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Tyler Bowen

Mr. Phillips

Honors English III

8 May 2017

Air Pollution is Chinas Real Enemy

All around the world, people are blind to the harm they are doing to the

Earth. Air pollution continues to worsen as more peoples lifestyles are directed

towards fossil fuel use, and companies wanting to save money by using fossil

fuels. China is caught in this dilemma. China is considered one of the most

rapidly growing nations in the world, but is also the leading emitter of Sulfur

Dioxide, Carbon Dioxide, and many more harmful chemicals formed from burning

fossil fuels. Smog rolls into cities silently and covers the area in a thick grey

blanket. Schools, Roads, and Airports all shut down because it is to dangerous

to walk outside and breath in the deadly air. The Chinese government struggles

to invoke laws to regulate the amount of dangerous chemicals being emitted into

the air. Because the government struggles to regulate air pollution, it has

crucially hurt the Chinese people and economy as a whole.

The Chinese middle class are fed up with the poor air quality they have

been living in. The people are protesting and making their voices heard in many

ways. In Tianfu Square, Chengdu, protesters placed face masks on statues

trying to send a message to the Chinese government, Let me breathe(Haas).

The people have been trying to use the media to gather up supporters to help

their cause. But the only problem is, the government is restricting their access to
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using media sources to raise awareness. China has restricted their people from

putting out propaganda of any kind to the public. They have cut off social media

sites, TV channels, and have even stopped business from selling flyers and

posters. Lan Yanfei, an active anti-pollution supporter and mother says, How

are we going to clean up the pollution, when we are not even allowed to talk

about it? (Kuhn) The chinese government has muted the voices of many, and

has cut off anyone trying to stir the society about the worsening pollution. Many

people including Lan Yanfei have moved away from Beijing, one of Chinas most

polluted cities, in seek of better air quality. The families are worried about their

children's health, our children come first says Lan Yanfei. The Chinese

government hear their peoples cries, according to Wu Qiang, an independent

middle class analyst, We can see that the government is very nervous about the

smog and the rising power of the middle class. Chinas middle class has made

a huge impact with their words and actions. They want a safer and healthier

environment for their children.

Air pollution can cause someone to develop respiratory and life

threatening diseases. Air pollution can hurt our body physically, according to the

World Health Organization, more than 92% of the world's population is breathing

polluted air . Toxic environments are responsible for 1 out of 4 deaths worldwide

(Mercola). As a result of the poor air quality, more and more people are

developing Asthma, Bronchitis, and are even more likely to have heart attacks.

Not only does air pollution affect our physical stature, it really takes a huge

impact in a person's mental and emotional health. In fact, studies have shown
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that worsening air quality is a key factor in reduced happiness. It also states that

air pollution is a major factor in depressive symptoms, and the psychological

costs of air pollution are well underestimated (Meyer). Not only does air pollution

affect the emotional state of someone, it also impacts the ability to work

efficiently. This is decreasing the amount of output for businesses and causing

the economy to fall.

Chinese businesses and industries have caused Chinas expanding

economy to rise in global status in the last couple of years, for the most part.

They are also one of the main sources of air pollution in the country. On April 22,

2017, over 2800 businesses were found guilty of violating air pollution standards

(IANS). Industries have overheard the government proposing to cut off funding

for coal-fired plants, so industries take advantage of these opportunities by

producing as much coal as they can to increase their profit, but don't realize all

the bad in doing it (Miner). The power of money is destroying Chinas air quality.

It seems that when the economy improves, the air quality is terrible, and when

the economy is suffering, the air quality is better. China is trapped in this endless

conflict of air quality vs. economy (Grigg). Every time the Chinese government

sets forth a new law or regulation, its economy folds and takes a hit. But, there is

hope for the War on Pollution.

China is finding new renewable energy sources that include wind power,

solar power, and many more, and applying it to their everyday lives. China is

switching from gas cars to more efficient and cleaner sources. According to

Trevor Worthington, vice president of product development for Ford Motor Co. in
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Shanghai, China has been pushing very aggressively to move to a greater mix

of electrified vehicles. Studies have shown that electric car sales have

increased 87% just this year, the most it has ever been (Schmitz). China is on

the road to cleaner and safer air. China is even putting more pollution laws and

regulations into place, and being more strict when inspecting businesses and

industries. Even though China is the number one leading polluter, their pollution

rates are dropping and continues to drop.

The Chinese government has to be stricter when it invokes new

regulations on pollution. More people continue to violate these environmental

laws and it isn't helping Chinas air quality. Businesses need to understand the

harm they doing to their people, and air when they continue to burn fossil fuels

for profit. Without proper inspection, industries will continue to illegally burn fossil

fuels and emit toxic chemicals into the air. The Chinese economy must be able

to take risks if they want to better their air quality standards. With this, China has

to be able to switch to more eco-friendly options such as driving electric cars and

using natural resources for power. China is definitely on the road to cleaner and

safer air quality standards, they just need to enforce more change and be willing

to try new things.

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Works Cited

Grigg, Angus. China's Air Pollution Worsens as Economy Improves. AFR, 17

Apr2017. Accessed 24 Apr. 2017.

Haas, Benjamin. China Riot Police Seal off City Centre after Smog Protesters

PutMasks on Statues. Https://Www.theguardian.com, 21 Dec. 2017.

Accessed 27 Apr.2017.

IANS. Over 2,800 Companies Breaking Air Pollution Rules in China. News 18,

22 Apr.2017.Accessed 23 Apr. 2017.

Kuhn, Anthony. For Some In China's Middle Class, Pollution Is Spurring Action.

NPR. 2 Mar.2017. Accessed 23 Apr. 2017.

Mercola, Joseph. 92 Percent of the World Population Breathes Polluted Air.

Http://Articles.mercola.com, 12 Oct. 2016. Accessed 27 Apr. 2017.

Meyer, Denise L. Bad Air Contributing to Poor Mental Health and Being

Unhappy, Study Finds.Yale, 24 Apr. 2017. Accessed 25 Apr. 2017.

Miner, Metal AG. Are Chinas Ambitions To Combat Pollution Hurting Its

Economy?OilPrice.com,21 Apr. 2017. Accessed 25 Apr. 2017.

Schmitz, Rob. China Moves To Increase Number Of Electric Vehicles On Its

Roads.NPR.org, 25.Apr. 2017. Accessed 27 Apr. 2017