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China has been through some of the greatest economic developments over the last few decades. However, this development has come at a greater cost. There have been massive industrial development in the country, and that has significantly increased the level of air pollution here. In fact, polluted air quality in China has become a major subject of concern in recent times. Although this matter has been brought to light and steps are being taken to rectify the situation, the situation is quite grave and much still needs to be done to see any signs of major improvement. China has been ranked as the world’s number one emitter of major greenhouse gases since the year 2007. Although the air pollution has only affected China, the matter has now escalated into a serious issue of global importance. Not only it is a major issue for the Chinese people themselves, the poor air quality is also prone to affect any foreign individual who visits the country for some purpose or the other. According the statistics presented by WHO (World Health Organization), the bad air quality in China contributes to the untimely deaths of 3 quarters of one million people each and every year. The current situation of air pollution in China has resulted from the economic growth of the country as well as the kind of industrial equipments that are in use there to yield production. One of the pillars of Chinese development is cement making. The boom in the Chinese construction industry has made the country the leading producer of cement in the world. More than 50% of cement used worldwide is now produced in China. The process of concrete production has always been highly energy intensive and polluting, and the methods that are currently in use in China also add to the problem. Several of the cement producers use shaft kilns that were long ago abandoned in the West. Nearly 6% of the country’s electricity is used for operating the cement plants, of which a lot is wasted. The un-scrubbed kilns emit large quantities of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, mercury, sulfur dioxide, particulate matters, and many other harmful substances. The issue of air pollution in China came to the forefront during the Beijing Olympic Games held in 2008, which began with the city skies all clouded in smog. Even though the skies cleared up later, there is widespread speculation as to how far the air quality improved. The air quality in china has become a major concern for the people of China due to excessive air pollution by industries and vehicles.
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china air pollution, Beijing air quality,
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