationship. With the economic growth, it is clear that there are many environmental concerns in today’s society. Air, water, and land pollution have worsened; the environment of wild animals and plants has been seriously damaged; many species are threatened with extinction, deforestation and over-exploitation of mineral resources.
The environment is far from protected in countries like India and China. Pollution which is a commonly large factor in both the countries is present in every aspect of nature and the main concern being the change in mentality about urbanisation and industrialisation in people’s minds. To add to the pollution issue both these countries deal with several environmental problems which caused pollution problem in their regions. The three main problems faced by India and China are Deforestation, Industrial Air Pollution and Industrial Water Pollution. The common factor causing these problems are industries in their respective country. Both countries produce goods on a large scale which determine and explain the pollution problem.