Efforts to combat the first rush of air pollution
in the autumnal season in China included citizens wearing face masks, schools
shutting down, ordering large vehicles off roads, and checking tailpipe
emissions in police stationed roadblocks. Northern residents fear the smog
clouds are just the beginning to a harsher winter. Coal-fired systems, that
have been proven to shorten life span by five years, will only contribute to
the air pollution in China’s cities and rural communities. Government emergency
strategies point towards solving the problem despite its past efforts that
seems to only cover up the issue (says environmental activists). The Ministry
of Environmental Protection is sending inspection teams to ensure environmental
regulations are being enforced. Wong (2013) writes “enforcement is often a weak point, even when leaders understand that
cleaning up the environment has become critical to maintaining social and
political stability.” The ministry is also making efforts to
identify those
companies, whose emissions are above the regulated limits.
Local citizens fear that while policy is
great, enforcement is key to changing environmental problems for China.
Execution begins to fall short when local officials who are growth and
business-minded fail to comply with all regulations. An environmental advocate,
Ma Jun, said that he is confident that the people of China are not happy with
wearing a mask to go outside, and really want blue-sky days. Spending
government money on short-term answers shouldn’t be the solution for long-term
problems.
Breanna Steinke
Oct. 25 2013
4:00PM
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/25/world/asia/smoggy-days-in-harbin-prompt-quick-reaction.html?ref=science&_r=0
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