#China

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Plastic in China’s Table Salt

Everts, S. (2015, October 29). Plastic Contaminates Table Salt in China. Retrieved November 23, 2015, from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/plastic-contaminates-table-salt-in-china/

Table salt in China has been impregnated with tiny plastic particles. After testing 15 different brands of salt found in Chinese grocery stores, researchers found small pieces of polyethylene terephthalate, the common plastic used in water bottles, as well as polyethylene, cellophane and other types of plastic. Salt from the ocean had over 250 particles of plastic per pound of sea salt, the highest level of plastic contamination. This is due to the high levels of plastic floating around in the water from which the salt is taken.

It had never occurred to me that the high level of pollution in the ocean would lead to plastic particles appearing in table salt. The presence of plastic in a product that meant to be eaten seems as though it would be a huge health hazard, one that will only worsen as the ocean becomes more polluted. As more plastic is dumped into the ocean, the higher level of plastic there will be in salt, something that the Chinese manufacturers, consumers, and government will have to address before people’s health begins to degrade due to their consumption of plastic.

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Floods in China caused by air pollution.

A research was made to investigate if the amount of air pollution caused floods in China. Soot which is black carbon produced by fossil fuels leads the black carbon to stay in the atmosphere The soot has an impact in increasing temperatures which is what led to the flood when a lot of moisture was released by the clouds. The research used data from the time when the country wasn’t polluted and the days before the storm, and concluded that the flood wouldn’t have happened if the air wasn’t polluted as it was on the days of the floods.

 

I think it is very important for countries to know that if their levels of pollutions are high it is easier for natural events, such as floods, to form. This research is very worthy of everyone to know because this can encourage countries to reduce the amount of fossil fuels burned daily. Everyone believes that floods are caused naturally and that we cannot affect it, however, the pollution in the air has now a great impact on the weather.

http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2015/07/16/421815633/how-air-pollution-may-have-caused-catastrophic-flooding-in-china


 

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Chinese Pollution Leaves Most Major Cities Failing On Air Quality

Gerken, J. (2015, February 3). Chinese Pollution Leaves Most Major Cities Failing On Air Quality. Retrieved March 2, 2015, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/03/chinese-pollution-air-quality_n_6600934.html

 

The air quality in China’s major cities including Beijing has failed to meet basic standards last year according to China’s Environment Ministry.  The world’s biggest greenhouse gas emitter pledged to stop the growth in its carbon emissions by 2030 and last year recorded its first drop in coal production since 2000 as it switches to cleaner sources.  Since the country also depend on coal for 80 percent of its electricity supply and about two-thirds of total energy, they limited the number of new cars on its roads and plans to cut coal usage by 75 percent by 2022.

 

China is definitely making progress by cutting the emissions coming from the country.  It will definitely help for the safety of the people living in the area.  Being the world’s biggest greenhouse gas, China will be an inspiration for the other countries who are experiencing the same type of situation of handling the pollution.  In addition, if China continue to make progress there is no way the other countries won’t do so as well.

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Captive Kitties

Connor, N. (2015, February 12). China Tiger Farms Put Big Cats in the Jaws of Extinction: Science X Network. Science X Network. Retrieved February, 2015 from <http://phys.org/news/2015-02-china-tiger-farms-big-cats.html>.

 

The Siberian Tiger Park in China, along with other breeding centers and farms in the country, breed tigers in order to sell their body parts for money after they die. China’s tiger farm industry says the trade in captive animals helps preserve the cats, but wildlife groups argue that it is actually increasing the amount of poaching of these animals.

 

This article relates to environmental science because human poaching and the Chinese economy are greatly interfering with the survival of this tiger species. I am quite disturbed by this article because these wild cats are being used for money instead of living freely like they are supposed to.  I think this is terrible and we need to do something to protect these endangered tigers.

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Air in China Labeled Hazardous

“China’s Air Pollution Reaches ‘crisis’ Level.” The Globe and Mail. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Sept. 2014.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/chinas-air-pollution-reaches-crisis-level/article17107203/

The United States embassy in Beijing China labeled the city as being hazardous only a few months ago. The air in China was also called “barely suitable for human life.” Although not having the worst air in the world, thanks to India, the pollution in China is so bad that officials have recommended not traveling to the country as it is hazardous. The Chinese government is doing everything in their power to reduce the air pollution, but due to the monumental numbers of industries, China’s air is not on a speedy recovery course. The smog in China has been called indefensible at this point by newspapers, who are also calling the atmosphere surrounding China an invisible killer. The current government in China has promised change, but are not fulfilling their promises.

The air in China has gotten so bad it is uncontrollable. The author criticizes China’s government for not taking the necessary precautions to eliminating this titanic issue. This article was written to warn those visiting China and also alarm Chinese citizens that the current government isn’t fulfilling the promises they made to the country about eliminating air pollution. By calling Beijing barely suitable for human life the author is making a powerful statement which alarms readers on the severity of this conflict. Air pollution in China is taking years off of many people’s lives and the issue has to be addressed with more urgency.

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Air Pollution Progress in China

Lui, Anthony. “China’s War On Air Pollution Shows More Promise Than Reports Indicate.” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 2014. Web. 07 Sept. 2014.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/ckgsb/2014/08/06/chinas-air-pollution-better-than-reports-indicate/

China has struggled with air pollution for many years, and their air is often considered to be the most polluted in the world. However, recently China has begun to address this major issue and changes in government have promised change. 71 of 74 major cities still fail to meet air standard regulations despite all of the precautions being taken, showing the severity of this issue. The three main contributors of air pollution are cars, coal, and industry, all of which China has placed regulations to limit the pollution being released into the atmosphere. For cars, China’s cities have placed restrictions that if somebody wants to buy a car, they have to apply only then being placed in an auction. In addition, many Chinese industries have been kicked out of their respective cities. In Bejing, 53 companies have been asked to relocated due to their outrageous emission of pollution into the already polluted atmosphere.

 

In this interview imbedded in an article, the author was stating what China’s officials strides to eliminate their pollution problem included. There are three main causes for why the air pollution is so bad which are coal, cars, and industries. China has taken steps to reduce each of these three areas significantly by limiting cars, removing sulfur dioxide from coal plant emissions, and eliminating industries. The author states positive examples of how far China has come in the past decade, but is still attempting to alarm readers as the problem of air pollution is far from gone in China and all citizens should take strides to help.