Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Reactions to China's air pollution crisis


Temperatures went down in northern China a few days ago, and air pollution shot up, creating a true air pollution crisis reminiscent of London's "killer fogs" of the late 1940s and 1950s.   This has happened before and will definitely happen again.  But what caught my eye was more data points supporting my contention that environmental degradation will lead to enough civil unrest to endanger the ruling authorities.

Choking smog paralyzes cities in northeast China

“I live in a country making people desperate,” posted another Weibo user. “The environmental pollution is not scary. What’s scary is the no-action government and the silence of people like slaves.”

China’s breakneck dash for economic growth has badly damaged the environment, and the rapid deterioration in air and water quality increasingly has become a source of public unrest. As a result, improving environmental standards has become a major priority for the government."
We'll see if it works.


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