Here's why you can't let the right wing fuctards that scream deregulation get too loud
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China's Smog Continues to Worsen; Now Being Called a 'Nuclear Winter' By Sean Breslin Published: Feb 27, 2014, 3:43 PM EST weather.com
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Vehicles are stuck in a traffic jam in heavy smog after the traffic lights were broken-down on February 25, 2014 in Xi an, China. Altogether 1.43 million sq km of China's land territory, nearly 15 percent of the total, have been covered by persistent smog in recent days. (ChinaFotoPress/Getty Images)
For years, China has wrestled with its awful pollution woes that block out skylines and force citizens to wear masks to keep from getting sick. But now, smog levels have gotten so high that the dilemma is being compared to another human-caused disaster.
One professor at China Agricultural University says the thick layer of pollution is like a "nuclear winter" because crops aren't getting the sunlight needed to grow – a serious threat to the country's farmers – according to a RT.com report. The country has introduced measures to fight the disgusting smog, the report added, but there's been little success from these programs, as pollution levels are as high as ever.
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Cutting Pollution In China
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Wednesday was the sixth consecutive day Beijing was placed under an "orange" smog alert, the second-highest alert level on China's scale, the Telegraph said. Visibility was down to less than 1,000 feet as pollution levels stood at 501 micrograms per cubic meter, well above the World Health Organization's safe limit of 25.
The already troublesome pollution has worsened recently due to a temperature inversion that trapped smog near the ground, according to a NASA report. This weather phenomenon has pushed fine particulate pollution down to ground level, which is causing health concerns, as the particles can get into the lungs and cause a slew of ailments that hinder lung function, NASA added.
As many as 500,000 residents are killed prematurely due to the effects of China's pollution, the Telegraph reported in an article last month.
(MORE: See What Temperature Inversion Does to the Grand Canyon)
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Chinese Man Sues Over Air Pollution
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One man has taken his health concerns to the government in the form of a lawsuit, seeking compensation from the city of Shijiazhuang's Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau, according to a Reuters report. This is the first time a citizen has sued the government over severe smog, though it's still not a guarantee that the court will accept Li Guixin's lawsuit.
Despite the lawsuit and the translucent sheet of pollution that hovers over their cities, some Chinese residents insist their smoggy problem isn't a big deal.
"China has 1.3 billion people, fighting these kinds of environmental problems will take a long time, and anyhow, we are satisfied with our lives," said a man who gave the surname Wang in an interview with the Los Angeles Times.
smog levels in beijing | Create infographics |
