Does Pollution in China Causes Global Warning - Research Paper Example

Pollution in china, how it contributes to the USA economy and are they to blame for the global warming? Pollution can be defined as a substance which is concentrated and that can cause harm or a substance that exceeds environmental standards (Farmer 2). High energy use and air pollution have been present in China for decades, especially in the urban areas of the nation. In the rural areas, air pollution is common because of the number of industries that have been developed and established there, and these industries are highly dependent on coal. China has been undergoing urbanization and industrial development on a large scale. This is mainly because of the rapid increase of China’s population. This growth has challenged the Chinese government at all levels, not only to provide the basic needs of the growing population, but also to modernize and to continue to develop the economy and address the environmental problems that have affected the climate (Policy and Global Affairs, Chinese Academy of Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering and National Research Council 1). The National research council in China has recognized that the use of energy affects not only the public health but also land, environment, infrastructure, service and the economic growth. This has resulted to the introduction of a secure, flexible and varied energy supply policy that will help reduce the amount of pollution. Due to the high dependence on coal and the scarcity of gas and oil, the Chinese Government is trying to balance the public good, and reduce the overreliance on coal and the high cost of importing oil and gas from other countries (Policy and Global Affairs, Chinese Academy of Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering and National Research Council 2). China has been known to produce a significant amount of vehicles. As a result, it has come up with new laws to implement in regard to the combustion of fuel in cars and trucks, hence reducing the air pollution and traffic congestion. China has over the years grown in population. In 2004, it had a population of 1.4 billion hence the demand for employment and basic needs. China has been forced to introduce and develop factories in both rural and urban areas, so as to meet the demands of its people. The development of rural industries has narrowed the gap between the town and countryside, hence reducing the urban population. This development has helped in equal distribution of resources in China. Many people have been rendered unemployed and with the increase of factories, many employees are forced to work in factories characterized by long working hours, low wages and unhealthy working conditions. Even with the increased number of factories, china is still struggling with poverty. The Chinese people’s health has been affected due to the increase of the airborne particulate matters and the increased population in urban areas (Chinese Academy of Environmental Planning, The Energy and Resources Institute, Zhongguo huan jing yu fa zhan guo ji he zuo wei yuan hui, Indian Council for Sustainable Development 207). Air pollution has become a major cause of deaths in China. However, efforts to contain the atmospheric pollution and early deaths have been reduced. Nevertheless, the rise in urbanization has affected the atmospheric pollution, and the number of deaths has increased. In the world, China leads with the highest number of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer death (Chinese Academy of Environmental Planning, The Energy and Resources Institute, Zhongguo huan jing yu fa zhan guo ji he zuo wei yuan hui, Indian Council for Sustainable Development 208). Indoor pollution has become another factor of air pollution. Statistics show that half of the world’s population is affected by the indoor pollution. In addition, human health has been negatively affected by the air pollution. This has been noted and manifested by the decrease in visibility due to smog, drop in yields of crops and damaged buildings due to acidic rain (Chinese Academy of Environmental Planning, The Energy and Resources Institute, Zhongguo huan jing yu fa zhan guo ji he zuo wei yuan hui, Indian Council for Sustainable Development 208) China is one of the world’s fastest growing exporting nations to the United States market. The United States has in turn invested greatly in China. In regard to the benefits that consumers in the United States get from China, it can be said that they have heavily benefited from the low cost Chinese products. This can be noted from the low rate of inflation that Americans have enjoyed for decades (Dutta 226). China has taken over the US market to become the largest export market for electronic products. These factories have helped China export performance. In the recent income tax payment of 2004, the US budget deficit and how it has maximized its profit by establishing its market in China and repatriating that profit to its home market was projected. China has contributed greatly to the US economy. Recently, the US experienced a great recession and the worldwide economic slowdown, which forced many US companies to reconsider their manufacturing strategies, in order to be competitive in the marketplace and their best and referenced choice was China. The economy of the United States is growing due to the cheap labor market in China; the US is cutting its costs and shifting publicly owned work to China because of the cheap labor in China (Kernaghan 9). The United States and China face great pressure for not accepting the fixed target of 2012 in regard to pollution. The developed countries have come up with laws to reduce the emission of gases with the fixed targets under the new agreements. Developed countries have ratified a new agreement to replace the Kyoto Protocol beyond 2012, leaving China and other major countries without binding reduced targets. This will make China face many challenges. First, China will have to suffer the consequences of global warming, as well as the rest of the world. Secondly, China will be under pressure when the US is included in the new agreement. Thirdly, China will benefit from the carbon credit demands in the market (Jiang 188). In conclusion, over the years, China has been polluted due to the increased number of population and the increased development of industries. China has had an increase in number of factories, due to the high demand for products. The increased population has forced the Chinese Government to come up with employment opportunities for the huge population, which is another reason behind the establishment of more factories. Over the years, China has also become the largest exporting nation to the US market, as it exports most of its finished goods to the US. Consequently, the health of the Chinese people has been greatly affected especially due to the high amount of pollution from the industries. China can therefore be said to have contributed greatly to the effect of global warming that is being felt in the world. Works Cited Chinese Academy of Environmental Planning, The Energy and Resources Institute, Zhongguo huan jing yu fa zhan guo ji he zuo wei yuan hui, Indian Council for Sustainable Development. Environment and Development: China and India. New Delhi: The Energy and Resources Institute. Dutta, Manoranjan. China’s Industrial Revolution and Economic Presence. Hackensack: World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd. 2006. Print. Farmer, Andrew. Managing Environmental Pollution. New York: Routledge, 2013. Print. Jiang, Xiaoyi Legal Issues for Implementing the Clean Development Mechanism in China. New York: Springer, 2012. Print. Kernaghan, Charles. Behind the Label: "Made in China". New York: National Labour Committee, 1997. Print. Policy and Global Affairs, Chinese Academy of Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering and National Research Council. Urbanization, Energy, and Air Pollution in China. Washington DC: The National Academies Press, 2004. Print. Read More