What is the main cause of air pollution in China?
China’s air pollution is primarily caused by the burning of coal in factories and power plants. In addition, the usage of vehicles in China has an effect on air pollution as well. China is heavily populated and therefore, has many drivers who are all putting a lot of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. China is also the largest coal consumer in the world, accounting for nearly 49% of the world’s total coal. The next largest, the United States, consumes 11% of the world’s total. The significant uses of coal are in electricity generation and liquid fuel. Because coal is widely used and is currently very accessible there, many factories in China use this dangerous resource.
Why is air pollution bad?
Did you know that air pollution causes 4,400 deaths a day? Approximately 1.6 million people die every year in China due to health issues caused by the polluted air. The health effects caused by air pollution may include difficulty in breathing, coughing, asthma and worsening of existing respiratory and cardiac conditions. The most common sources of air pollution include particulates, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide.
Photographed to the right, a man walking down the streets of Beijing, wearing a mask to help prevent polluted air from affecting him.
How will China overcome this problem?
Beijing is one of the worlds most air-polluted cities but, over the past few years, this city has made a titanic effort to reduce concentrations of air pollution. Between 2013 and 2018, Beijing had to reduce their coal consumption by 50%. As one can see, China is striving to make a change.
Check these sources out below!
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/18/world/asia/china-coal-health-smog-pollution.html
https://chinapower.csis.org/air-quality/
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/air-pollution-china-deaths_us_55cd9a62e4b0ab468d9cefa9
http://time.com/4167351/beijing-air-quality-pollution/
https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2018/01/25/how-china-cut-its-air-pollution
Great article Blake! I had no idea that China was the world’s largest coal consumer. I also didn’t know that over 1.6 million people die each year with health problems related to pollution. I hope that our country will soon follow China’s example and actually make an effort in reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the air. Keep up the good work!
Awesome second article Blake and so glad that you have joined our team! It’s very unfortunate that China has this problem. On the bright side, China has been making very large steps in the production of solar panels. I actually wrote an article on this subject that will be published tomorrow so definitely check it out! Anyway, I really hope that steps to reduce air pollution grow exponentially because the situation is definitely becoming very dangerous. Thank you for sharing!
Amazing article Blake! You included a lot of detail about pollution and the problems China is facing. Great job choosing relevant photographs as well! I didn’t know that China was the world’s largest coal consumer. I hope other nations arounds the world adopt China’s lead and help with saving our world’s environment before it’s too late. Keep up the great work!!
Outstanding article Blake! This article really makes you open your eyes and see that pollution is something that is very serious. I had no idea that air pollution alone causes 4,400 deaths a day. Not only that, but I didn’t know that about 1.6 million people die every year in China due to health problems caused by air pollution. It is very nice to see that Beijing reduced their coal consumption by 50%. I hope we can get rid of pollution before it is too late.
I remember first landin in Beijing when I thought it was just a cloudy day. I later found out that this is what most days in China looked like because what I thought was fog was actually smog from the coal burning generators in buildings. A few days after it rained which cleared the smog up for a while. I experienced what it looked like with and without smog. I can strongly say that the city seemed a lot nicer without the smog.
我回中国的时候，雾霾仍然那么严重。虽然看起来跟阴天没什么区别，但是每天都看不到太阳让人的心情也会很郁闷。去年我在中国待了一个月，那时候每天就盼着自己早点回美国。回美国下飞机的时候看到的蓝天白云让我瞬间就开心起来了。所以我希望中国有一天也能拥有永久的蓝天白云。
Nice article, Blake! I love how you included details about the pollution probelms in China. I did not know that China was the world’s largest coal consumer and that over a million people die every year due to the impacts of pollution. I also like how you added in pictures because it was a great visual of how the situation is in China.
我住在南方，雾霾相对没那么严重，但是有的时候也会遇到空气不好。北方的发达城市大多是有很多的工厂和汽车，所以排放的废气很多。北方冬天比较冷，也需要燃烧煤炭来保温，所以也会有空气污染。我觉得我们应该保护好我们的空气。如果以后不加控制，后悔的会是所有人。
Thanks for writing this article. It is crazy to see how much influence China has in the coal industry, as well as how large of a consumer they are of coal. When I went on the exchange trip to China, I remember my friend wearing a mask; I asked him why he was wearing it and he said look at the sky, its so polluted. When we first arrived in Beijing, I though that it had just been cloudy outside, I never realized that all the grey in the sky was to do the pollution in Beijing. In addition, when we went to Xi’an for the exchange part of the program, we had one main presentation, as well as several small meetings on the environment within China. One major discussion that we had was the negative effects of coal on China’s environment. It was not until we landed in Xi’an and passed by a huge coal plant that I truly realized how big of a problem coal and pollution are for China. I hope that the Chinese government is taking big strides to help fix this problem and make China a much cleaner place to live in the upcoming years and future generations.
写的很棒。作为一个北京人，我感同身受。环境本身是有自净能力的，当受到污染后，在物理化学作用下，环境可以消除污染物以达到自我净化的目的，当污染物超过环境自净能力之后，过量的汽车尾气，烧的的煤炭，进入空气中，就形成了雾霾。北京在蒙古高原的风口上，往往会出现沙尘暴等情况，周围地区树木覆盖率小加上工业化污染和城市化污染，以及六环周围垃圾处理不周，就造成北京如此严重的雾霾。有的时候五米以外都看不见人，发生危险的可能性非常高。研究表明暴露在这种环境下的人患肺癌等疾病的概率高。所以我认为我们应该爱护环境，人们应该更加重视环境污染问题，不只是远传呼吁其他人保护环境，自己也要做到垃圾分类，出门少开车这种保护环境的行动。
我小的时候会经常感冒，原因就在于空气污染太严重。有时晚上睡觉的时候都能被工厂里排放的氨酸给熏醒。不过近几年来空气比以前好多了。
I remember when I was in China two years ago, the skies in Beijing were gray nearly every day due to the pollution. There was one day where the sky was clear, and I was actually surprised. Considering the large population of China, it is hard to see how pollution could not be a problem. It is upsetting to read how badly it’s affecting people’s lives, leading to disease and even death. However, I’m glad to see that the city is taking steps to stop the pollution, and I hope this major issue can be solved in the coming years.
I have heard of this before as there is so much pollution there, you can’t see the sky. I find it somewhat reasonable that there is so much pollution because of the mass population. This thus causes an increase in the amount of pollution. Although, this is still bad for the environment and for the people who live there. This should be a problem that is addressed immediately and i hope that the skies will be clear one day.
Wow! I had no idea that China was the world’s largest coal consumer. But it is not surprising with that much pollution that 1.6 million people will be experiencing the consequences. It’s a shame that all the pollution covers the sky. It’s also comforting to know that China is adopting efforts to curb the pollution problem. It might take a lot of time, but at least it is a start.
Amazing article! I thought that is very interesting because Chinese people don’t even use coal anymore, but there’s still air pollution going all around China. Now I understand why because the significant uses of coal are in electricity generation and liquid fuel. And that it is super shocking that air pollution causes 4,400 deaths a day. Approximately 1.6 million people die every year in China due to health issues caused by the polluted air. And that China should try to overcome this problem as soon as possible to reduce the number of possible death caused by air pollution in the future. Great article, taught me a lot about air pollution, and the seriousness about it.
Wonderful article, Blake! Everyone knows that pollution is a problem in China. However, it appears that no one really knows the specific reasons why. Most people chalk it up as just an irresponsible industrial nation, but your article brings some of the critical specifics to light. Your inclusion of a possible solution shows that China has realized their mistake and is taking action to rectify the situation. Hopefully this period in China’s history will pass soon! Welcome to The Daily China team, Blake!
Great article! I never knew that China is the world largest coal consumer. Most of the pollution in caused by factories and power plants. It’s crazy that 1.6 million people die every year in China due to health issues caused by pollution. It’s great to see that Beijing is trying to make a change.
Ugghhh… it was very unfortunate when China starts to use more and more pollution. Most pollution is caused by too many factories and coal power plants. Pollution not only obscures our views of nature, but can also lead us to death by chemicals. More plants should use solar power instead of coal. If pollution continues, many of China’s endangered animals will also disappear.
What a great article. I never thought that pollution could have ever killed that many people in one country. 1.6 MILLION PEOPLE, that is just crazy to think about. Now I understand why because the significant uses of coal are in electricity generation and liquid fuel. I hope that the pollution will go down so that people will not die in this weird way.
我住在南方，那里的空气还不错，雾霾也没有那么严重，现在在中国的很多地方雾霾都很严重，我认为现在地球排放汽车尾气和工业污染什么的都很严重，虽然人类有重视但是也一直没有采取行动。
WOW! This article was so informative yet sad. It’s crazy to think that air pollution causes 4,400 deaths a day and kills 1.6 million people die yearly just in China! Hearing this, there must be change! China must cut down from its use of 49% of the world’s total coal, as well as the United States from its consumption of 11% of the world’s total. Thanks for informing me about this tremendous problem!
I used to actually live in China, and the area where I lived wasn’t polluted, but I hear stories about it all the time and never went to the places with bad pollution such as Beijing or Shanghai. It is very interesting to see that China is finally rising to slow down the emissions of greenhouse gases and make the lives of people who live there much better. I think China will pull through and lower their carbon emission. Great article!
中国的雾霾非常严重，尤其是冬天的时候，很多时候可见度很低。两年前我还在中国上学的时候，在一次期末考试之前我的那座城市宣布“放假两天”因为雾霾太严重。PM2.5进入人体的时候会给肺部带来非常不好的伤害。所以中国在冬天，大家都戴口罩出门。我记得以前在中国的时候体育老师给我们看过一个视频“PM2.5进入你的鼻子，通过一层层阻碍进入一个人的肺部”然后那个人的肺部就会一点点的出现问题。中国这几年也有在做一些改变雾霾的政策，比如“限号”每天都有两个车牌尾号不同的车不能驾驶。
I’ve been to Shanghai, and the air quality is pretty bad there. I haven’t experienced a day in Shanghai where I could see the sun. Although this might seem like an oriental reality, it may soon reach our doorsteps if we don’t do anything about climate change. We’ve already seen how devastating it is in China, if approximately 1.6 million people die every year in China due to health issues caused by the polluted air! Hopefully governments all around the world can work to fix this crisis before it gets out of hand.
Over the past few years, I have been to China multiple times for vacation. While in China, the problem of air pollution is very apparent. On the worst days, gray skies and smog make it difficult to see. Coming back to America was like a breath of fresh air. It is good that China is making effort towards the fight on pollution. Great work and thanks for sharing.
Great article, climate change will be the single biggest issue with the world and if something drastic is not done, than we will have to suffer the consequences. Coal and fossil fuels are limited resources and will eventually run out. The progression to solar panels and clean energy have been a major step forwards in China, and hopefully the US will follow.
It’s good that China is making such an effort to solve its pollution problem, but even with this, other countries will still need to act. And the people of China needlessly suffer because of the pollution, especially considering how grey the sky can become. It’s also good that China is starting to subsidize solar panels, as this will allow for more rapid expansion. Hopefully other countries will follow.
Nice article, Blake! This was a very informative article on pollution problems in China. I’ve heard about the serious and deadly consequences that China, along with the rest of the world, is facing now due to the use of these fossil fuels. Given the size of China’s population, I’m glad to hear that steps are being taken to reduce the amount of pollution so that it won’t affect the people of China. It’s crazy to think that 1.6 million people die each year because of this. Hopefully, everyone can start paying more attention to our environment.
super informative article ! i found it really interesting on how i never knew china consumed 49% of the worlds total coal resources.
i also find it saddening how due to the coal usage ;air pollution and other types of pollution are being produced by many factories all across china.
the pictures provided were excellent in depicting the effect pollution has on people.
It is very sad that China is the largest coal consumer in the world. Meaning that China is a big country of air pollution. I can’t believe how harmful air pollution can be until after this article. It’s hard to believe it causes 4,400 deaths every single day. The China community must do something to reduce the air pollution before the number of deaths per day increases.
Great Article! Over the past few years, I went to China, I have experienced the air quality there was atrocious. On some days the gray skies and smog make it difficult to see. The difference between China’s air and America’s is night and day. It is good that China is making effort towards the fight on pollution. Great work!
This was a very informative article. The pictures were a nice visual aid. It’s surprising that 1.6 million people die per year due to air pollution alone, I learned that China almost half of the world’s coal, which contributes greatly to their polluted environment. Hopefully, they’re improving and pollution will eventually decrease.
Great article, Blake! I learned so much from reading this article! For example, I didn’t know that pollution causes 4,400 deaths a day. I also learned that the burnin god coal in factories and driving is the reason for all this pollution in China. Thanks for sharing and I can’t wait to read more of your articles!
Great article! I agree that the pollution problem in China are big issue, but I had no idea that coal was the main culprit. When I went to China, I saw massive smokestacks pumping smoke into the already-polluted sky, and I barely was able to see the sun. However, the Xi’an Middle School is doing amazing work to reduce the pollution threat. Through petitioning the Xi’an government, they were able to help clean up Xi’an’s river. It sounds like this situation is dire since 4,400 people die everyday due to air pollution related health problems. I, too, noticed that I often had a dry mouth after spending time outside when I was in China. Hopefully through renewed efforts to reduce pollution, China can set a good example for the rest of the world. Keep up the good work!
This is so crazy! I am so surprised by the fact that air pollution causes that many deaths in China! Obviously, there has to be some changes in China to accommodate to this situation. I remember when I was China, I saw so many people wearing masks. At first, I didn’t understand how much of an impact the mask had. Once I started getting itchy and feeling sick, I decided to also wear the mask. Surprisingly, that made me feel a lot better. I am so happy that China is striving to make a change, and that it is really changing their economy.
中国的环境污染其实没有国外说的那么严重. 每个城市都是不一样的. 没有说全中国都被雾霾笼罩着. 我生活的城市在中国的北方. 重工业比较多,所以导致了空气没有南方的好. 但我还睡很喜欢我的城市. 希望中国有一天可以有一个美好的环境. 变成世界上最强大的国家
中国的雾霾很严重，中国也采取了限号等措施。雾霾对人体的伤害非常大，尤其是对肺部，大部分人在冬天都会带口罩。工厂的污染对空气质量变坏的影响非常大，大量的废气从工厂排出。
Wow great article Blake. I was always aware that China has a high concentration of pollution but I was not mindful of the fact that it causes 4,400 deaths a day, that is crazy. It does make sense that this is such an epidemic because China is responsible for 44% of the world’s manufacturing. It is very important that China tries to reduce the air pollution and the efforts taken in order to lessen the deaths are imperative. I hope that there are more actions being taken in order to minimize air pollution although, I am very glad to hear that air pollution has gone down 50%. Thank you so much for this informing article.
Wow nice article. I knew how many factories China had and that it created pollution. I was not aware of how bad the pollution is. I was surprising to see how many people die a day from it. I am happy that China are starting movements to lessen the pollution.