Negative Consequences of Air Pollution in Beijing - Case Study Example

Negative consequences of air pollution in Beijing By Thesis ment The strategies that havebeen put into place by the government to reduce pollution in Beijing have been effective as they have reduced air pollution to a level as compared to the earlier situations. 1. Problem identification Air pollution is an issue that caused by urbanization, especially during these present times of increased industry activity. I will focus on air pollution because it is a global issue that has unfavorable health and environmental effects. Also, air pollution is a topic which I used to study, and be familiar with. Smog that hangs over cities is an example of pollution that is caused due to urbanization. There are other signs of air pollution, some that are visible while other is not visible. This contributes to global warming. Air pollution is considered any substance that is introduces to the atmosphere that has damage or effect on living organism and the environment. The main air pollutant is carbon dioxide. This is a gas that is emitted from cars, planes, power plants and human activities in the urban areas that involve fossil fuels such as natural gas and gasoline. Another air pollutant is sulphur dioxide. This is a component of smog. This is a main cause of acid rain that leads to corrosion of buildings in the urban areas. In developed countries, the level of these gases is high and the governments have implemented strategies to enable reducing the level of the gases that leads to global warming. There has also been agreement by many people to try curbing the issue of global warming through taking into consideration reduction in gases emission into the atmosphere. Ozone layer that is formed in the cities is an example of air pollution in cities. The gases that are released into the atmosphere are poisonous. Inhaling the gases increase the chances of ill health and other problems to those that live in the cities. Those that have heart or lung diseases are at a greater risk from air pollution. Air pollution is not only experienced in air that is outside buildings in the cities but also in air that are inside houses. 2. The area or region of focus I will focus on Beijing, the Capital of China. This is because air pollution has overtime become an ever increasing issue among environmentalist and residents in Beijing. Particularly, air pollution is a major disaster in China due to the nation`s rapid pace of industrialization, explosive growth in car ownership, and coal power. Apart from that, Beijing is the capital city of my country, and I have been there for several time, which I found air pollution is indeed an issue in there also. The capital city of China has for many years suffered from serious air pollution. The main pollutants in the city have been due to exhaust emission from more than five million vehicles that are in the city, coal burning that is carried out in the neighboring regions, dusts storms that are experienced in the northern side of the city and the local construction dust from the construction companies. In the history of the city, there was particular severe smog that engulfed the city in the early 2013. This made the government to elevate public awareness on the need of preserving the environment. In a monitor that was carried out by the United States embassy in the country, the results showed that air pollutants such as particle pollution in Beijing is linked to a number of significant health effects and the effects are more severe to the sensitive population of the city including those that suffer from lung or heart diseases, adults and also children. Fine particles that hang over the city are the main causes of effects as brought out by the report. In a recent occurrence, there was a high rate of pollution in the capital city in March this year and the air quality index was so high and by noon of the day of the storm, the government air monitoring stations recorded an index of 500. 3. Identification of the issues that are related to the problem Problem 1: health problems such as heart and respiratory diseases Beijings dangerous concentration of air particles can penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream which has a serious threat to human’s health. The pollution has been related to the high number of deaths that occur due to heart and lung diseases in the city. Problem 2: Global warming Air pollutants is the major contributor to climate change due to its produced greenhouses gases, which have a significant effect on the global temperature, causing global warming and posing a threat to human’s lives. Global warming as brought about health problems such as those of the skin and also other infections in human beings. Problem 3: Acid rain Beijing is experiencing acid rains as a result to extreme emission of sulphur dioxide, causing health difficulties and destruction to buildings. Acid rain that has been experienced in the city has led to effect on livestock around the city. 4. Solution to the problems Solution 1: Getting old cars off the road and promoting clean energy vehicles Beijing commenced restricting car ownership in 2006 and the government has seen positive results from this intervention. The government also introduced electricity in local neighborhoods within Beijing to switch from the air polluting coal stoves to electric heaters. A good example of the government’s commitment to reduction of air pollution was seen in 2008 Beijing Olympics where it availed more than 400 electric buses to ferry spectators to the venue (Saikwa, 2011). According to Schreifels (2012), the air pollution in Beijing reduced by 10% after the government restricted ownership of old cars and promoted the use of clean energy. This shows that this solution has been effective; though it will take a while before air pollution is completely dealt with in Beijing. Solution 2: Ban of using coal The government of China banned the use of coal in plants. This saw the closure of a number of the old and filthy coal powered industries within Beijing. The government had attributed almost 25% of the gas emissions to the industries. This has contributed to the increase in high-tech companies within Beijing that emit less or no smoke to the atmosphere. This move saw the relocation of some of the industries that were using coal as their primary source of energy. This intervention has seen the reduction of air pollution in Beijing by 10% between 2006 and 2013. The ban has ensured the number of gasses that are released from the coal to the environment reducing the risks. The ban has also reduced the companies that are involved in coal production hence industrial emissions are also reduced. Part 2: Reflection of sources report Source 1: Gurjar, B. R., Molina, L. T., & Ojha, C. S. (2010). Air pollution: Health and environmental impacts. Boca Raton, CRC Press. Relation: This book explores numerous adverse air pollution instances that have rocked the world. It also explores both environmental and health effects of air pollution. This book will also assist in identifying some of the methods and techniques that have been employed to control air pollution and how its effects can be mitigated. Reliability: the source provides relevant research based on the topic of study. It gives a focus on the air pollution and the strategies that have been used by the government on them. Source 2: Cohen, B. (2006), Urbanization in developing countries: Current trends, future projections, and key challenges for sustainability, Technol. Soc. Relevance: This article discusses some of the problems that cities in Africa and Asia face and offers an analysis of some of the problems that arise from urbanization. It is also useful as it explores some of the primary causes of air pollution, effects of air pollution and interventions to reduce air pollution. Reliability: the author of the book makes the book reliability and the book also makes references to other articles making it more detailed. The article provides appropriate text for my background research, which also give me a comparison of difference region and my chosen city. Article 3: McKibben, B. (2011, June). Can China Go Green? - National Geographic Magazine. Available from http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/06/green-china/mckibben-text. Relation to the essay: This article offers an analysis of China’s efforts towards reduction of air pollution. This article is useful as it offers an analysis of some of the interventions that China has adopted to reduce air pollution in its cities. It also shows the country’s progress towards its air pollution reduction goals by 2015. Reliability or article: The text is mainly based on the national geographical statistics. The organization has also published the current and reliable situation in the articles and the documentaries. The author is an environmentalist, author, and journalist who have written extensively on the impact of global warming. The author being environmentalists brings out different facts on global warming and the ways that can be used in reducing the instance of global warming. Source 4: Saikawa, E., Jun-ichi K. (2011), “The impact of China’s vehicle emissions on regional air quality in 2000 and 2020: a scenario analysis” Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Relation of text to essay: This article gives a comparative analysis of air pollution through motor vehicle emissions before and after the adoption of clean energy vehicles and getting old cars off the road in Beijing. Reliability of the text: The source is reliable as it shows how motor vehicles contributed and contributes to air pollution between the two periods by referencing data from UNEP and the Chinese Government. The article is clear on the number of cars and this has brought reliability of the article in making a solution to the situation. The source offer appropriate information for the research, it offers empirical data of the success of the intervention. Source 5: Schreifels, J. J., Yale F., and Elizabeth J. W. (2012), “Sulfur dioxide control in China: policy evolution during the 10th and 11th Five-year Plans and lessons for the future.” Energy Policy, 48: 779-789. Relation of the topic to the essay: This article is useful because it evaluates China’s commitment in reducing air pollution through controlling sulphur dioxide emission. It highlights some of the areas that the Government has performed and others that need improvement. Reliability of the text: The source is reliable as it is a peer review article which also has been referenced in other article. The information that is included in the articles are those that are on the topic and also are rich is statistics on pollution in the country. The author of the article also makes the article more reliable as he is a well-known environmentalist who works with the US environmental protection agency. References Cohen, B. (2006), Urbanization in developing countries: Current trends, future projections, and key challenges for sustainability, Technol. Soc. Gurjar, B. R., Molina, L. T., & Ojha, C. S. (2010). Air pollution: Health and environmental impacts. Boca Raton, CRC Press. McKibben, B. (2011, June). Can China Go Green? - National Geographic Magazine. available from http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/06/green-china/mckibben-text Saikawa, E., Jun-ichi K. (2011), “The impact of China’s vehicle emissions on regional air quality in 2000 and 2020: a scenario analysis” Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Schreifels, J. J., Yale F., and Elizabeth J. W. (2012), “Sulfur dioxide control in China: policy evolution during the 10th and 11th Five-year Plans and lessons for the future.” Energy Policy, 48: 779-789. Feng, T. (2009). Controlling air pollution in China. Cheltenham, UK: E. Elgar. Haerens, M. (2011). Air pollution. Detroit: Greenhaven Press/Gale Cengage Learning. Ho, M. and Nielsen, C. (2007). Clearing the air. Cambridge, MA: MIT. Read More