CURRENT EVENT #5
Local #1
Toby Zhang, M172
November 16, 2014
'APEC blue' prompts pollution
control pledge
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2014-11-15 20:30
SHIJIAZHUANG - Officials in north China say the success of
cutting emissions for the duration of the Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings will prompt more
measures to curb air pollution.
The promises were made as most polluting factories
resumed production, which had been suspended or ordered
to cut production to ensure clean air during the APEC
meetings in Beijing.
In Hebei Province, which neighbors Beijing, some factories
might be permanently phased out, said Yin Guangping, vice
head of the province's environmental protection department.
"Some factories affected by the suspension order were
found to be unlicensed or illegal and they might not be
allowed to reopen," Yin said, adding that the province was
mulling "further measures" on air pollution control.
Nearly 4,000 factories were ordered to close or curb
production in Hebei during the week-long APEC meetings
that ended on Tuesday. The province relies heavily on its
coal-fired steel plants and emissions from the area are
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partially blamed for the notorious smog that plagues Beijing.
To ensure clean air during the meetings, Beijing and its
neighboring regions -- including Hebei, Tianjin, Shandong
and Inner Mongolia -- imposed temporary restrictions,
including halting emission-heavy production and limiting cars
on the streets based on their license plates.
As a result, the Beijing sky remained blue during APEC
despite predictions otherwise, with daily PM 2.5 density in
the period falling to 43 micrograms per cubic meter,
prompting Chinese netizens to coin the phrase "APEC Blue"
to describe the clear sky.
But, with the lifting of the bans, Beijing reported light to
medium air pollution on Saturday, with PM 2.5 density
exceeding 200 micrograms per cubic meter in some parts of
the city.
Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, north of Beijing,
promised to crackdown on construction sites and factories
that violated pollution control rules in the wake of APEC, said
Pan Yanzhao, vice head of the regions' environmental
protection department.
"The APEC meetings have served to raise public awareness
on the need to phase out excessive and outdated industrial
capacity, so it presents a chance for us to place more
pressure on heavy-polluting factories," said Ma Jinghua, vice
head of Harqin Banner in Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia.
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Toby Zhang
M 172
November 11/16/14
The Five Themes of Geography
Article title: 'APEC blue' prompts pollution control pledge
Article source: China Daily in English
Article Type: Local #1
Location - Beijing, 39’ N, 116’ E. Neighboring provinces and city
including Tianjin, Hebei Province, and Inner Mongolia.
Region – Beijing is on a plain surrounded by mountains on the north,
west and east sides. The pollution in Beijing is very bad, because the
mountains formed an up side down U shape, factories mostly around
southern Beijing. Therefore when south wind blows, all pollutions are
trapped in the U shape so it gets worse; but when north wind blows, it
gets better.
Place - The capital of China, a big city surround by factories, it has
21.148 millions of people in 2013 and high density of cars on the
roads. It’s a place famous for tourism because of its history and
culture.
Human to human/environment interaction - APEC means AsiaPacific Economic Cooperation, is the meeting of the leaders of
countries in Asia and Oceania around the Pacific Ocean.
Government closed the most polluting factories around Beijing,
restricted pollution in other provinces like Inner Mongolia and Hebei,
and restricted the number of cars on the streets in Beijing, all workers
and students had a holiday. The government did this for this meeting.
This action did improve the air quality in Beijing tremendously,
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brought blue skies to Beijing during the meeting that are called by
people in Beijing as “APEC Blue”. Residents in Beijing hope for more
APECs in Beijing (APEC, BPEC, CPEC…).
Movements – Beijing is neighbored by Tianjin, Hebei, Inner
Mongolia, Shanxi and Shandong provinces, each of these places
have lots of coal burning factories. The polluted air from these areas
blow to Beijing (which are surrounded by mountains), causing severe
pollution in the city. In addition, there are many cars on roads in
Beijing, these cars emit lots of pollution too.
During APEC, the government closed down many factories and
restricted cars on roads. These measures significantly reduced
pollution in the city.
Reflection – I choose this article because pollution is a serious
problem in Beijing. When I lived in Beijing, there were times I could
not go out for days or I had to wear masks in order to go out. That’s
why my family moved to Shanghai this summer.
Pollution is believed to cause lots of health problems, such as
breathing difficulties, lung problems, and cancers, even ADHD.
The government should control the pollution in normal days, not just
to show the fake Beijing to foreign leaders. We should do more for
the environment too, like use less metals and plastics from factories
in polluted places, use more public and green transportations.
Article link: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/201411/15/content_18921954.htm
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