Pre-Session: Week 11

How much of China's emissions is the rest of the world responsible for?

So Mr Hope, in his article, explores China and its role in world emissions.


What a great article, I really enjoyed the discussion about China and its emissions.

In reflection, I wrote an account of when I went to Shanghai and how I was brutally affronted with the air pollution of the cities. Here is an excerpt:




I felt constricted and confined whenever I walked down the streets to grab some food or to even look around. Skyscrapers loomed upwards everywhere I looked, not that I had much of a chance to stop and stare because I would be shuffled along in the great moving mass of people.

And the air pollution. It was terrible. Smog and pollutants hung heavy in the air and only a week after my arrival I felt slightly sick and not 100% healthy.


So for me, Shanghai was jam-packed, tall and heavily polluted. 





With the rapid population growth has come rapid industrialisation. I found the most amazing statistic regarding China's construction rate. In 2005 there were nearly 7,000 buildings of 11 stories or more, which had been constructed in just 15 years.


So mainly due to necessity, China has built upwards into a very high density city. This has allowed an exceptionally large populace to live in the city and it has made Shanghai a thriving commercial hub for China.


However, my biggest concern when I was in Shanghai and what is the biggest issue facing the city is their air pollution. The fumes from the millions and millions of cars, plus the dust and debris from all the construction has made the city highly toxic. An interesting article on the subject can be found here:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/10586296/Shanghai-considers-arming-residents-with-anti-pollution-masks.html

and here:

http://qz.com/155101/todays-air-pollution-level-in-shanghai-is-insane/