“Mai” is a Chinese word for smog. A word that is literally choking Beijing and other major cities in Eastern China, thanks to the overwhelming burning of coal for power generation. Visibility is severely hampered on the ground level as a shroud of toxic fumes seems to have engulfed the cities. Children are restricted indoors, people venturing out are using gas masks and patients with respiratory and heart diseases are gasping for breath, literally. No, this is not some scene from a horror sci-fi flick. It is real and it is happening right now in China.
As the largest consumer of coal – China consumes half the world’s coal – to meet its unquenchable thirst for energy fueled development, China’s Carbon Footprint is a cause for grave concern. She overtook USA as the largest contributor of CO2 emissions way back in 2007 and as things stand as of now, the world should take immediate measures.
Beijing’s pollution index is hovering around 800 – on a scale of 0 to 500 – which is way beyond comprehension as anything above 300 is considered hazardous by agencies like the EPA. Yet, the Chinese authorities seem to be nonchalant as no perceptible efforts are being made to reduce its abject dependence of coal as the primary source of electricity. At least the west makes the right noises when it comes to alternative sources of energy, pollution control and sustainability – China just continues to remain the riddle wrapped in an enigma.
According to reports residents of Beijing and many other cities in China had been “warned” to stay inside in mid-January 2013 as the nation faced one of the worst periods of air quality in recent history. The Chinese government ordered factories to scale back emissions, while hospitals saw spikes of more than 20 to 30 percent in patients complaining of respiratory issues.
There is global concern about the fact that if the Chinese Government can be so ham handed about the safety and well being about its own citizens, whether, if at all, they will be concerned about climate change and related issues which affect us all. And with China continuing to exhale its fumes, can the rest of the world can continue on the path of capping emissions as was originally designed.
* Photos Sourced from : http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov