Words: 1860
The blame for this pollution Lies In the huge steel and chemical factories up and own the country which dally pump tons of pollutants and toxins Into the air. Sulfur 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, Jonathan 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 giggly reactive gases 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 able to sustain their food supplies for the future, or they will face the costly process of having to Import millions of tons of food products a year, which will make food a more expensive commodity In the market place.
With a large proportion of the population already having a poor standard of living these additional costs could not only be financial, but detrimental to their health, where having a good diet could be served only for the rich. ‘Data collected at rural Chinese sites indicate that ozone pollution has already reached the point where It’s harming agriculture??raising questions about whether the world’s fastest developing country will be able to feed itself in the next century [2] Science news online: R. Monastery.
Pollution in China is attributed to its rapid economics growth, producing products to be exported all over the world, but also to the uneducated nature of Its population. Many people within China are poor laborers, without much education. They are not cattle In ten erects AT ten pollution on themselves Ana tenet Tamales, nor ten global environment as a whole. Without being educated in such matters they can have no control over the levels of pollution, knowing what they can do to reduce it, and have no say in whether it should be allowed to continue.
With such high levels of air and water pollution, the Chinese population often don’t know what it is which is literally killing themselves and their families and therefore have no power to stop it, or protest against the causes of it. With lack of regulation in manufacturing industries, there are no thorough controls in place to prevent the pollution from occurring, and no direct plans to resolve and combat the severe amounts pollution already caused.
It is apparent that there are currently minimal or lacking strategies in place to deal with this issue of pollution, merely observed from the fact that the issue of pollution is worsening each year. With such lax regulation of industries, the government has not only neglected to put plans in place to resolve the problem, it has not actively sought to reduce and prevent the problem from happening in the iris place.
The government’s lack of interaction to prevent pollution could indicate that it has known about the problem for some time, but have decided to put the issue to one side in order to pursue their own goals, such as the new petrochemical plant which is being planned. The government themselves do not set an example of how to be environmentally friendly, so therefore they may not choose to initiate policies which directly go against their actions. Another reason for the slow participation of the government in dealing with this issue could be the fact that putting strict policies n place may impede short term revenue earned from foreign trade.
As many of its industries rely upon international trade in order to benefit from economies of scale this would not only be opposed by larger companies within these industries, but also affect the government’s revenue. In order to combat the dangerous levels of pollution I would take immediate action to lessen the current pollution rates, and devise long term solutions that would benefit the population, the economy, and the global environment. The government should put policies and laws in place which prevent factories from pumping dangerous evils of toxins in to the air.
Factories should be inspected by an independent pollution specialist who will notify factories who are exceeding the set limit of pollution per day, and any companies found to be breaking this policy will immediately be fined. Fines will be issued for each act of pollution that a company has been seen to commit. Fines will be used to fund the specialist units, used to build water purifiers which will help to limit the pollutants effect on the crops, to clean the soot and ash from the streets, disposing of it properly, and to produce an effective campaign to educate the population on the dangers of breathing in the harmful air.
Target rates of reduction will initially be set, which all firms must comply to. This will be decreased in stages over each industry, with the worst affected seeing the largest reductions in allowable pollutants. Targets will be set and monitored by an independent review team. Governmental factories and plants will be included in the effort to ensure they are setting a good example for others. The government should use renewable resources where possible to generate power and ensure each f its plants are hitting its targets consistently.
At ten same time perseverant campaigns snouts De set up to alert ten Anton to ten hazards of air pollution. This can be completed on the back of other health related campaigns in order to keep the costs down. The people should be educated about what air pollution means for them in terms of health, crops, and the environment as a whole. They should be encouraged to report any factory violating the new policies, which will help to keep it in check.
Workers who have been educated about the harm of air pollution will have more incentive to report offenders once they know of the image it can cause to them and their families. Education needs to be directed towards all levels of the population, from children in school, through to workers and factory proprietors. The adverts should take the form of all popular media, adverts in papers, bill boards, radio, television and any other forms of conveying the message they have available to them.
Face masks should be made available freely to all factory workers in affected areas, and cities with the highest rates of pollution should also be given access to free face masks across their populations. This will prevent the toxins from being inhaled as much, or as deeply. A 5 year plan should be put in place with attainable targets published which all industries should follow. Each part of China, or company which reaches its set targets could receive incentives such as tax breaks which will help to subsidies the investment which will be needed in order to reduce the pollution levels.
As the over use of vehicles also constitutes a large part of the problem, vehicle tax should be priced highly to reduce the affordability of cars and therefore cut down on the congestion and pollution caused by them. Public transport would be subsidized with this additional income, be made more convenient, kept cleaner, and have more convenient scheduling for those people who wish to convert from using their car to using trains and busses.
It should be presented as not only the alternative option, but a new improved, more environmentally friendly option. By advertising the benefits of public transport and car pools in light of the re-education given about air pollution, the response should be positive. The population will therefore be involved in limiting the pollution amounts, and actively participating in says which benefit their health. I expect the general population to embrace the new policies and be actively involved in the reporting of firms which flout them.
They will want to increase the quality of life for themselves and their families and through the re-education provided they will know that once pollution levels fall, life expectancy rates will rise for them. I would not expect factories to take to the new policies lightly. To them it will be a reduction in profits resulting from investment in new technologies, and a decrease in short term production in order to keep to pollution quotas. In the long run they will gain from the investments made as the new machinery will be more efficient, often yielding higher production rates than were possible before.
If the government provides tax breaks on subsidies, or long term loans for the new equipment needed, industries may take to the idea more quickly, and have the capabilities to reduce their pollution rates effectively in the short term, as well as the long term. Any Job losses railings Trot Doctors closures wall De quickly compensated Dye ten new Coo opening in industries where the new technology is produced, public transport and he independent review committees put in place by the government.
All of the above would keep Job losses to a minimal rate ensuring production across the board goes on as normal. It would also ensure the quality of life faced by the general population and China will be much better in the long term, with less risk of disease, a healthier workforce, and increased crop production. The only limitations of the plan rest solely with the government, their ability to implement it quickly, effectively, and to regulate it fairly, whilst setting forth themselves as examples.
This would be the same government who has chosen to ignore the issue of air pollution for decades. In order for the plan to be as effective as it can be, the nation as a whole needs to be fully aware why the changes are taking place, and that they are for their own benefit. With global support for the plan, the Chinese government will be forced to keep to its objectives, as starting to implement the plan and backing out of it could have dire consequences for international trade, which may decrease should the government no longer wish to regulate air pollution within its industries.