China is among the most successful emerging markets due to a boom in factories and industrial growth. The country has quickly become a manufacturing hub, making China the largest exporter and trading nation in the world. However, China is also the worst carbon dioxide emitter and polluter, with a multitude of smog filled cities. While industrialization has helped China attain a strong economy, it has caused an increase in the amount of pollution and toxic chemicals released into the air, ultimately taking a toll on the environment, health, government and overall well being of the population.
The rapid industrialization of China has created a pollution crisis due to many factors such as lenient government regulations, a heavy reliance on coal, …show more content…
Pollution in China is particularly dangerous due to the tiny size of the pollutants which measure PM 2.5 on the air quality index scale, and can easily make their way into the lungs, causing asthma, stokes, lung disease, and heart attacks (Levin). The pollutants are 1/20 the size of what is deemed safe to breathe, and these tiny particles are responsible for around 2.1 million deaths in 2010 according to the Global Burden of Disease study (Moore). In addition to breathing the air, contaminants also travel into the bloodstream through polluted water and soil used for agriculture. Even before pollution became an issue, China was low on its water resources. However, the pollution only made it worse, and a recent study revealed, “the water [is] too polluted for use in agriculture and only half the water sources in urban areas are fit to drink.” (Economist). The toxins are contaminating the scarce resources China had to begin with, creating a shortage of safe food and water. Han is a resident of China’s most polluted city, Handan, who started an organic farm in the mountains because he realized, “People don’t trust the vegetables they buy in the city. They feel that they’re poisoned.” (Johnson). As people like Han begin to learn about the health risks of food grown in polluted areas, they set out to find healthier
The rapid industrialization of China has created a pollution crisis due to many factors such as lenient government regulations, a heavy reliance on coal, …show more content…
Pollution in China is particularly dangerous due to the tiny size of the pollutants which measure PM 2.5 on the air quality index scale, and can easily make their way into the lungs, causing asthma, stokes, lung disease, and heart attacks (Levin). The pollutants are 1/20 the size of what is deemed safe to breathe, and these tiny particles are responsible for around 2.1 million deaths in 2010 according to the Global Burden of Disease study (Moore). In addition to breathing the air, contaminants also travel into the bloodstream through polluted water and soil used for agriculture. Even before pollution became an issue, China was low on its water resources. However, the pollution only made it worse, and a recent study revealed, “the water [is] too polluted for use in agriculture and only half the water sources in urban areas are fit to drink.” (Economist). The toxins are contaminating the scarce resources China had to begin with, creating a shortage of safe food and water. Han is a resident of China’s most polluted city, Handan, who started an organic farm in the mountains because he realized, “People don’t trust the vegetables they buy in the city. They feel that they’re poisoned.” (Johnson). As people like Han begin to learn about the health risks of food grown in polluted areas, they set out to find healthier