Pollution From Chinese Coal Casts a Global Shadow

Currently, China uses more coal than the US, the European Union and Japan combined. China’s global-warming gases such as carbon dioxide will “probably exceed that for all industrialized countries over the next 25 years,” note journalists Keith Bradsher and David Barboza in “The New York Times.” These emissions have widespread impact, increasing global temperatures and releasing harmful sulfur and mercury particles linked to serious respiratory illness, child-development disorders and acid rain. Skies are bleak over Chinese cities and the particles drift to neighboring countries, as far away as the West Coast of the US, in measurable amounts. Though industrialized countries such as Japan offer loans, grants or technology to make China’s coal-burning technology more environmentally friendly, the nation relies on its own domestic equipment, cheaper and less energy efficient than foreign-made “green” alternatives. Cheaper equipment translates to cheaper energy for Chinese consumers, who continue to enjoy a wave of economic prosperity. Rural citizens pour into cities for employment at the coal plants, and the government faces pressure to respond to a growing demand for cheap energy to fuel modern amenities such as air conditioners, televisions, microwaves and refrigerators. Following the lead of their US counterparts, Chinese citizens demand the short-term benefits of cheap energy and dismiss long-term health and environmental dangers. – YaleGlobal