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Joshua Bryant
AP Language
12 December 2016
A Country Choking On Its Own Progress
In the United States, pollution is far from the most dominant priority in most minds. In
China, however, it looms as a shockingly evident reminder of the countrys rampant industrial
growth. Many residents must wear a mask when they go outside in an attempt to prevent the
inhalation of deadly pollutants. Recent years have brought the issue of Chinas polluting into an
international spotlight due to growing concerns over human influence on the warming of the
Earths atmosphere. Chinas damaging air pollution has produced a strong government pushback
against heavily polluting industries and impaired Chinas growing economy, yet also brought
new facets to it.
Chinese industries poison the people who live near them and create health problems
across the country. According to a University of Washington report, the Global Burden of
Disease, at least a million Chinese die annually from air pollution. Pollutants such as soot,
smoke, and dust make up a large part of the pollutants (Whoriskey). This astonishingly high
number of deaths is partially the reason for increasing interference from the Chinese government.
Some of the first steps in this regulatory process are coming through the court system. Joyce
Huang asserts that China has begun to claim compensation from air polluters after a glass
manufacturer in Shandong province was charged an almost $3.3 million fine by a local court for
its harmful emissions (Huang). Such an event can serve as a warning to other factories and
manufacturers to look at their emissions and possibly try cutting them down.

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At the moment, a cap-and-trade system is one of the most circulated ideas for how to
control emissions in China. Such a system would set a limit on the amount of carbon emissions
permissible for the country in one year, and then allot businesses allowances for how much they
can emit. Excess allowances can be sold between companies to encourage reducing as much and
as possible to sell allowances and create a profit. Mark Dwortzan projects that a national capand-trade system on Chinas carbon emissions would probably reduce coal usage substantially.
This is due to the fact that nearly all production plants are reliant on coal for their power. Chinas
highest concentrations of PM2.5 (tiny particles that can penetrate into the lungs) are in the
Northern provinces, which produce steel, cement, and power (Wong). These industries would be
required by economic factors to search for new ways to manufacture energy, and begin cutting
out coal.
The air pollution has not been limited to impacting the environment and Chinas citizens,
but has also hit businesses. One of the most obvious has been the actual stoppage of business due
to the pollution being too hazardous on some days. On many days color coded alerts meant to
inform residents on the air quality are sent out. A red alert is the highest of the four color system,
and means three days of dangerous air pollution. It stops school classes and restricts vehicles,
factories, and construction (China Smog Sparks Red Alerts in 10 Cities). This means a
practical halt to production lines and thus, a small drop in profits. A few days doesnt seem like it
will have too large an impact, but red alerts are becoming more and more frequent, and that
means an increase in days with no work. This unproductivity also takes shape in the lives of sick
workers. Many will get too sick from the air to go into a factory and perform labor, and require
time off to recover. The number of workdays taken off globally because of air pollution will rise
from 1.2 billion in 2015 to 3.7 billion in 2060 (Jing). China has both a high population and high

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air pollution levels, so it is logical to extrapolate that many of those sick days will be taken by
Chinese workers.
The Chinese economy has been negatively affected by rising air pollution, mainly
through changes in industries. Factories closing on especially hazardous days ding Chinas GDP
about 6.5 percent annually, according to RAND Corp. estimates (Gustke). That figure is
incredibly high for an economy as large as Chinas, and shows the magnitude of pollutions
impact when considered long term. Air pollution may shrink the size of Chinas economy as
much as 2.5 percent by 2060, mostly from worker falling ill, which correlates with taking sick
days, more medical bills, and a reduction in output agriculturally and industrially (Jing). The
changes arent limited to large scale and country wide; some are specific to a town or group.
After Neil Gough and Owen Guo spoke with fishermen about a plant being constructed near
their town, they concluded that the biggest worry is that the plants pollution will pollute the
ocean and destroy their livelihoods (Gough).
Rising pollution is an overall adverse trend, but has opened up an entire sector of the
Chinese economy: clean technology. This involves both air cleaning tools and technology that
does not add further to the high air pollution levels. Changhua Wu explains that penalties
enforced on companies that pollute excessively create clear incentives that attract innovation,
financial capital flows and the deployment of clean technologies. These will form the foundation
and infrastructure that will power the fourth Industrial Revolution. The idea is to force
companies to invest in the future of technology before there is no clean future. A Canadian
company is already doing this through their work on clean transportation. Ballard Power Systems
installs hydrogen fuel cells into locally made engines in china to produce green busses (Petricic).
The new technology can stimulate Chinas economy and provide jobs for Chinese; acting also as

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an environmental benefit by cleaning the environment. There is also expansion in the existing
technology made to clean and purify air. One example is a mist cannon which creates a spray that
scatters smog particles, and is being used in large and polluted cities, such as Guigang. A $7.6
billion fund has been created by China to fight air pollution (Gustke); a testament to Chinas
willingness to work against air pollution now and for the future.
Chinas air pollution is a giant problem to tackle, but it must be done for the country and
the world. Some progress has been made, but more is necessary, and that could involve sacrifices
for industry. In a Pew Research Center survey fully half of those surveyed said air pollution
should be reduced even if that means slower economic growth (Petricic). Government
regulation is slow, but hopefully steady, and self-policing by industries will hopefully be enough.
Air pollution is a detriment to China that has picked at the economy and been mildly touched by
the Chinese government.

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Works Cited
China Smog Sparks Red Alerts in 10 Cities. BBC News, BBC, 24 Dec. 2015,
Gough, Neil, and Owen Guo. "As Chinas Economy Slows, Beijings Growth Push Loses
Punch." The New York Times. The New York Times, 15 July 2016. Web. 01 Dec. 2016.
Gustke, Constance. "Pollution Crisis Is Choking the Chinese Economy." CNBC. CNBC, 11 Feb.
2016. Web. 30 Nov. 2016.
Huang, Joyce. "CHINA COURT IMPOSES UNPRECEDENTED AIR POLLUTION
PENALTY." States News Service, 22 July 2016. General OneFile, Accessed 30 Nov.
2016.
Jing, Li. "Smog Could Shrink Chinese Economy by up to 2.6 per Cent by 2060: Study." South
China Morning Post. South China Morning Post, 10 June 2016. Web. 02 Dec. 2016.
Petricic, Saa. "China Goes from Red-alert Pollution to Green Energy." CBCnews. CBC/Radio
Canada, 27 Oct. 2016. Web. 1 Dec. 2016.
Whoriskey, Peter. "CHINA POLLUTION CAUSED BY GRAPHITE MINING FOR
SMARTPHONE BATTERY." States News Service, 2 Oct. 2016. General OneFile,
Accessed 28 Nov. 2016.
Wong, Edward. "Coal Burning Causes the Most Air Pollution Deaths in China, Study Finds."
The New York Times. The New York Times, 17 Aug. 2016. Web. 1 Dec. 2016.
Wu, Changhua. "China Declared War on Pollution. Is It Winning?" World Economic Forum.
World Economic Forum, 27 Oct. 2016. Web. 1 Dec. 2016.