For years China has been one of the most polluted countries in the world. Now China’s pollution problem is migrating to the U.S. and if no changes are made, this could cause serious havoc on American soil. Having relaxed in strict environmental policies, China’s pollution problem has completely spiralled out of control. Layers of smog decorate tall buildings and on many days, are thick enough to block out the sunlight.
China’s Pollution Problem Has Spread To Other Countries
For years it has been easy enough to turn a blind eye to the increasing pollution in China because they are far out of reach, across the Pacific Ocean. However, now it is impossible for the U.S.to ignore this as the terrible conditions in China are starting to threaten the quality of the U.S. air. According to a study published in Nature Geoscience, there has been an expansive increase in population, as well as rapid industrialization which have both contributed to the absurd amount of pollution. “Rapid population growth and industrialization have driven substantial increases in Asian ozone precursor emissions over the past decade, with highly uncertain impacts on regional and global tropospheric ozone levels.” Statistics from the research also analyzed the ozone layers over both China, and the West Coast of the United States which revealed the extent of China’s pollution problem abroad.
If Left Unchecked How Bad Could Things Get As More Pollution Migrates To The U.S. From China?
Scientists warn that their readings over the U.S. have been influenced by the quickly expanding pollution in China. “Furthermore, we find that transport from China of ozone and its precursors has offset about 43% of the 0.42 DU reduction in free-tropospheric ozone over the western United States that was expected between 2005 and 2010 as a result of emissions reductions associated with federal, state and local air quality policies.” Essentially, all of the measures taken to ensure that the U.S. reduced its environmental impact during a five year period, were hindered by the exportation of China’s pollution to the U.S. If extreme measures are not taken to curb this trend of pollution density in China, then countries extending further than the U.S. could be affected by travelling pollutants.
Is China’s Pollution Problem A Lost Cause At This Point?
At this point experts are holding out hope that there are still solutions for China’s pollution problem, but unless swift action is taken the damage to residents living in China could be tremendous, and living in the country may prove too dangerous due to the air quality. This could one day result to it becoming an uninhabitable place to live. At this point China’s pollution problem no longer rests on just the shoulders of China, but instead has become an issue which must be addressed on a global scale.
