China has the unfortunate reputation of having some of the dirtiest air in the world. Much of the pollution results from the enormous amount of manufacturing that goes on there, often earmarked for countries around the world that have essentially outsourced their own pollution to China.
A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences estimates that 20% of China’s air pollution can be attributed to goods being exported to America. However, it isn’t just the goods that are coming to our shores.
Strong winds carry China’s dirty air over long distances, with a percentage destined for the West Coast of the United States. Some of Los Angeles’ smoggy days are the result of imported pollutants from China. According to the study, as much as a quarter of sulfate pollution on the California coastline can be attributed to Chinese emissions.
There is plenty of blame to go around. China has been lax with regard to controlling pollution. The study notes that bringing Chinese air quality regulations up to U.S. standards and implementing energy efficiency programs could cut China’s emissions up to 60 percent.
However, a broader issue is the connection between producing and consuming countries and their pollution. International policies tend to focus on the emissions produced by a given country, and not on the emissions that are outsourced to other countries.
Outsourcing emissions to other countries may make our own pollution statistics look better, but it can come back to haunt us in many ways.
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Emissions outsourced to China return to U.S. in form of air pollution
Photo, taken on February 1, 2007, courtesy of Eric Schmuttenmaer via Flickr.
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Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio. Support for Earth Wise comes from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, NY.