Hello everyone, today I will be looking into the causes of air pollution in China context and the geographies of air pollution.
China is another country that experience one of the worst air pollution in the world. Particularly in Beijing, the capital of China suffers the worst. Its rapid industrialisation and economic growth have resulted in worsening air quality and thereby is the main factor attributing to China’s air pollution issue (Chen, 2018). Of the twenty cities with the worst air pollution worldwide, 16 are located in China, including Beijing (Ye, n.d).
The following is the reasons for Beijing experiencing extensive air pollution:
- High economic growth
- A rise in the number of motor vehicles
- High Population growth
- Rapid Industrialisation
- Natural physical environment
The rise in economic growth in China also reflects a rise in GDP per capita. The increase in wealth among its population, allows them to have higher purchasing power and raises their network capital. Often, individuals now are able to afford motor vehicles to allow ease of a daily commute from home to work and other destination within the city. The number of motor vehicles on Beijing’s roads has doubled to 3.3 million with nearly 1200 added each day (Ye, n.d). Motor vehicles in China contribute to nearly 70% of air pollution in Beijing. Coupled with population growth and a rise in rural to urban migration where individuals find employment opportunities in the city centre, this further worsens the problem.
Figure 1. These side by side images show the severity of air pollution in Beijing (Ye, n.d).
(Left) Beijing on a clear day.
(Right) Beijing in February, 2013 from the same view when Beijing was experiencing dangerously poor air quality.
The release of air pollution can travel across the Pacific Ocean and the Western United States by powerful winds called Westerlies (Ye, n.d). However, China is often as the World’s Factory, the air pollution by intense Chinese manufacturing and export of goods could also be attributed to the world’s demand for such goods. For instance, the United States demand for these goods, further fuel the production of manufactured goods, thereby causing air pollution issues in China through trade with China (Than, 2016). About a quarter to a third of the air pollution in China are related to the manufacture of goods for exports, and about 20 percent of that was attributable to goods for the United States. (Than, 2016). Hence, we can see that issues of air pollution in a particular country such as China, where its causes may not be attributed solely due to local demand, rather, international demand for manufactured goods can also drive problems of air pollution.
Thank you for reading!
For the next post, I will be sharing more insights of issues revolving air pollution also in China and its relation to COVID-19 pandemic.
References:
Chen, S. (2018, January 12). What exactly is causing China’s toxic smog? South China Morning Post. https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2056366/what-exactly-causing-chinas-toxic-smog.
Than, K. (2016, May 17). How Much Is U.S. to Blame for “Made-in-China” Pollution? National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2014/01/140122-made-in-china-pollution-from-exports/.
Ye, M. F. 4.2 Causes and Consequences of Air Pollution in Beijing, China. https://ohiostate.pressbooks.pub/sciencebites/chapter/causes-and-consequences-of-air-pollution-in-beijing-china/.