Air Pollution in China
U.S. Ambassador to China, Gary Locke, recently resigned without giving a definitive reason why. This has led to much speculation that it was due to the ongoing air pollution conflict in Beijing. A heavy build-up of smog has covered the city, and people are taking note of it. Air pollution is negatively affecting Chinese cities by decreasing the health of the people, tourism rates, and the Chinese economy.
According to the South China Morning Post, a 9 year old girl has been diagnosed with lung cancer. Doctors say that the cause of this is linked with “environmental factors.” She is apparently the youngest recorded lung cancer patient in history. There are many other cases of illness, aside from this one, relating to air pollution and it truly is tragic.
An article in The Daily Telegraph stated that the number of tourists in Beijing during the first six months of 2013 have decreased 15% compared to the first six months of 2012. There was an image in the Wall Street Journal showing a tourist at Tiananmen Square wearing a mask in efforts to avoid inhaling the pollution in the air. This is a very disappointing fact, and it shows that something has to be done because the smog has really been turning people off.
China is the third most visited country in the world, and decrease in tourism numbers really hits the economy pretty hard. Also, the increasing, vital necessity for healthcare from pollution-related cases has a strong economic effect. A study done by MIT says that air pollution has cost the economy $112 billion in 2005. It is assumed that the number will be even higher for 2013.
Air pollution has really affected China in a very negative manner. A solution must be resolved to bring an end to this ongoing crisis. For the sake of the residents, I do hope that steps are taken to improve the environment in China.