Air Pollution

Pollution is presently a typical place term, that our ears are sensitive to. We hear about the
various forms of pollution and read about it through the mass media. Air pollution is one such
form that refers to the contamination of the air, independent of inside or outside. A physical,
biological or chemical alteration to the air in the atmosphere can be termed as pollution. It
happens when any harmful gasses, dust, smoke goes into the climate and makes it troublesome
for plants, animals and people to survive as the air becomes dirty.

Air pollution can additionally be arranged into two sections: visible air pollution and
invisible air pollution. Another method of looking at air pollution could be any substance that holds
the possibility to impede the climate or the prosperity of the living being making due in it. The
sustainment of everything living is because of a mix of gasses that all things considered shape the
air, the imbalance caused by the increase or decrease of the percentage of these gasses can be
unsafe for survival.
The ozone layer considered crucial for the existence of the ecosystems on the planet is
depleting due to increased pollution. Global warming, a direct result of the increased imbalance of
gases in the atmosphere has come to be known as the biggest threat and challenge that the
contemporary world has to overcome in a bid for survival.
Beijing, China suffers from some of the worst air pollution worldwide.

China is notorious for being a major polluter. Its economic growth in the past three decades
has been the fastest among major nations, which is the main factor in why China has extensive air
pollution. Of the twenty cities with the worst air pollution worldwide, 16 are located in China,
including Beijing. Due to this extensive air pollution, China’s Environmental Sustainability
Index is ranked near the bottom among countries worldwide.

Beijing has a long history of environmental problems. Between 2000 and 2009 Beijing's
urban extent quadrupled, which not only strongly increased the extent of anthropogenic emissions,
but also changed the meteorological situation fundamentally, even if emissions of human society
are not included. For example, surface albedo, wind speed and humidity near the surface were
decreased, whereas ground and near surface air temperatures, vertical air dilution and ozone levels
were increased. Because of the combined factors of urbanization and pollution caused by burning
of fossil fuel, Beijing is often affected by serious environmental problems, which lead
to health issues of many inhabitants. In 2013 heavy smog struck Beijing and most parts of northern
China, in total 600 million people. After this "pollution shock" air pollution became an important
economic and social concern in China.

Sources Of Pollution
The causes of Beijing’s widespread air pollution can be attributed to a number of factors:
an enormous economic boom, a surge in the number of motorized vehicles, population growth,
output from manufacturing, and natural reasons which include the city’s surrounding topography
and seasonal weather. China has also experienced major economic growth with a drastic rise in
Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This increase in wealth can be correlated with an increase in
pollution.
 With this amplified wealth, individuals are more capable of affording motor vehicles. The
number of motor vehicles on Beijing’s roads has doubled to 3.3 million with nearly 1200 added
each day. Emissions from motorized vehicles contribute to nearly 70% of the city’s air pollution.
The four most dangerous pollutants that are emitted include: sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide
(NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and particulate matter(eg. PM10). Newly introduced vehicles have
lower emission standards, and thereby emit more of these pollutants into the atmosphere than their
older counterparts. Motorized vehicles are only one contributor to air pollution. Population growth
in China and Beijing contributes to extensive pollution. Beijing’s population has swelled from 11
million to 16 million in just 7 years, and has doubled over the past century.

Coal burning factories also contribute to the smog present in Beijing. These factories rely
on outdated and inefficient technologies. The factories are located on the outskirts of Beijing and
the nearby cities of Harbin and Hebei. Beijing is a victim of its own topography because it is
surrounded by mountains, ensuring that pollution remains trapped within the city limits. Air quality
worsens in spring and summer when temperature and humidity levels rise, and winds contribute
to the smog by carrying pollutants from industrialized southern regions.

Effects and Impacts Of Pollution

 Air pollution is measured by the Air Quality Index (AQI), which scales pollution levels
from 0 to 500 and assigns a color to different number levels to measure how hazardous the air
quality is on any given day. Levels of 100 or below are known as “Blue Sky Days”, when smog
is not easily visible. However, levels now reach up to 755, as measured by the United States
Embassy in Beijing, which employs its own pollution reading device. This is the highest level of
air pollution since recording began in 2008, and was appropriately deemed “Beyond Index”. The
World Health Organization suggests that scores near 500 contain more than twenty times the safe
level of particulate matter in the air.

Air pollutants can be in the form of particulate matter which can be very harmful to our
health. Short-term effects include irritation to the eyes, nose and throat, and upper respiratory
infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia. Others include headaches, nausea, and allergic
reactions. Short-term air pollution can aggravate the medical conditions of individuals with
asthma and emphysema. Long-term health effects can include chronic respiratory disease, lung
cancer, heart disease, and even damage to the brain, nerves, liver, or kidneys. Continual exposure
to air pollution affects the lungs of growing children and may aggravate or complicate medical
conditions in the elderly. The shorter lifespans of Beijing’s citizens has been connected to high
pollution levels. Compared to citizens living in southern China, the average life span for
Beijing’s citizens is five to six years shorter. The air pollution in Beijing causes lower birth rates
and higher adult mortality from respiratory related diseases. Lung cancer rates have risen over
60% in the past decade, although the smoking rate has not increased.

The damage due to air pollution on materials is really a serious concern since the service life
of buildings is remarkably reduced. The effect of air pollution on materials may be seen in terms
of discoloration, material loss, structural failing and soiling. Both discoloration and structural
failure due to air pollution on buildings may be insignificant and that may not involve huge coasts.
But the effect of corrosion due to acidic deposition costs a lot. Especially the effect of sulphur
dioxide and nitrogen dioxide emissions is very much significant. The effect of calcium sulphate
has been very significant and may be continued for fairly long time. When calcium carbonate
dissolves in sulphuric acid leads to the formation of calcium sulphate. The calcium sulphate when
it falls on stone breaks the surface of the building blocks.
Air pollutants can harm ecological resources, including water quality, soils, plants, and
animals. Ozone, for example, can cause damage to plant tissues and reduced growth in some
sensitive plant species. Nitrogen and sulfur in air pollution are carried by rain, snow, and fog into
park ecosystems where they threaten sensitive aquatic and terrestrial resources. Nitrogen and sulfur
compounds deposited from the air can cause acidification of soils, lakes, and streams. Although
nitrogen is an essential plant nutrient, excess nitrogen in soils and surface waters may also disrupt
soil nutrient cycling and alter plant communities. Metals such as mercury and toxic compounds
can be deposited from the atmosphere and bioaccumulate in the food chain. This can cause
behavioral, neurological, and reproductive effects in fish, birds, and wildlife.
 Prevention Measures To Solve The Pollution
The government of Beijing announced measures to reduce air pollution, for example by
lowering the share of coal from 24% in 2012 to 10% in 2017, while the national government
ordered heavily polluting vehicles to be removed from 2015 to 2017 and increased its efforts to
transition the energy system to clean sources.
The government other main target of reduce air pollution include :
1) Boost cleaner and more efficient use of coal.
2) Promote the use of electricity and natural gas in place of coal.
3) Support for wind, solar and bio power sectors; increase in proportion of clean energy.
4) Encourage the use of waste straw as a resource.
5) Reduction in-field burning.
6) Implementation of control measures to deal with air pollution.

Almost all major public construction projects in Beijing will be halted this winter in an effort
to improve the city’s notorious air quality. Road and water projects, and the demolition of housing
will be banned from November 15 to March 15 within Beijing’s six major districts and surrounding
suburbs. The period spans the four months when the city government provides heating to
residential and other buildings. Some major livelihood projects, such as railways, airports and
affordable housing, may be allowed to continue, providing they are approved by the commission.
It added that the city government will step up supervision of dust control at any construction sites
that do remain operational and implement restrictions on the use of machinery with high emissions.
Violations of the new rules will be strictly punished.

Beijing has promised to impose tough industrial and traffic curbs across the north of the
country this winter in a bid to meet key smog targets.