You Won’t Believe How Bad Pollution In China Has Become

[Playinghardball]

ith a newly-minted elite and an economic growth rate of over 10%, the environment has taken a backseat in China, the world’s most populous country. Growing pollution has led to unusable waterways, increased incidence of birth defects, and some of the dirtiest air on earth. It’s so nasty that there’s now a word for it: “smogpocalypse”.

With that said, China is not oblivious to its ecological impacts, and according to the Harvard Business Review “is taking this challenge much more seriously than others… doing things differently, making longer-term, sustained commitments that are much larger.” In 2010, China ranked as the world’s leading investor in low-carbon energy technology, which makes sense given national political leaders’ tendency to view clean energy as a great economic opportunity.

The following photographs prove that economic growth indeed comes at a cost, and one whose long-term effects remain unclear:


Read more at http://all-that-is-interesting.com/pollution-in-china-photographs#PiBo7D8ZxDilVTy9.99

[Skittles]

1. yeah I would

[Shankapotomus]

2. There you go Republicans

That's what your lax environmental regulations get you.

[think]

3. +1

[Joe Magarac]

4. China is run by Republicans? n/t

[Shankapotomus]

5. No

But their environmental policy is what they want for here.

[Shankapotomus]

8. Are you Republican?

You think that's paranoia? The whole reason the U.S. lost jobs to China was that manufacturing costs less there. It cost less not only in wages but in environmental regulations. If American companies were more concerned about the environment many that moved there would have put self-imposed restraints on the pollution output for their products or otherwise not produced in China.

Obviously, the environmental repercussions did not stop many American companies from manufacturing in China. If they're willing to do it there, they'd be willing to do it here if given the opportunity.

So spare me your defense of the indefensible.

[LiberalLoner]

13. +1

[Enthusiast]

16. +1 an entire shit load.

[TorchTheWitch]

64. +1 and then some!

[WinstonSmith4740]

17. You go with your bad self, Shank!

You hit it right on the head, and that hurts the wing-nuts. I can't think of one Republican in the House or Senate that wouldn't let this crap happen here. This is what happens when "market forces" and "industry will regulate itself" is allowed to become the way things are run, and this country was WELL on its way to all of this before the EPA came in with all the dreaded regulations. I still have a cartoon that was published at least 45 years ago...a young man is interviewing for a job, the smokestacks outside of the window are billowing shit into the air, and the crusty old guy behind the desk is saying, "No, we don't have a pension plan...we don't think the earth will last that long."

Paranoia my ass. This is EXACTLY where we would have been if the rethugs had their way. They don't care if they turn this planet into a burning cinder as long as their bank balance is healthy, because unfortunately, today's "Republican" is a far cry from the Eisenhower years, or for that matter, the Reagan years. They've devolved into greedy, selfish bastards who don't give a rat's ass about anything but making more money.

What I've never been able to figure out is why I (who made the decision to not have children) care more about the future of this planet than all of those child-worshiping right-wingers.

"We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it from our Children." Native American Proverb

[Shankapotomus]

55. +1

Amen.

[1dogleft]

18. So.....

your saying companies are Republican and if so where do Democrats work

[WinstonSmith4740]

59. First of all...

in, this case it's "you're" not "your", you need a comma after "Republican", and a question mark at the end. Secondly, like the troll I suspect you are, we here at DU don't deal with absolutes...we understand nuance. (nu*ance; noun. ˈnü-ˌän(t)s def:a subtle distinction or variation;"Nuance." Entry 1. Mirriam-Webster Dictionary) Not ALL companies are owned by Republicans, and not ALL Republicans are evil, selfish, SOB's like the Koch brothers, and John Schnatter. One of my brother-in-laws is a Republican...he's also kind, compassionate, and generous to a fault, especially with family. (I keep kidding him about being a Democrat at heart) He's also the kind of Republican that they keep purging from the party for not having enough ideologist purity.

So democrats can work pretty much wherever the jobs are. Unless they run into one of these assholes:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3286284
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2224603

And in case you think these are some kind of isolated incidences:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023900901

Here's your wake-up call. If given enough time and power, the current incarnation of "Republican" will destroy unions, environmental protections, public education, and anything else that benefits the 99%. And guess what...you're NOT part of the 1%. They'll figure out a way to outsource your job, too. It will go to a country where people will work under slave conditions because they have no choice. And there'll be no one left to argue on your behalf.

When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.

When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.

When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I wasn't a Jew.

When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.

Martin Niemöller

And, yes. We know that ONLY the Nazi's were Nazi's, and ONLY Hitler was Hitler. But today's hard core, right-wing conservatives are doing a damn good imitation.

BTW...look at that list. It's EXACTLY who the Republicans target.

[1dogleft]

62. my God chill out

it was a simple question. I did not write the thread. You(re) gonna give yourself an aneurism. Additionally I said "gonna" instead of "going to" just to piss you off

[Sheepshank]

60. don't make me laugh.....

...and you attempt to put "left" in your user name as if it is a magical diversionary shield of some sort?

[SoapBox]

24. ...and then they disappear.

Post up some shit and then run away.

[Aristus]

56. Don't worry about him.

His user name screams 'stupid jackass.'

[Shankapotomus]

58. Just realized DU voted to hide his post

I wasn't that offended by it but it's a weird feeling when the power of the group comes to your defense. I almost feel sorry for the guy now. First for me.

[RedCappedBandit]

9. ROFL.

This is exactly what happens under deregulation, and it sure as hell isn't the left pushing for it.

[Enthusiast]

15. They are anti-regulation just like Republicans.

Get a clue.

[nc4bo]

45. OT Enthusiast...

Love that signature - would you mind terribly if I snatched it then used it?

[Enthusiast]

47. I snatched it from someone.

The more the better.

[JDPriestly]

25. Well, Romney seemed to feel at home there when he visited. Remember the 2012 election

campaign video. The one that was secretly made during a Romney appearance at a fundraiser?

[treestar]

29. Yes, Rmoney seemed in that speech to like very much

The idea of long lines of people desperate to get minimally paying jobs.

[jmowreader]

31. How do you think Romney got rich in the first place?

The very first thing Romney does when he buys a company is decides how many jobs to eliminate. He then walks in the door and fires everyone working there. Next, he requires them all to reapply for jobs, and hires back a subset of the people who were once employed. This is supposedly more humane than the old-fashioned corporate decimation, but I can't see it.

And let's get to the real question: Was Romney's business good for business? Examine RJR Nabisco, which Romney did not buy, to find your answer: that company has been scattered to the four winds.

[greytdemocrat]

7. Perhaps protest parades

about global warming should be moved
from NYC to Beijing???

[awoke_in_2003]

10. I bet they turn it around...

unlike we in the west, China tends to think long term. They know this cannot continue, and they have the brain power to right this ship. It is in their best interests.

[athenasatanjesus]

11. We in the west have plenty of people who think long term

they just aren't as good at politics as the one track minded people who think short term.
China is probably exactly the same,they have people that think short term,and people who think long term,and I'm sure their short term thinkers are better at spamming pretty political catch phrases that people respond most favorably to wards.

[awoke_in_2003]

12. yes, we do...

too bad that the oil, gas, and coal lobbies are much larger and better funded. Lobbyist write our legislation and own the legislators, so it will take us longer.

[Adrahil]

37. Ummm...

The reason our country isn't like that is because we DO have environmental regulations.

[awoke_in_2003]

38. Yes, and the funding...

for the enforcement of those regulations is constantly under attack. Laws don't mean squat if you don't have the manpower to enforce them. Hell, that fertilizer plant down here in Texas hadn't been inspected for years before it blew up.

[Adrahil]

39. I'm not saying we don't have enemies....

... We certainly do. The right generally wants to gut environmental regulations. But our country does have some leaders with vision.

[awoke_in_2003]

40. Too bad not enough...

to be of any good.

[Sheepshank]

63. China lacks substantial opposition to any government decision

as in every nuance in life and politics, there is the good and the bad. Dictatorship can affect quicker change...but at what cost to civil liberties? It's really too bad that the Republicans just hate Libs so bad and loves their corporate overlords so much, it clouds any good judgment they have when it comes to agreeing on "clean earth' policies.

[1dogleft]

19. did you see those pictures

there is no turning that around, BTW whose fault is Global Warming

[awoke_in_2003]

20. I remember how we looked...

in the early 70's. It can be done, but it will take a while.

[JDPriestly]

26. Judging from those pictures, not entirely ours.

[SheilaT]

35. If China were that good at thinking long term, they would never have let

the pollution get this bad.

In addition, we've actually done a decent job of cleaning up a lot of our pollution. In the 1930's and '40s there were cities in this country that were dark in the daytime thanks to the smokestacks of industry. It was cleaned up somewhat by the 1950's, but I can clearly recall seeing that kind of thing in that decade.

In addition at some point Lake Erie was declared dead and had caught fire. While there are still genuine problems, it is no longer considered a dead lake.

[awoke_in_2003]

36. They suffered through the same thing

we did up through the 70s. We finally came to our senses.

[amandabeech]

46. It was the Cuyahoga River that caught on fire.

It empties into Lake Erie at Cleveland. Here's a link to photos of the fire:

https://www.google.com/search?q=cuyahoga+river+fire&client=firefox-a&hs=Y6Q&rls=org.mozilla:en-US fficial&channel=fflb&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=I3gnVPuLJMG0yASl4IKADw&ved=0CB8QsAQ&biw=1366&bih=631

Lake Erie is in better shape but there are still problems once in a while. There was a toxic algae bloom in the western end of the Lake this summer that made the drinking water in Toledo and other nearby cities undrinkable.

Part of Lake Erie's problems is that it is quite shallow and small and heats up more in the summer than the larger and deeper Great Lakes. It also has a high pollution load even now because it is just down river of Detroit, and is bordered by Toledo, Cleveland and industrial cities in between. Lake Michigan has fewer problems because the Chicago area's pollution drains toward the Mississippi through the reversed Chicago River and the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. And Lake Michigan is considerably larger, and usually can handle the pollution load from Milwaukee and the smaller industrial cities that dot the Wisconsin and southern Michigan shores without fouling the water so badly that the drinking water pulled from it cannot be treated sufficiently to be safe.

[SheilaT]

50. Thank you for the correction.

[hatrack]

48. Maybe, but they have pushing 5X our population, and they all want our kind of stuff

Good luck with that . . .

[n2doc]

14. Nothing against the poster

But GOD I hate sites that nag you to join them or like them on Facebook. I can't even get past the popups to look at the images. That site sucks.

[Logical]

21. You know they need to pay the bills somehow. nt

[n2doc]

23. Yep. But other sites have to do the same

And they manage to not be so self-defeating about it

[awoke_in_2003]

22. One good thing about those types of sites...

is that people are more accountable in the comment section due to the fact that they are no longer anonymous.

[SoapBox]

27. I do believe...

That if Pukes, Baggers and the KKKoch Terrorists had their way, we would look like those pictures.

It's a death wish, all in the name of power / control, greed and money.

[liberal N proud]

28. When you land in Beijing the air hits you as you deplane.

There is a hotel our company uses half way between the airport and central Beijing before traveling to other parts in the region. As you look out your hotel room window the outline of the building across the street can almost be seen.

The sky is always green/grey.

[Duppers]

30. I know

Our plane landed at noon in Beijing with plane and runway lights for visibility. Unbelievable smog.

[ReRe]

32. I wonder what the life expectancy values are there?

I know if I lived there I would be dead.

[former9thward]

34. 75.2 years.

Life expectancy improves in China

In 2012 the life expectancy in Chinaincreased to 75.20 years.That year, the life expectancy for women was 76.52 years and for men 73.94 years.

China’s position was held this year in position 61th with respect to the ranking of 182 we publish life expectancy.

If we look at the change in life expectancy in China over the past several years, we find that it is higher than in 2011, when it was 75.04 years, which is the same of what happens compared to 2002, when it was 73.07 years.

http://countryeconomy.com/demography/life-expectancy/china

[ReRe]

41. Wow...

... that sure doesn't mirror all that pollution in the air and in the water, does it? The fish sure didn't fare too well in the waterways.

[snowjob]

33. Think about this

China currently has 350 million smokers. Sixty percent of male doctors in China smoke. Put that on top of all that sicking pollution.

[kimbutgar]

42. I have a hair dresser who is from China

She goes home every year to visit her family. I asked her recently if she wanted to move back and she said no way. She said the air pollution is so bad it's hard to breath. She's been here over 10 years and every time she goes home she says the pollution only gets worst. Plus with no regulations food is questionable to eat. She brings American food to China when she visits her family!

The pollution gets into your hair and clothes. She said she can't believe how bad it's gotten in China. The only place to get fresh air is to travel up to the mountains.

This is the dream the GOP Koch whores have for us. Pollution, foul water , no regulations on business and toxic chemicals in our soil.

Vote for your future and your children's. Do not vote republican. Your life and health depends on it.

[seabeyond]

43. they are polutting the world. not just their space. nt

[deafskeptic]

44. I can believe it. It's a good thing their leaders are actually investing

in low carbon energy technology despite current pollution problems. That's more than what I can say for my own country's leaders.

Perhaps it's because corps don't have as much stake in high carb tech. I don't know enough China's political structure other than the fact it's a communist state to say more though.

[moondust]

49. How's their health care system?

Ready for a massive epidemic of lung diseases, cancer, etc?

Or will everybody be pretty much left to fend for themselves and die? (Other than party bigwigs and 1-percenters, of course.)

[valerief]

51. Koch Brother petcoke

[highmindedhavi]

52. I am guilty for buying Apple

made in china.

[Shankapotomus]

57. You can alleviate some of that guilt

It's difficult to avoid buying products made under the exploitative labor conditions in China.

So what I do is for each purchase of a Chinese product I make, I factor in a small percentage extra based on the price and donate that to an organization that helps exploited Chinese workers.

[Kaleva]

53. There was an OP posted earlier about wealthy Chinese leaving that country for other places.

[Liberal_in_LA]

54. ...manufacturing plastic doodads for Americans

[spanone]

61. those pictures must make the deregulatory republicans salivate