Haze in China
words by Clare You
photo from PEXELS
photo from PEXELS
Air pollution has been a long-term problem in China and industrial development is one of the major reasons causing it. The emissions from the factories, the cars, and so on leave China blanketed in toxic air.
According to an announcement made by the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau (北京市还境保护局), Beijing issued a red alert on air pollution from 16 December 2016 to 21 December 2016 and limited the number of vehicles on the road, such as gravel trucks. In addition, the construction industry was forced to stop tearing down buildings or painting them.
The Chinese government takes air pollution seriously because the toxic air which blankets China has claimed many people’s lives. A study conducted by Berkeley Earth shows how bad China’s air was from April 2014 to August 2015. It claims that air pollution in China “kills [almost] 4000 people every day.” The poisonous emissions from factories are the main reasons for this pollution because coal is used for fueling manufacturing. In Handan, a city located in the southwestern part of Hebei Province, it is also one of the places in China with the worst air pollution. This city is famous for its abundant coal as well as iron ore reserves and these resources allow for heavy industry to develop prosperously in Handan; however, the pollution it brings also poses a threat to the inhabitants’ health.
Taiwan is also affected by toxic air from China. On 21 December 2016, the sky in Tamsui was grey owing to China’s haze. What’s more, on 6 February 2017, the Chief of the Central Weather Bureau (交通部中央氣象局) Cheng Ming-dean (鄭明典) posted a message about Taiwan’s poor air quality on Facebook. He said “it is clear that today’s weather in Taiwan is affected by China’s haze and February and March are the months which will be most affected by it.”
In fact, many Taiwanese have started noticing that the air in Taiwan has become increasingly bad. A student from National Taipei University San Xia campus said “I remember the air in San Xia is sometimes bad from December to mid-January because the sky is grey. Moreover, my classmates can also sense poor air quality. I directly associate air pollution with China’s haze because the news about how it affects Taiwan is reported frequently these days.”
Another exchange student from Mainland China who studied at Fu Jen University said “due to Beijing 2008 Olympics, some U.S. professionals came to China and proved that the country was covered with haze rather than fog. Since then, Chinese people have started the fight against the hazardous air. For instance, I am used to checking the air quality index every day, even though I am in Taiwan now. However, I actually feel Xinzhuang’s air quality is also poor during late December. What’s more, wearing a face mask is also important. In China, I would choose the one that fits my face shape, which could block the dirty air effectively and some people choose to buy air purifiers.”
In addition, another student who studies in Hualien and went to Kaohsiung in January said “Kaohsiung’s air quality is poor. The sky looks so grey and I think haze from China is definitely one of the reasons. However, exhaust emissions from ships in the Port of Kaohsiung and vehicles on the roads are also culprits. Compared to Kaohsiung, Hualien’s air is fresher because there are many mountains and the sea.”
To cope with haze coming from China, Environmental Protection Administration Executive Yuan R.O.C. (Taiwan) (行政院環境保護署) has decided to substitute natural gas and diesel for heavy crude oil as the fuels for boilers. What’s more, the number of trucks and motorcycles on the road should be controlled. Furthermore, some people propose changing the customs in Taiwan as also one of the ways to reduce air pollution. That is, traditional Taiwanese burn incense or paper money when they worship because they think only through this way can gods feel their piety. Yet, emissions caused by these practices are harmful to the environment. Hence, the government tries to use television commercials to make citizens realize there are other ways to show their piety except for burning incense or paper money.
The Chinese government has also enacted some laws to fight against air pollution. For example, on 1 September 2015, the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council P. R. China (国务院法制办公室) issued an announcement that amendments to the Air Pollution Control Law had passed on 29 August 2015. The amendments require the government, mayors, and citizens to work together. For instance, one part of the law indicates that the government can ask any mayor who fails to make his or her city attain the standards of good air quality to make plans to improve the situation and requires these plans to be carried out before the deadline that the Ministry of Environmental Protection of the People’s Republic of China (中華人民共和國環境保護部) sets.
There is no denying that China still has a long way to go to solve its air pollution crisis and Taiwan, which is partly affected by China, also suffers from this problem. Fortunately, the governments and citizens have already noticed this serious issue and are using some countermeasures ensure to a healthy environment.
According to an announcement made by the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau (北京市还境保护局), Beijing issued a red alert on air pollution from 16 December 2016 to 21 December 2016 and limited the number of vehicles on the road, such as gravel trucks. In addition, the construction industry was forced to stop tearing down buildings or painting them.
The Chinese government takes air pollution seriously because the toxic air which blankets China has claimed many people’s lives. A study conducted by Berkeley Earth shows how bad China’s air was from April 2014 to August 2015. It claims that air pollution in China “kills [almost] 4000 people every day.” The poisonous emissions from factories are the main reasons for this pollution because coal is used for fueling manufacturing. In Handan, a city located in the southwestern part of Hebei Province, it is also one of the places in China with the worst air pollution. This city is famous for its abundant coal as well as iron ore reserves and these resources allow for heavy industry to develop prosperously in Handan; however, the pollution it brings also poses a threat to the inhabitants’ health.
Taiwan is also affected by toxic air from China. On 21 December 2016, the sky in Tamsui was grey owing to China’s haze. What’s more, on 6 February 2017, the Chief of the Central Weather Bureau (交通部中央氣象局) Cheng Ming-dean (鄭明典) posted a message about Taiwan’s poor air quality on Facebook. He said “it is clear that today’s weather in Taiwan is affected by China’s haze and February and March are the months which will be most affected by it.”
In fact, many Taiwanese have started noticing that the air in Taiwan has become increasingly bad. A student from National Taipei University San Xia campus said “I remember the air in San Xia is sometimes bad from December to mid-January because the sky is grey. Moreover, my classmates can also sense poor air quality. I directly associate air pollution with China’s haze because the news about how it affects Taiwan is reported frequently these days.”
Another exchange student from Mainland China who studied at Fu Jen University said “due to Beijing 2008 Olympics, some U.S. professionals came to China and proved that the country was covered with haze rather than fog. Since then, Chinese people have started the fight against the hazardous air. For instance, I am used to checking the air quality index every day, even though I am in Taiwan now. However, I actually feel Xinzhuang’s air quality is also poor during late December. What’s more, wearing a face mask is also important. In China, I would choose the one that fits my face shape, which could block the dirty air effectively and some people choose to buy air purifiers.”
In addition, another student who studies in Hualien and went to Kaohsiung in January said “Kaohsiung’s air quality is poor. The sky looks so grey and I think haze from China is definitely one of the reasons. However, exhaust emissions from ships in the Port of Kaohsiung and vehicles on the roads are also culprits. Compared to Kaohsiung, Hualien’s air is fresher because there are many mountains and the sea.”
To cope with haze coming from China, Environmental Protection Administration Executive Yuan R.O.C. (Taiwan) (行政院環境保護署) has decided to substitute natural gas and diesel for heavy crude oil as the fuels for boilers. What’s more, the number of trucks and motorcycles on the road should be controlled. Furthermore, some people propose changing the customs in Taiwan as also one of the ways to reduce air pollution. That is, traditional Taiwanese burn incense or paper money when they worship because they think only through this way can gods feel their piety. Yet, emissions caused by these practices are harmful to the environment. Hence, the government tries to use television commercials to make citizens realize there are other ways to show their piety except for burning incense or paper money.
The Chinese government has also enacted some laws to fight against air pollution. For example, on 1 September 2015, the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council P. R. China (国务院法制办公室) issued an announcement that amendments to the Air Pollution Control Law had passed on 29 August 2015. The amendments require the government, mayors, and citizens to work together. For instance, one part of the law indicates that the government can ask any mayor who fails to make his or her city attain the standards of good air quality to make plans to improve the situation and requires these plans to be carried out before the deadline that the Ministry of Environmental Protection of the People’s Republic of China (中華人民共和國環境保護部) sets.
There is no denying that China still has a long way to go to solve its air pollution crisis and Taiwan, which is partly affected by China, also suffers from this problem. Fortunately, the governments and citizens have already noticed this serious issue and are using some countermeasures ensure to a healthy environment.