Blog 1- Air pollution in China Lillian D. Brown

China's Plan to Curb Air Pollution Sets Limits on Coal Use and Vehicles

China's state council released a plan responding the people's criticism of their environment.  Because China has been developing so rapidly, the government has thrown some important issues to the wayside.  One of these issues is the environment.  Many of China's larger cities are heavily exposed to air pollution and it is becoming a great health concern.  The cities are covered in chocking smog that lasts a long time.

The plan involves reducing fine particulate matter by 25 percent in urban areas like Beijing and 15, 10 and 20 percent in other areas.  Two type of particulate matter(PM) are listed as crucial in China.  The plan said that Beijing must lower their PM 2.5 to at most 60 micrograms per cubic meter.  The other PM is PM10.  PM 2.5 is more deadly because it can enter the bloodstream.

Different environmental groups have varying opinions on how effective the plan was, but even with this plan in place, China is still high above the limitation set by The World Health Organization(WHO).  Chinese government also kept the numbers of PM 2.5 from general information for a long time.  PM 2.5 levels have been as high as 213 micrograms per cubic meter in China.

Much of this PM pollution has to do with the amount of coal consumption in China.  Since China is a developing country with many factories, it is not surprising.  Their government is run differently than ours, and so is their culture. This has to do with the amount of social shift taking place across the globe.  American and European industry is all shipping to China, because they know that China is vulnerable and less developed than them and they see the economic value to them.  Because China has no regulations like Europe and the US do, these companies grab ahold of that and go at it full swing.

Lillian D. Brown

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/13/world/asia/china-releases-plan-to-reduce-air-pollution.html?ref=earth&_r=0