September 16, 2015: China’s smog kills more than a million each year – but there’s a clearer road ahead
According to The Conversation, a news source that specializes in leading current topics, a new study has shown that on average in the last decade, China’s air pollution has been responsible for about three million premature deaths each year. Furthermore, this number is projected to double by the year 2050 if no measures are taken to decrease pollution output. This large number of deaths is largely attributed to China being a quickly developing country with a dense population.
The situation with air pollution in China is a perfect example of a tragedy of the commons, in which individuals were too concerned with manufacturing for the sake of capital that they completely disregarded the environmental impacts of their actions. In this case it has already resulted in the deaths of tens of millions and the death rate is steadily increasing. Some measures are being put in place to slow the air pollution in hopes of returning the air to a moderately normal state. Fuel is switching from coal to gas, cleaner and more efficient facilities are being built, and companies are being legally forced to make their facilities more eco-friendly.
One of the main significances in these advances is the global impacts they will have. Firstly, China’s progression towards an ecofriendly economy will encourage other developing countries to take a step in the right direction for the environment. The new policies will also help to reduce the overall pollution of the worlds air and will provide better living standards for all organisms on Earth.
The situation with air pollution in China is a perfect example of a tragedy of the commons, in which individuals were too concerned with manufacturing for the sake of capital that they completely disregarded the environmental impacts of their actions. In this case it has already resulted in the deaths of tens of millions and the death rate is steadily increasing. Some measures are being put in place to slow the air pollution in hopes of returning the air to a moderately normal state. Fuel is switching from coal to gas, cleaner and more efficient facilities are being built, and companies are being legally forced to make their facilities more eco-friendly.
One of the main significances in these advances is the global impacts they will have. Firstly, China’s progression towards an ecofriendly economy will encourage other developing countries to take a step in the right direction for the environment. The new policies will also help to reduce the overall pollution of the worlds air and will provide better living standards for all organisms on Earth.
September 24, 2016: Ice sheets may be more resilient than thought, say Stanford scientists