Abstract
The environmental issues have grown to be extremely urgent in Beijing, as the levels of air pollution are high, while the government works to implement the policies to combat the problem. The current situation with smog and high air quality indexes are the results of the decades of industrialization and urbanization and are directly dependent on the city’s demographics, geography and peculiarities of development. Air pollution in Beijing may have serious effects on the population and environment, as it can drastically affect health, increase morbidity and mortality rates and have social and economic implications for the future of the city’s development. The urgent action is required to decrease the levels of air pollution. The local authorities work on the issue, and the new policies are introduced. There are several ways to improve the environmental conditions that include reduction of coal consumption, the reliance on alternative sources of energy, the taxation of drivers and promotion of public transport, as well as introduction of forests in the area and reduction of industrial emissions. Such measures may be the solution of Beijing environmental issue. In the comparison with Beijing, Davis is environment-friendly city with low level of pollution that does not face the serious problems of Beijing.
The issue of pollution in Beijing during the last decades has remained a topical issue, while the situation was constantly aggravating. The levels of pollution are extremely high in the urbanized and industrialized capital, and it drastically affects the quality of life of the residents and may lead to even more serious consequences for future generations. While I was living in the city with my family, my life was also affected by air pollution and the smog covering the city. However now I have moved to Davis in California, where the impact of pollution on the environment is quite moderate. The environmental issue of pollution in Beijing has indisputably negative effect on the lives of its residents, and the action should be taken to change the situation as soon as possible.
The situation with pollution in Beijing has been created by the effects of urbanization, demographics and geographic position and as a result is very harmful to the environment in both short and long-term perspectives. With the high levels of population the energy consumption increased, especially coal consumption that releases extensive amounts of pollutants in the atmosphere, such as “particulate matter (PM), sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and carbon monoxide” (Chen, Wang, Xiao, Wu and Zhang 1244). The levels of pollution continue rising, while policies are introduced to control the process. Recently, in December, 2015, the authorities had to issue second Red Alert in a month, because of the smog, as “with an air quality index (AQI) of over 250, more than twenty times the level recommended by the World Health Organization, the city was shrouded in thick sepia-toned air” (Yu). The schools were suddenly closed for a couple of days, and people were advised not to leave their homes, as the AQI of over 250 may be very hazardous.
Among the prevalent short-terms effects are lung and heart diseases, as these are two body’s systems that are immediately affected by the polluted air breathing. Secondly, air pollution increases morbidity and mortality levels, and the most vulnerable parts of population are affected in this realm: children and older adults. Pregnant women are also at risk, which may lead to the long-term consequences of decreased birth rates. The level of health decreases, so the productivity is affected; therefore, it influences the economic development of the country. What is more, the lifestyle is changing, as people should avoid spending time outdoors, and rather stay at home because of the smog. The pollution levels in Beijing are very harmful to population and environment, so the authorities have to take urgent action to decrease its impact.
The future solutions to Beijing’s environmental issue include reduction of coal consumption, introducing more green areas in the city and the use of alternative sources of energy. The local authorities have already started creating laws and implement different policies, such as “restrictions on vehicle and industrial emissions and carbon trading” (Schipani 76). Despite the difficulties the urgent action is required. The first thing to do is to reduce the coal consumption and increase the use of alternative sources of energy. There are strong winds in the area, so the wind energy is one of the possible sources. Another option is to decrease the amount of exhaust fumes and it may be done with the help of drivers’ taxation. If driving in the city was extensively limited, and the prices were increased, people would resort to public transportation and the pollution in the city would be substantially reduced. It is also important to make the city greener, as the current situation with urban area is not satisfactory, and “analyses of satellite images show that there are 2.4 million trees in the central part of Beijing” (Schipani 79). Such conditions are poor for such a big city as Beijing, and the change would benefit the capital’s environment.
Comparing to Beijing, the life in Davis, CA, is not hindered by air pollution, as its levels are considerably lower. I have moved here from Beijing and my lifestyle in terms of relations with the environment has improved greatly. The size of the city and its population stimulates the protection of the healthy environment. The city is not industrialized and for that reason here I do not face the problems my family and I faced in China. To be more specific, while in Beijing AQI is very high, in Davis it fluctuates around 50, which is between low and moderate levels of pollution (World Air Quality). Such numbers are very low in comparison with other cities in the United States. All in all, the example of Beijing shows what harmful consequences the environment and people may face in case of high pollution levels and what solutions may be implemented to change the situation.
Works Cited
Chen, Wei, Wang, Fusheng, Xiao, Guofeng, Wu, Kai and Shixuan Zhang. “Air Quality of Beijing and Impacts of the New Ambient Air Quality Standard” Atmosphere 6 (2015): 1243-1258. Web.
Schipani, Samantha. “The Red Zone: Why Beijing’s Air Pollution Crisis is More Complicated than You Think” Consilience: The Journal of Sustainable Development 12.1 (2014): 76–81. Web.
World Air Quality. “Davis-UCD Campus, Yolo, California Air Pollution: Real-time Air Quality Index (AQI)” aqicn.org, 8 Mar 2016. Web.
Yu, Katrina. “China Red Alert Warns of Air Pollution Danger” Aljazeera.com 5 Jan 2016. Web.
