It’s a natural fact that wind and
water don’t respect national boundaries. One country’s pollution quickly can,
and often does, become another country’s environmental and economic crisis. And
because the problem originates in another country, solving it becomes a matter
of diplomacy and international relations, leaving the local people who are most
affected with few real options; when pollution from China is causing serious
environmental problems in Japan and South Korea as the Chinese continue to
expand their economy at great environmental cost.
We believed that the Olympic Games would
be the catalyst that will help China turn things around—at least in terms of
air quality. China had hosted the Summer Olympics in Beijing of August 2008,
and the nation was under pressure to clean up its air to avoid international
embarrassment. The International Olympic Committee gave China a stern warning
about environmental conditions, and some Olympic athletes have said they will
not compete in certain events because of poor air quality in Beijing. We honestly
hoped that it would help, in the short running, it did.
Despite these efforts,
environmental degradation in China and other developing countries in
Asia—including the problem of cross-border pollution—are likely to get worse
before it gets better. Nitrogen Oxide, a greenhouse gas that is the primary
cause of urban smog—is expected to increase 2.3 times in China and 1.4 times in
East Asia by 2020 if China and other nations do nothing to curb them. I have
now started to wonder if the is any hope left for a country that is doing so
much to improve it’s hold on power towards other countries, while neglecting
the problems within their own land. All I can say is “There is a lack of
political leadership in East Asia would be a worldwide worsening of air
quality."
Ryan Lindquist
February 15,2013
4:11 PM
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