PROBLEMS OF BEIJING Beijing is the capital of the People’s Republic of China and the world’s third most populous city proper. It’s also one of the most polluted cities in the world. China’s air and water pollution situation is described as being out of control. It is one of the most alarming problems citizens and consequently residents of Beijing face every day. Air pollution in Beijing is bad. Average PM2.5 readings can reach 100 microgrammes per cubic metre, which is four times more than recommended amount. Beijing’s main causes of pollution are coal plants, direct and indirect vehicle emissions, population growth and an enormous economic boom.  One reason Beijing pollution has been a tricky issue is that most of the pollution does not originate from Beijing but from districts around it. Water pollution is another major problem of Beijing. More than 80 percent of the water from underground wells is unfit for drinking or bathing. Rivers are filled with trash and are smelly and toxic. A big amount of water contamination is caused by industrial plants and farming units. These discharge huge quantities of sewage directly into river basins and canals. In some areas water is being contaminated even with heavy metals and toxic organic compounds. Consequences of pollution can be seen as shorter lifespans of Beijing’s citizens and rise of lung cancer. Air pollution is also responsible for premature deaths, lung disease and cardiovascular disease, birth defects and can trigger short-term effects like heart attacks, asthma attacks and bronchitis. There’s also a risk that thick smog can cause deadly traffic incidents. Beijing has frequently experiences severe smog with schools shut for days and cars ordered off the roads during the worst events. Water pollution is responsible for greater cancer risk and water shortage in China. In some areas farmers are using polluted shallow groundwater causing crop contamination. They are also filling water with antibiotics which makes water effect people in the same way as them taking medicine. People are also exposed to arsenic and fluoride contamination, which cause skin diseases, various cancers and thyroid problems. China’s central government is trying to reduce water and air pollution, but at the moment a long-lasting solution is not known. Water pollution is being solved by moving rivers from South to North, setting up preservation zones and to eliminate black and smelly water in urban areas. Chinese citizens can also report heavily polluted rivers to the goverment. Air pollution is being challenged with Beijing’s environmental police, that can punish polluters, including fining them, by closing big coal-fired power stations, by planting a “necklace” of trees (100 million) around Beijing and by building Smog Free towers which creates smog free air zones.

Environmental impact

• Air pollution
• Water pollution
• Waste, waste disposal, and toxicants
• Hazards related to extreme weather events – natural disaster
• Alteration of landscape aesthetics and built heritage

Ethical/ legal issues

• Health and well-being
• A clean and prosperous environment and a safe and pleasant habitat
• Indigenous land, culture and rituals

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Boris Jereb

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