Just as what has been stated before that more and more people rush to the urban areas for work, then it is a common sense that more and more industries will be developed in order to guarantee the employment of those new comers. Whenever it comes to the industries development, what comes first into my mind is to set up factories in order to produce the necessary products for the industry development. That is to say, more and more land will be used for the establishment of factories. This growth has created demand for energy which in turn has meant cutting down of trees and clearing of vegetation to pave way for industrial parks for the manufacturing industries. Clearing of forests has accelerated deforestation while industrial emissions have tampered with the delicate balance of nature by depleting ozone layer that protects the planet from the harmful effects of ultra violet rays from the sun (Chow, 2017). China’s economic progress which is mainly in the manufacturing sector has seen the country emerge as one of the biggest environmental polluters globally. This has not only impacted negatively on the environment but has affected the Chinese people directly as well in areas such as health and migrations that have disrupted their livelihoods. Some of the environmental consequences of the Chinese economic growth include the occurrence of acid rain, loss of certain species that has destroyed biodiversity and extreme weather patterns (Chow, 2017). In order to fuel their numerous manufacturing factories, the Chinese have relied on coal as a source of energy. This has spoiled the quality of the air in many Chinese cities. A study carried out by the Chinese State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) in 2017 found that out of 300 cities examined, 2/3rds of them couldn’t meet the World Health Organization set standards of recommended air quality. When coal is burnt, it releases sulfur dioxide which leads to acid rain which currently affects a quarter of Chinese land mass. This rain damages the environment, affecting crops and killing the living organisms such as fisheries in water bodies. Air pollution from coal burning is also responsible for respiratory and pulmonary heart diseases (Liu, & Kungliga 2017). The acid rain will directly influence the whole country and the influential degree will strengthen as time goes by due to the increasingly serious of the environmental problems (Mcelligott, 1997). If the volume of sulfur dioxide release has not been controlled with necessary methods taken, then the air quality will continue to worsen step by step. In the near future, human beings will all suffer from the low air quality as air is what they are with for each and every second. Air is to man what water is to fish, which indicates the indispensable part air plays for man’s life. Numerous pictures have been taken of the Chinese hazy looking city skylines where one cannot see clearly beyond a certain distance. This is due to high levels of air pollution that creates a blurred vision. If such condition continues, then the traffic accidents will increase in an unexpected rate due to the low visibility. It is really easy to understand in that the low visibility is hard for the drivers to get control of the general situation of the roads so that they can not take actions in advance to prevent the incidence of traffic accidents. A world health organization that was released in 1998 pointed out that China was host to seven of the top ten most polluted cities globally. This was attributed to the burning of coal which is a key source of energy in fueling the Chinese factories (Economy, 2017). If China would like to ease the air pollution tension, then it is a must for it to control the coal burning in the factories which is a major source of the air pollutants. In the opposite, the factories can turn to use other recyclable energies as will not cause air pollution and they are in the meantime useful for the sustainable development of the industries in the long run. Apart from the Chinese huge population, economic development has raised demand for water dramatically. Water needs for domestic use as well as for industrial purposes have jumped by 70% as compared to the year 1980. Water scarcity has seen some factories in western and northern parts of China cease operations while 60% of all Chinese have problems getting enough water for their domestic use (Economy, 2017). The waste water discharged by the factories has produced unsavory smell and it is really a threatening factor for the civilized construction for the country. Also, the waste water will at the same time cause pollution to the drinking water of human beings so as to bring health risks to them because they will unconsciously drink the unclean water. |
