Brooke McAdoo

English 102 - 22

Professor Kays

April 20, 2017

Climate Crisis: Short Research Paper

Climate change is a huge problem every country in the world is facing and that problem

is only getting worse. However, China has been one of the main contributors to this rapid climate

change. This problem is due to our human activities that we believe is harmless but in actuality is

affecting our chances of survival. The question that will be addressed in this paper is why is

climate change in China so bad compared to other countries? In order to answer this question,

intensive research must be done.

Climate change can be defined as the change in usual weather at a certain place. For

example, how much snow a place gets every year or warm weather during a usually cold winter.

(Nasa) A lot of people do not think climate change is a big deal because the earths climate is

always changing. There are natural, uncontrollable reasons why such as the earths distance from

the sun and the eruption of volcanoes. However, there are many ways that us humans contribute

to climate change. Burning coal, oil, and gas is the biggest cause because it causes the air to heat

up. This in turn causes the earths climate to change. There have been many meetings regarding

the matter that have ended indecisive at the national level and ultimately ineffective even though

everyone is in strong agreement about how this is impacting the world negatively. Due to this, its

negative aspects continue to affect us on a global scale.

There are many ways that climate change is affecting the world but there are certain ones

that are far worse than others. One huge way it is affecting the earth is by melting the polar ice
caps which is raising our sea levels and affecting the wildlife that survives on them. Another

problem that will definitely impact the world terribly is drought. Water is an essential part of life

in general; humans, plants, and animals all cannot survive without water. It is also used in so

many different ways such as cooking, bathing, and even to use electricity. A major drought

throughout the entire world would be catastrophic. Most crops would not be able to grow and

animals would start dying rapidly. This means there would be a shortage on food and prices

would go up as supplies go down. Drought would also lead to an increase in wildfires. The rising

temperatures are also the reason why peoples pollen allergies are only getting worse. The

increase in carbon levels are promoting the growth of weedy plants that are producing allergenic

pollen. Climate change is also putting many species on the endangered species list. Polar bears

are not the only ones is trouble, animals that are sensitive to fluctuations in temperature are also

in danger of going extinct. However, one of the most dangerous aspects of climate change would

have to be the extreme weather like hurricanes and tornadoes become more powerful. The

frequency of these natural disasters is going up along with their destructibility. (11 ways climate

change affects the world)

While climate change is affecting the entire world, China has been one of the leading

contributors and is facing the consequences. Due to climate change, the global average surface

temperature has risen by 0.3~0.6 degrees Celsius but in China alone the average was 0.5~0.8

degrees Celsius. (Kan) This has caused researchers to panic because at the pace that the surface

temperature is rising at the moment, rapid landslides and extreme flooding is bound to happen;

both of which will destroy highways, bridges, and thousands of houses. Another concern that

arises with the glaciers melting is the rising sea level. Sea levels around Chinas coast have

increased by over 90 millimeters over the past 30 years. Certain cities in China are especially
vulnerable to these changes like Shanghai. Shanghai is a growing city that is located in a very

low-lying area by the Yangtze River. Since it has grown so much over the past thirty years, it has

to pump more and more groundwater which has also been causing the city to slowly sink. In

recent years, the Shanghai government has stopped pumping groundwater in an attempt to stop

the city from sinking. However, the city will continue to sink as long as more buildings and

people occupy the land and glaciers continue to melt. Hong Kong is another city that is very

vulnerable to the steadily rising sea levels. The city is in danger mostly due to its geography,

huge amounts of reclaimed land, and the high concentration of skyscrapers. Hong Kong already

suffers from flooding because of typhoons, the increase in sea level will only increase the

frequency of such storms. If that happens, it will become incredibly dangerous for the people

living there. (Lai)

Other terrible things that are happening in China due to climate change is the loss of

biodiversity. China has over seventeen thousand different species of plants and animals but

climate change is altering the structure of their ecosystems. For instance, coral reefs are being

severely affected because of the rising sea levels and the pH of the water changing. The pH is

slowly changing because the increase of carbon dioxide is cause the ocean to acidify. This slows

coral growth and also causes coral calcification. Without coral reefs, there will be a huge loss in

marine biodiversity. Natural disasters are another thing that is only continuing to get worse in

China. The consistency of abnormal natural disasters like drought, cyclones, rainstorms, and

thunderstorms is increasing. (Lai)The Chinese government has acknowledged this fact and has

also said that these storms are only become more unpredictable and devastating.
In addition to all the problems have that been previously stated, China is also dealing with severe

smog which has been confirmed to accelerate climate change.

There are many reasons why Chinas smog is so horrible. The pollution from industries

and traffic definitely contributes to the smog but the main contributor is how much coal is burned

in China, especially during the winter. Chinas population is enormous and during the winter

temperatures drop. When temperatures drop, everyone turns on their heaters which runs on coal-

fired power plants which has made China the largest consumer of coal. Those tiny particles that

are emitted when coal burns floats into the air is the main cause of the smog. It has also been said

that those particles cause health problems that can damage the lungs, aggravate asthma, and even

cause heart attacks. The city of Beijing especially has it bad because it is bordered by mountains

that makes it hard for the smog rise over them. The result of this is that the smog just sits there,

gets more and more polluted, and makes the people living there have no choice but to breathe it

in. (Griggs) In China alone, more than 1.6 million people die annually because of the air

pollution alone. The government has been working hard to improve the air. They have

announced that they are going to spend $360 billion on renewable energy projects. However,

they have no given up on using coal all together. (Hsu)

To answer the question that was stated at the beginning of this paper, climate change in

China is worse than other places around the world for a multitude of reasons. However, the main

reasons why are because China burns the most amount of coal, has severe smog problems which

is dangerous health problems, and is also in danger of sinking. Globally, everyone knows what

activities are causing climate change but changing bad habits is hard. Completely stopping the

use of coal, oil, and gas throughout the entire world is an impossible task at the moment. The
human race relies too heavily on these products and going without them right now would make

life very difficult. The only real solution to this problem while scientists and engineers are

coming up with other ways to replace them is to cut reduce usage. Using less water and

electricity, walking to work instead of driving, plating more trees instead of cutting them down,

and using safe renewable resources are all great ways to reduce the pace of climate change. Until

everyone in the world completely stops using those harmful products, climate change will only

continue to slowly but surely destroy the human race.

 Work Cited

Dunbar, Brian. "What Is Climate Change?" NASA. NASA, 13 May 2015. Web. 23 Apr. 2017.

"11 Ways Climate Change Affects the World." CNN. Cable News Network, 22 Apr. 2015. Web.
23 Apr. 2017.

Griggs, Mary Beth. "Why Is the Smog in China so Bad?" Popular Science. N.p., n.d. Web. 23
Apr. 2017.

Kan, Haidong. "Climate Change and Human Health in China." Environmental Health
Perspectives. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Feb. 2011. Web. 06
Feb. 2017.

"Climate Change Impacts on China's Environment: Biophysical Impacts." Wilson Center. N.p.,
28 Sept. 2011. Web. 06 Feb. 2017.

Hsu, Sara. "Is China's Pollution Accelerating Climate Change?" Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 09
Sept. 2016. Web. 06 Feb. 2017.