CHINA’S POLLUTION PROBLEM IS PRETTY BIG

CHINA’S POLLUTION PROBLEM IS PRETTY BIG

Hello everyone! This is a rare international blog, a quick break from all the important local news and events that I normally write about. I think it is important to step back and look at the bigger picture sometimes and this is one of those types of blogs. We actually wrote about this China pollution issue months before, but the article is here again and I think the news is important enough to share again. While we have a lot of drama in the world right now (Russia, Syria, Iran, etc.) I think there is little doubt that the main and largest rival to the U.S. is China. The Chinese have been racing to compete against us for many of the world’s resources including energy, weapons/military and food production to name a few. The difference is that China is a country lacking in true Government oversight of virtually everything, especially the environment. They have been growing so quickly and have been so focused on the here and now that they have seriously polluted their country on the way. How bad is it? The Chinese Government issued a report on this very subject, and you can be sure it is very understated, that the problem is much much worse than they are letting on. They have admitted that 16.1% of the entire country’s soil was polluted which includes 19.4 of all farmland. So one fifth of all the farmland in China is so polluted that it cannot be used. That is the size of the state of Maryland and it is growing fast. A great example of what this can lead to is what is happening in Hunan Province in Central China. This is a place where there is both metals production and also food production (rice). This area accounted for 16% of all the rice in China as of 2012. You might not be surprised to know that when they tested the rice from Hunan it was exceptionally high in cadmium levels, a chemical by product of metal production. It is really amazing that such things could be allowed to happen at all, much less for so long. But in a country where bribery, extortion and nepotism are ingrained in the people, truly anything is possible if you have enough money. Sure makes you appreciate and feel gratitude for living in America. As always thanks for reading and have a great day.