Essay FINAL

Economic Development in China has led to its Air Pollution

Goldin (2009) pointed out in his TED talk that collapse in biodiversity, climate change, financial crisis and inequality are some problems caused by globalisation. Among these, we have witnessed air pollution becoming more evident. A main cause of air pollution is the increase in excessive greenhouse gases largely contributed by industries. Air pollution is a serious problem in China, and it is heavily tied to globalisation. Globalisation involves the movement of ideas, cultures and people across the world. Since the 1970s, China has been experiencing rapid expansion and urbanization. This was due to the low cost of production in China, which works as an incentive for many foreign companies to set up their factories there. Many job opportunities were given to the Chinese locals and more knowledge and skills could be acquired from the foreigners, aiding in China’s economic expansion. However, Zhang (2012) noted that China’s aim to improve the gross domestic product (GDP) at any cost has created environmental problems. In my opinion, air pollution has plagued China ever since its growth and the country has been implementing solutions to mitigate this long-term problem. However, it will take a long time, and no one can be sure if this air pollution problem can be improved completely.

From 1991 to 2010, industrial waste gas emission in China was increasing at 43.1 billion cubic metres annually (Cui & Shi, 2012). Increases in health problems are mostly attributed to the air condition. Small particulates can permanently stay in the lungs and aggravate many respiratory illnesses and heart problems (Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District, n.d.). According to a World Health Organization report, 40 percent of the 7 million people in the world who died from air pollution in 2012 lived around China (Chen &  Bennett, 2014). Being one of the worst polluted countries and not doing anything to reduce air pollution, could also result in China suffering from economic problems. In 2008, China’s economic losses due to pollution and environmental degradation accounted for 10.51 percent of gross national income (Zhang, 2012). To deal with all these ongoing problems, China has implemented several solutions to reduce the impacts of air pollution.

The first solution is to cut down dependence on coal. According to Chew (2013), the construction of new coal-fired plants is prohibited and replaced by 18 synthetic natural gas (SNG) plants. This can reduce air pollution since burning of coal contributes to harmful air particulates. However, this is a short-term solution. Although switching to SNG plants can help to reduce particulate air pollution, the process of mining coal and converting it to natural gas can yield 36 percent to 82 percent more greenhouse gas emissions than burning coal directly (Chew, 2013). Shutting down the coal-fired plants is also not sufficient to mitigate this pollution problem because emissions from vehicles, shipyards and aircrafts also contribute to air pollution, in Shanghai especially, after Shanghai became an international transport hub.

A second solution was implemented by Hanergy, the largest non-state-owned enterprise of clean energy power generation in China, which focuses on hydropower and solar power as alternatives (Dinell, n.d.). The ShangHai Tower, upon completion in 2014, will serve to reduce energy usage as wind turbines are built at the top of the tower and electricity generated will run the exterior light. We can see that with clean energy power generation, industries have alternative sources to run the plants instead of using coal. Less coal will be burnt, giving rise to a cleaner Shanghai. However, there are limitations to this implementation. Other sources of energy like hydropower and solar power require much capital to operate. It also takes a long time to start these operations, which is not effective to solve the imminent air pollution problem in Shanghai.

In conclusion, globalisation drives rapid expansion and industrialisation in China, sacrificing the environment at the same time. However, efforts have been made by China over the years to solve this issue. They have been targeting the root of the problem by controlling the greenhouse gases emission from factories. Apart from that, China can also look out for other sources of greenhouse gases emission, and implement some regulations to control them. On top of solving the root of the problem, China can also deal with the health impacts experienced by the people living in the area. The government can give out free face mask to the citizens and also allow a regular health check at a lower price. Though it will take a long time, China can only aim to reduce air pollution. It will be hard to eliminate this problem entirely as air pollution is happening at a faster rate than their actions to deal with the problem.

(781 words)

References

Chen, C. & Bennett, S.  (2014, March 26). China Smog at Center of Air Pollution Deaths Cited by WHO. Bloomberg.com. Retrieved March 27, 2014, from http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-03-25/tainted-air-kills-more-than-aids-diabetes-who-report-shows.html

Cui, L & Shi, J. (2012, October 25). Urbanisation and its environmental effects in Shanghai, China. Urban Climate 2, 1–15.

Chew, K. (2013, November 14). China’s Solution for Combating Air Pollution? Convert Coal to Synthetic Natural Gas. Enn.com. Retrieved March 27, 2014, from http://www.enn.com/environmental_policy/article/46681

Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District (n.d.). Air Pollutants and Our Health. Sbcapcd.org. Retrieved March 27, 2014, from http://www.sbcapcd.org/sbc/pollut.htm

Dinell, S. (n.d.). Pollution. Bizjournalism.org. Retrieved March 27, 2014, from http://china2012.bizjournalism.org/?page_id=229

Zhang, J.J. (2012, September). Delivering Environmentally Sustainable Economic Growth: The Case of China. Asiasociety.org. Retrieved March 27, 2014, from http://asiasociety.org/files/pdf/Delivering_Environmentally_Sustainable_Economic_Growth_Case_China.pdf