The battle against smog

It's true that Chinese concern more about air quality now. Before my family members are going outside, they already get used to checking air quality by apps. When I walk on the street in my hometown, I can see lots of people masking their noses and mouths. They are walking fast which seems like they want to escape the dusty city. There are a lot of photos show the smog in China. Possibly a large number of them are taken in Beijing which could be the worst smog place in China. In my hometown, around 700km distant from Beijing. It is not quite severe as the situation in the capital but clear blue sky do become a luxury to me.

According to professor Chai Fahe, a researcher with the Chinese research academy of environmental sciences, the biggest factor contributing to China’s smoggy condition is the burning of coal. The worst places are almost northern cities like Beijing, Hebei and Tianjin. Theses cities are the most developed regions and some urban communities and rural families in those regions also rely on coal for heating. Car and truck pollution is also estimated to be responsible for China’s smog. The vehicle ownership had reached 279 million in 2015. There are 40 cities that have car ownership of more than 1 million and in 11 cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Tianjin, car ownership exceeds 2 million.

In order to battle the smog, government does take measures. Large-scale wind farms are set up to reduce the reliance on coal-fired power plants. The number of polluting cars are controlled, even in Beijing, the restriction is based on the last digit on the license plate. Vehicles with the last plate digit of one number have to be off the road on one day of a week. In my view, the measures are not enough to beat the smog or it still takes a long time to improve the smoggy condition. Based on these measures, we can realize that most of the personal and corporate interests are involved. If people are willing to reduce the times of driving private cars to their workplaces that several kilometers away? If the companies working in the coal industry are willing to restructure and cut down their present sources of income? Raising the awareness of sustainable development and environmental protection in a developing country may not as easy as it seems. But my real wish is that my country can counter its smog problem by all countrymen’s efforts.

Source:

http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2056366/what-exactly-causing-chinas-toxic-smog

https://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/8567-Beijing-s-car-controls-not-enough-to-beat-the-smog

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/business/motoring/2016-01/26/content_23253925.htm

Image:

http://uk.businessinsider.com/r-china-smog-triggers-demand-for-masks-filters-but-hobbles-deliveries-2016-12?r=US&IR=T