Pollution in China
Pollution has presented a problem with the introduction of technology. As countries industrialize, their economy begins growing and accordingly so does the population of cities. China is an exceptional example of economic growth and population growth. However, with economic and population growth comes a downside, pollution. Pollution has presented an enormous problem in China because of all the power plants that it has. The power plants bring power to millions of people all around China and the growing population isn’t helping reduce the numbers of these power plants. There are various types of pollution in China, for example, air, ozone, and nuclear pollution. The most life-threatening to the people of China is air pollution. Air pollution in China has been a tremendous social issue for the people of China and its government. The air quality in China in its current state it is extremely harmful to the people, which can cause many lung problems and even death. Some countless articles have discussed the research and effects of air pollution on the environment of China as well as the people of China. These articles can come from a variety of genres from the open web, magazines, newspaper articles, and scholarly articles.
“Is air quality in China a social problem?” by China Power Team discusses how China has a growing economy and relies heavily on coal power plants for electricity, and heat. China is trying its best now to try to reduce the amount of coal power plants as well as how much they rely on it. They have constructed towers that help to take in the harmful air pollution to help reduce the risks it has on the health of the people. Over the years, China has shown improvements in its air quality by investing money into projects that have allowed a decrease in the number of harmful toxins released into the air by coal power plants such as PM2.5, which can get into trapped in one’s lungs and bloodstream and do damage to a person’s health. The genre is a researched based article because it provides data and diagrams on research done the air quality of China over the years. They provide extensive research on charts that show over time the rise in pollution in China. It can furthermore be said that it is credible because according to the website the article was published with an about page with all the authors and their respective titles and experience with China and its rapid growth. The author also wants this article to be read by people interested in the change of Chinas power relative to other countries as stated in the mission statement of the website. They provide the reader with information on pollution in China and want to aid a reader make an opinion based on info that they provide that is accurate. According to the article, “…questions include, among others, …How is China shaping the global economic order? How web-connected is China? Engaging with such questions, users will have the necessary tools to explore the evolution of Chinese power and the implications of China’s rise” (China Power Team). Readers will be able to use the articles provided by China Power Team to explore and understand Chinese power as well as the implications that come with the rise of China. China Power Team primary intention for writing this article was to show the implications of the rise of China and its economy. As the years have gone by, China has become the second largest economy in the world. With such growth comes implications, such as pollution in China in terms of the coal power plants. Then the article compares Chinas air pollution to other countries to conceptualize the effects of pollution in China relative to other countries. The author’s purpose in writing this open-sources article is to inform and make the reader aware of Chinas air pollution as well as the how its economic growth correlates with the pollution. This article, as stated in the about section, doesn’t take any sides. They are just stating facts and enabling the reader to produce the opinion that they want. According to China Power Team, “Researchers with the Berkeley Earth Project found that, over a four-month period in mid-2014, around 92 percent of China’s population was exposed to more than 120 hours of unhealthy air” (China Power Team). One might think that China Power Team is supporting a side to the argument presented, but they are just stating facts from research that has been done previously and that research possesses a negative image of China and its air quality. The attitude that China Power Team has on pollution in China is that China is taking measures to decrease pollution in the air. According to the article, “China has pursued other creative solutions to combat its air quality issues. The 7-meter tall “Smog Free Tower” in Beijing is one such example” (China Power Team).
“Is China Choking on Success?” by Yale Global discusses how Chinas air quality is one of the worst in the world. It states that China is home to 7 of the world’s 10 most polluted cities. Smog covers the cities and the level of the nasty particulate PM2.5 is present at dangerous levels in the numerous cities of China, especially Beijing. China has implemented ways to reduce air pollution, however, it can’t keep up with the rapid urbanization which contributes to a rising demand for energy and reliance on coal-powered plants. It is also discussed that the Chinese political elite is not altogether for the introduction of higher fuel-efficiency because the Chinese political elite is composed of state-owned oil companies that are against higher fuel-efficiency. The government of China needs to discover ways to implement policies that will be able to catch up with the growing population and need for more energy. “Is China Choking on Success?” is a pollical science magazine that talks about the air quality in China and compares it to other countries such as the United States. According to Yale Global, “The putrid, poisonous air is an apt metaphor for the current Chinese predicament and challenges facing China’s new leaders” (Yale Global). This article is a reliable source because according to Yale Global, “In a rare bit of candor, Wang Yuesi, an atmospheric physicist and member of a government working group on haze reduction…” (Yale Global). Yale Global gives reliable information from credible people who have studied air pollution, such as Wang Yuesi. The audience for this political science article is older people that have some interest and knowledge of Chinese politics because political articles are more likely to appeal to older individuals. According to Yale Global, “Although incoming President Xi and many in the standing politburo are viewed as likely reformers, thus far there are few signs of a seachange in China’s approach to development” (Yale Global). Word choice is another way one can tell the audience, for example, the word reformer is used with the thought that the audience knows about politics. This article was written to show how the economic, political and the pollution in China is all connected. Yale Global shows through quotes and statistics the government isn’t doing enough in terms of reducing pollution in China. Its purpose is to inform the reader about the success of China isn’t just boosting its economy but is also hurting China. According to Yale Global, “China’s citizens are paying a steep price for rapid economic growth. The government struggles to mask environmental problems, yet China is home to seven of the world’s 10 most polluted cities, and smog blankets the nation’s cities” (Yale Global). China is trying to hide the fact that they are trying to mask environmental problems and rapid economic growth is the cause of it. Yale Global does take a stance on the side that China needs to do more for the improve pollution conditions. According to the Yale Global, “Thus, it’s no surprise that China’s major state-owned oil companies have lobbied against enforcing higher fuel-efficiency standards, even as the number of autos in Beijing has jumped from 3 million in 2008 to more than 5 million in 2012” (Yale Global). As stated the China elite is hindering efforts to help reduce the pollution in China.
“China is a hotspot of ground-level ozone pollution” by the University of Colorado at Boulder discusses the effects of ozone pollution on the environment of China. It also discusses how ozone pollution is caused by the coal-burning power plants that put fossil fuel as well as nitrogen oxide into the air and causes ozone pollution. The ozone pollution has limited the yield of certain crops in China as well as caused multiple health risks like lung damage. The article also compared the ozone pollution in China to other countries and shows how it is above all when it comes down to pollution. This is a science-based newspaper report which means that it is short and to the point. One element of a newspaper report that is present in this article is that it has subheadings. These subheadings allow the reader to read parts that seem interesting to them. According to the University of Colorado, “We found that largest increases in ozone exposure in eastern and central China, especially in the most populous areas… Xiao Lu in Zhang’s group, first author of the study” (Univ. of Colorado). With studies to back up its claims, it can be said that this article is a reliable source. This newspaper article can be read by people that read the science section of the newspaper and thus most likely middle to older age people that read newspapers. The author felt the need to write this newspaper article to report their findings on the issue of ozone pollution, another form of pollution in China. The author wants to show that ozone pollution has become a big issue in China and is causing harm not just to the people but also the environment. According to Physics.org, “And because ozone levels in China have increased since then, we would expect to see even greater crop loss now” (Physics.org). They give examples as to what can be the cause of ozone pollution and the effects that it is having on the environment and the people. The author purpose is to inform the reader about the challenges that China faces in terms of producing enough crops for the growing population of China and how ozone pollution isn’t helping them in any way. The author also compared the ozone pollution in China to other countries and shows that it isn’t considerably worse than other countries such as the United States and European Countries. The newspaper article takes a negative stance on how China is doing in terms of ozone pollution and its effect on the country. According to the University of Colorado, “In fact, present-day ozone levels in major Chinese cities are comparable to U.S levels in the 1980s and 1990s” (University of Colorado). This is one great example of the negative effects that ozone pollution is having on the people of China and much more.
“Ambient air pollution in China: predicting a turning point” by Anna Shostya discusses the in-depth the research the supports, the statement that there is a correlation between population increase as well as economic growth and pollution in China. This article gives specific data on how “economic forces” have contributed to the increased level of air pollution in China. It also goes into talking about various factors that led to the air pollution in China, for example, electricity, population growth, and vehicles. With charts and statistics, it was concluded that the improvement in air quality in China is so slow is because the local government does not cooperate with the central government. The central government, however, is trying in its effort to make the air quality of China better by removing old power plants and providing incentives. This is an experiment -based research paper. One can tell from the extensive research given. According to Shostya, “The results indicate a large disparity between the values across all the variables. The highest per capita disposable income was in Shanghai in 2013 (43,851.36RMB) and the lowest was in Ningxia in 2004 (7217.87RMB)” (Shostya). This article is for people that have a huge amount of background in the science. According to Shostya, “The main variable of interest is DIpc, a way of estimating the EKC (Chen 2010; Zhang et al. 2010; Schoolman and Ma 2012). A negative coefficient on this variable would indicate an abatement effect, a positive coefficient would indicate a scale effect” (Shostya). The word choice used here shows that people with a great deal of knowledge in the background of science will be able to understand what the author is trying to say. This was written with the intent to show that there is clear evidence to show that China has a problem with pollution and that economic growth isn’t helping in any way. The purpose of this article is to inform the reader about the relationship between the economy and the rising pollution levels in China. It provides data from different areas of China to show that the levels of pollution have increased with the growing economy. The author stance on the social issue of pollution is that based on the research done car emissions and coal power plants are affecting the quality of the air. According to Shostya, “Our results also indicate that an increase in electricity production leads to a higher PM in the air” (Shostya). The research supports the author stance that one cause of the bad air quality in China is the electricity production, obtained from coal power plants.
The four sources discussed had similarities and differences. Some similarities include that they all used evidence from different sources to support their claim and the open web-based article and the magazine article both included not just scientific information to support its claim but also political information. According to China Power Project, “Chinese leaders have enacted a series of noteworthy measures to address the country’s pollution problem” (China Power Project). It can also be said that China Power Project shows that the Chinese government is making efforts to reduce air pollution but Yale Global contradicts that statement by stating, “China’s citizens are paying a steep price for rapid economic growth. The government struggles to mask environmental problems…” (Yale Global). Yale Global shows that the Chinese government is trying to hide the issues of environmental problems such as air pollution from the people of China. The scholarly article is completely different from all the other articles because it only talks about data and analysis and what can be interpreted from the data obtained. According to Shostya, “PM elasticity with respect to vehicles possession is 0.21, which indicates that a 10 % increase in the number of vehicles in the region would make local air-pollution levels 2 % worse” (Shostya).
Work Cited
China Power Team. “Is air quality in China a social problem?” China Power. February 15, 2016. Updated July 16, 2018. Accessed September 23, 2018. https://chinapower.csis.org/air-quality/
Colorado, Unversity. “China Is Hot Spot of Ground-Level Ozone Pollution.” Phys.org – News and Articles on Science and Technology, Phys.org, 29 Aug. 2018, phys.org/news/2018-08-china- hot-ground-level-ozone-pollution.html.
“Is China Choking On Success?” YaleGlobal Online, 15 Feb. 2013. Opposing Viewpoints in Context,http://link.galegroup.com.ccnyproxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/apps/doc/A318894210/OVIC?u=cuny_ccny&sid=OVIC&xid=eba252a9. Accessed 16 Sept. 2018.
Shostya, Anna. “Ambient air pollution in China: predicting a turning point.” International Advances in Economic Research, vol. 22, no. 3, 2016, p. 295+. Academic OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com.ccnyproxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/apps/doc/A463755600/AONE? u=cuny_ccny&sid=AONE&xid=da90118d. Accessed 16 Sept. 2018.
