The Guilfordian

Issue date: 9/8/06 Section: World

Chinese cities are among the most polluted in the world. After its recent drought, one-third of China has been doused with acid rain. Certain regions of the country have even been experiencing 100 percent acid rain.
As one of the fastest-developing nations in the world, China has been rapidly growing both technologically and industrially. However, in recent weeks, the country has begun to see the environmental backlash of its advancements.
“Acid rain happens when you burn fossil fuels with sulphur,” said Angela Moore, assistant professor of geology and earth science. “Sulphur dissolves into rainwater, which becomes diluted sulphuric acid.”
The coal industry is one of China’s biggest economic resources, and burning that coal releases sulfur dioxides into the atmosphere. Being one of the most plentiful Chinese products, many are reluctant to reduce the amount of coal burning for fear of economic losses.
“It is especially worrying that most local governments base economic growth on energy-consuming industries, disregarding the environment’s capacity to sustain industrial expansion,” reported Shen Huaren, member of a standing committee in parliament, to the BBC.
To sustain its large population, China needs vast amounts of electricity, which mostly comes from burning coal. The continued use of coal could negatively affect China economically and environmentally in the future.
"China's economy is moving faster than the environment can handle it,” said Andry Freedman, a junior who spent last fall in Beijing. “It seems like if they keep andavancing they will run out of resources. They're thinking completely in the short term, then the long term."
Edwin Lau, assistant director of the Hong Kong branch of Friends of the Earth, told Independent Online: “Sulphur dioxide acidifies the soil, hurting the roots of the crops that farmers are growing and reducing total yields. Acidity of rivers and lakes also affects the growth of marine organisms, killing the lower-level species needed by bigger organisms to survive and disrupting the food chain."
These environmental factors greatly affect Chinese farmers. Soil affected by acid rain will produce fewer crops. Any problems with the country’s food production would be dangerous for such a large population.
Yang Jian, a senior official for the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture, said to The China Daily, "The amount of land dedicated to grain production is expected to continue shrinking in the years ahead, but (farmlands) will still have to produce a minimum of 500 million tons to feed China in 2010."
The sulphur dioxide emissions are also detrimental to China’s economy. Li Xinmin, deputy director general of the State Environmental Protection Administration's pollution control department, told Independent Online that each ton of sulphur dioxide released causes China to lose 20,000 yuan, which adds up to $65 billion annually.
“There’s not a lot that can be done to reverse acid rain rather than stop the source,” Moore said.
"If China does not take effective measures to curb rising coal use,” Lau said, “then the acid rain will get worse as the economy grows and people get richer and buy even more electric appliances and vehicles."

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