The bad ecology of China: causes and consequences

Everyone knows that China is a country that is moving by leaps and bounds along the path of industrial growth. For a long time now the PRC has been called an "economic miracle", because over the past decades the country has been a leader in the production of steel, machinery and food products, and is also striving to become a world leader in the automotive industry. Of course, in this regard, the welfare of the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire is constantly growing, but here the ecology of China threatens to turn into a massive catastrophe for the whole planet. And every year the situation only worsens.

Ecological situation in China: general characteristics

The whole world has been watching for several years how rapidly the ecology in China is deteriorating. Photos that reveal the monstrous situation in cities and villages, just flooded the Internet. And it should be said that they force ecologists from around the world to sound the alarm and demand from China reliable information about their ecological situation.

The authorities of the country constantly keep silent the results of water, air and soil samples. Particularly acute is the problem with soil contamination and the immense consumption of groundwater. This leads to the fact that many large cities are emptied, threatening the sagging of buildings and entire streets. Scientists noted that the biggest funnel is located near Beijing. Many buildings went cracks and in the future they will start to fall apart gradually, this situation can no longer be corrected.

A large number of plants and factories that ensure China's economic growth, throw into the atmosphere tons of poisonous substances. In addition, it should be taken into account that practically all CHP plants operate on coal - the most harmful fuel for ecology. The country ranks first in the world for the consumption of this raw material, it is natural that the emissions of coal processing products enter the atmosphere and create a poisonous smog in the cities.

Environmental problems in China were hushed up for a long time, but now they have already acquired the scale of the catastrophe that affects the entire planet as a whole. Despite the fact that the country joined the Kyoto Protocol, which obliges to control harmful emissions into the atmosphere, the industrial power enjoys relief as a developing state. This leads to a worsening of the situation and the intensification of social tension within the country.

Environmental problems in China

Most often, large countries have some of the most serious environmental problems, but this can not be said about China. He has a whole set of difficulties that have long since emerged from the control of the authorities. And many party leaders of the country recognize that attempts to resolve the situation will stop China's industrial growth. This, in turn, will affect its economic development and its position on the world stage. But in any case, if China does not take any measures in the near future, a bad ecology, the reasons for which lie in the barbaric use of natural resources, will cause irreparable damage to the planet and significantly reduce the population of the country. Already, it suffers from a number of diseases caused by the deterioration of the ecological situation.

In general, we can identify a number of topical problems that require immediate resolution:

• air pollution;
• Soil poisoning;
• deforestation;
• Land degradation;
• Deterioration of water quality.

Of course, this list is just a superficial look at how the ecology of China looks. Therefore, we will try to make out key questions that will help us to get deeper into the essence of the problem.

Air Pollution: Causes

The level of air pollution is evidenced by the fact that for the Chinese themselves, the sixth level of air pollution in cities has become quite common (and it is critical). Sometimes Beijing and other megacities are shrouded in smog and fog for several days, and its inhabitants do not dare to take off their face masks. What is the cause of air pollution?

First of all, with the work of the CHP. The increase in production and urbanization of the country require more and more electricity, therefore, in the near future, it is planned to open up to five hundred new thermal power plants in the country. So, emissions into the atmosphere will intensify. Although the Chinese themselves do not know how to aggravate the situation. In addition, carbon dioxide, which is formed as a result of the burning of coal that is not subjected to special purification, makes a significant contribution to the enhancement of the greenhouse effect. Therefore, China occupies the first lines in the list of countries accelerating the melting of glaciers and the climate change on the planet.

Industrial pollution also contributes to air pollution. Many of them have low-quality cleaning systems, so more than fifty percent of harmful substances enter the atmosphere, which must be retained by filters. In conditions of economic growth, China will only increase the pace of industrial development, which in turn will lead to the construction of new factories, roads and cities.

Do not forget about the number of cars in the country's megacities. Why? In China, the environment is bad - it's a well-known fact, but few people understand that every year the rich population of cities is transplanted to cars that methodically poison the air in metropolitan areas. The authorities have been struggling with this problem for more than ten years. They limited the movement of cars on certain days of the week, promote cycling, reduce the cost of travel by subway. But, unfortunately, the environmental situation continues to deteriorate. For example, in the past year in the list of twenty of the dirtiest cities in the world fell sixteen Chinese settlements. Terrifying statistics, is not it?

The dirtiest city in the world - Linfen, China

The ecology of this place forces us to call it hell, and there is no greater punishment in the country than living in Linfeng. The population of the city is about one million people, most of them are employed in factories and plants, of which there are several dozen.

The fact is that the city is the center of the coal industry. In these territories, coal is mined and processed, and several industrial facilities that produce foodstuffs are built.

The horror of the situation in Linfeng can be felt at a glance at the city - it is always hidden by dense smog, in the city and beyond it there is not a single plant (even grass and weeds do not grow here), and tap water resembles engine oil in consistence and smell.

If there are cursed places on the planet, then it is incontrovertible to include Linfen.

Poisoning of rivers and other water bodies of China

A major environmental problem in the country is the deterioration of water quality. In recent years, this process has become incredible, affecting almost the whole of China. Ecology (poor drinking water and wastewater pollution) becomes a disaster for the whole country as a whole, and now there is no longer a person who would not be affected. After all, water is what everyone needs to exist and be healthy. In China, unfortunately, it is already impossible to find a clean pond.

Industrial enterprises discharge waste water directly into rivers and water areas of the seas. Water is contaminated with phenols, heavy metals, cyanide compounds, mercury and other poisonous substances. According to some reports, approximately seventy percent of the country's water reserves are completely polluted. And even underground reservoirs have been poisoned. It's terrible, but in many rivers water can not even be used to irrigate farmland.

In addition, in recent years, there has been a significant reduction in the country's water reserves. This is due to the active economic activity of man. After all, the number of plowed lands increases every year, where hundreds of tons of water are used to grow various crops. As a result, rivers and lakes are drying up rapidly, and underground reserves are being used for irrigation. Gradually, the country goes on watering fields from deepwater wells. As a result, China's ecology suffers even more.

Land degradation

In China, the process of desertification is rapidly proceeding. This is due to the fact that the forests are being actively cut down, and the liberated territories are used as pastures or agricultural fields. Now more than a third of the territories are occupied by pastures, this leads to the destruction of the vegetation cover and the disappearance of the fertile layer of the earth. The desert is gradually capturing China and now occupies a quarter of the territory. To date, a few dozen settlements have been captured by sand, and dust storms have become a common phenomenon even in Beijing.

Soil poisoning

In parallel with desertification, the soil is poisoned by fertilizers and other chemicals. In addition, many soils have become saline as a result of improper irrigation, and this has several times reduced the number of suitable land for agricultural activities.

All this against the backdrop of China's ever-increasing demand for foodstuffs leads to rather sad thoughts - soon the country will become dependent on food imports, which will significantly change the situation of forces in the world arena.

I would like to note that the government of the country carefully conceals research on the state of the land and does not publish them anywhere. This secrecy indicates that the situation may be several times worse than what appears to ecologists from Europe and Russia.

Consequences of bad ecology

The population of the Celestial Empire has long felt on itself what the bad ecology of China means. The causes and consequences of an unreasonable attitude towards nature are closely interrelated, which is why the people of the country suffer from serious health problems.

It is known that an increasing number of Chinese people fix diseases of the respiratory system, including chronic bronchitis and asthma. Quite common was and conjunctivitis, caused by acid rain and sand storms, bringing even to remote areas of the country smog and soot.

Annually in China from a poisonous smog dies more than seven hundred thousand inhabitants, and approximately sixty thousand Chinese suffer from poor-quality water, getting diseases of a gastrointestinal tract and kidneys.

The poor ecology of China has caused an increase in the number of cancer patients. According to WHO in the country from cancer every year, about one and a half million people die. And sometimes all the villagers are sick without exception. Seven years ago, about five hundred such settlements were identified, which they call "cancer villages".

Social tension in China

Not surprisingly, the environmental problems in the country, as well as their consequences, cause a negative assessment of society. More often in China, there are mass riots and clashes with law enforcement agencies. The people begin to protest against the construction of new factories, the dumping of waste into rivers where fish still live, and demands that urgent measures be taken to improve the ecological situation in the country.

For example, clashes with police in the cities of Dalian and Shifan lasted several days. People managed to calm down the people with great difficulty. Every year more and more young people come to the streets, demanding to stop pollution of the environment.

Of course, China admires its incredible economic growth. It literally supplies the whole world with cheap products and goods. It is proved that every third commodity in the world, falling on the shelves of stores, was made in the Middle Kingdom. But only the citizens of the country pay an immeasurably high price for this success.