Air Pollution in China
Air pollution has already become a severe problem in China,
and it also put Chinese public health in danger. For example, at the end of last year, Beijing
even announced its red alert twice for air pollution, closing down schools and
factories, and restricting the use of motor vehicles. During that time, all of the citizens would be
advised to avoid outdoor activities and staying at homes, because air pollution
could cause a variety of illnesses to people.
Then, I would introduce different effects of air pollution, and they are
closely related to our life.
People have to undergo a wide range of health effects through
contacting air pollution in daily life, and these effects can be roughly divided
into two parts: one is short-term effects, and the other one is long-term
effects. Short-term effects of air
pollution include nose, eye and throat irritation, allergic reactions, asthma,
and so on. People would feel
uncomfortable owing to these symptoms, but they are usually impermanent. Long-term effects of air pollution include cardiovascular
diseases, lung cancer, respiratory diseases, etc. Compare with short-term effects, these
symptoms of long-term effects can persist for a longer time or even a lifetime. At the worst, severe air pollution can even
lead to a person’s death. According to a
research published in Nature magazine
last year, there had been 1.4 million premature deaths in China as a result of
air pollution.
Moreover, air pollution affects not only the health of people
but also our environment. The particles
of air pollution would finally float down the surface of the earth and
water. For this reason, it can affect
the growth of crops and then harm the yield.
Besides, air pollution can also affect the environment by causing acid
rain. When acid rain falls into the
earth, it would hurt plants by changing the soil pH. Everything in this ecosystem is connected, so
animals would also be affected by these changes of the earth.
Just like China, air pollution is considered a big problem
for many countries especially for those developing countries, helping reduce
air pollution becomes a task of top priority.
For instance, we can take more and more public transportation instead of
using private cars, and it can reduce all carbon dioxide gas emissions. In sum, helping stop air
pollution is an important responsibility for all citizens of the Earth in order
to achieve sustainable development.
