Professional Documents
Culture Documents
English 102 - 22
Professor Kays
Climate change is a huge problem every country in the world is facing and that problem
is only getting worse. However, China has been one of the main contributors to this rapid climate
change. This problem is due to our human activities that we believe is harmless but in actuality is
affecting our chances of survival. The question that will be addressed in this paper is why is
climate change in China so bad compared to other countries? In order to answer this question,
Climate change can be defined as the change in usual weather at a certain place. For
example, how much snow a place gets every year or warm weather during a usually cold winter.
(Nasa) A lot of people do not think climate change is a big deal because the earths climate is
always changing. There are natural, uncontrollable reasons why such as the earths distance from
the sun and the eruption of volcanoes. However, there are many ways that us humans contribute
to climate change. Burning coal, oil, and gas is the biggest cause because it causes the air to heat
up. This in turn causes the earths climate to change. There have been many meetings regarding
the matter that have ended indecisive at the national level and ultimately ineffective even though
everyone is in strong agreement about how this is impacting the world negatively. Due to this, its
There are many ways that climate change is affecting the world but there are certain ones
that are far worse than others. One huge way it is affecting the earth is by melting the polar ice
caps which is raising our sea levels and affecting the wildlife that survives on them. Another
problem that will definitely impact the world terribly is drought. Water is an essential part of life
in general; humans, plants, and animals all cannot survive without water. It is also used in so
many different ways such as cooking, bathing, and even to use electricity. A major drought
throughout the entire world would be catastrophic. Most crops would not be able to grow and
animals would start dying rapidly. This means there would be a shortage on food and prices
would go up as supplies go down. Drought would also lead to an increase in wildfires. The rising
temperatures are also the reason why peoples pollen allergies are only getting worse. The
increase in carbon levels are promoting the growth of weedy plants that are producing allergenic
pollen. Climate change is also putting many species on the endangered species list. Polar bears
are not the only ones is trouble, animals that are sensitive to fluctuations in temperature are also
in danger of going extinct. However, one of the most dangerous aspects of climate change would
have to be the extreme weather like hurricanes and tornadoes become more powerful. The
frequency of these natural disasters is going up along with their destructibility. (11 ways climate
While climate change is affecting the entire world, China has been one of the leading
contributors and is facing the consequences. Due to climate change, the global average surface
temperature has risen by 0.3~0.6 degrees Celsius but in China alone the average was 0.5~0.8
degrees Celsius. (Kan) This has caused researchers to panic because at the pace that the surface
temperature is rising at the moment, rapid landslides and extreme flooding is bound to happen;
both of which will destroy highways, bridges, and thousands of houses. Another concern that
arises with the glaciers melting is the rising sea level. Sea levels around Chinas coast have
increased by over 90 millimeters over the past 30 years. Certain cities in China are especially
vulnerable to these changes like Shanghai. Shanghai is a growing city that is located in a very
low-lying area by the Yangtze River. Since it has grown so much over the past thirty years, it has
to pump more and more groundwater which has also been causing the city to slowly sink. In
recent years, the Shanghai government has stopped pumping groundwater in an attempt to stop
the city from sinking. However, the city will continue to sink as long as more buildings and
people occupy the land and glaciers continue to melt. Hong Kong is another city that is very
vulnerable to the steadily rising sea levels. The city is in danger mostly due to its geography,
huge amounts of reclaimed land, and the high concentration of skyscrapers. Hong Kong already
suffers from flooding because of typhoons, the increase in sea level will only increase the
frequency of such storms. If that happens, it will become incredibly dangerous for the people
Other terrible things that are happening in China due to climate change is the loss of
biodiversity. China has over seventeen thousand different species of plants and animals but
climate change is altering the structure of their ecosystems. For instance, coral reefs are being
severely affected because of the rising sea levels and the pH of the water changing. The pH is
slowly changing because the increase of carbon dioxide is cause the ocean to acidify. This slows
coral growth and also causes coral calcification. Without coral reefs, there will be a huge loss in
marine biodiversity. Natural disasters are another thing that is only continuing to get worse in
China. The consistency of abnormal natural disasters like drought, cyclones, rainstorms, and
thunderstorms is increasing. (Lai)The Chinese government has acknowledged this fact and has
also said that these storms are only become more unpredictable and devastating.
In addition to all the problems have that been previously stated, China is also dealing with severe
There are many reasons why Chinas smog is so horrible. The pollution from industries
and traffic definitely contributes to the smog but the main contributor is how much coal is burned
in China, especially during the winter. Chinas population is enormous and during the winter
temperatures drop. When temperatures drop, everyone turns on their heaters which runs on coal-
fired power plants which has made China the largest consumer of coal. Those tiny particles that
are emitted when coal burns floats into the air is the main cause of the smog. It has also been said
that those particles cause health problems that can damage the lungs, aggravate asthma, and even
cause heart attacks. The city of Beijing especially has it bad because it is bordered by mountains
that makes it hard for the smog rise over them. The result of this is that the smog just sits there,
gets more and more polluted, and makes the people living there have no choice but to breathe it
in. (Griggs) In China alone, more than 1.6 million people die annually because of the air
pollution alone. The government has been working hard to improve the air. They have
announced that they are going to spend $360 billion on renewable energy projects. However,
To answer the question that was stated at the beginning of this paper, climate change in
China is worse than other places around the world for a multitude of reasons. However, the main
reasons why are because China burns the most amount of coal, has severe smog problems which
is dangerous health problems, and is also in danger of sinking. Globally, everyone knows what
activities are causing climate change but changing bad habits is hard. Completely stopping the
use of coal, oil, and gas throughout the entire world is an impossible task at the moment. The
human race relies too heavily on these products and going without them right now would make
life very difficult. The only real solution to this problem while scientists and engineers are
coming up with other ways to replace them is to cut reduce usage. Using less water and
electricity, walking to work instead of driving, plating more trees instead of cutting them down,
and using safe renewable resources are all great ways to reduce the pace of climate change. Until
everyone in the world completely stops using those harmful products, climate change will only
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Griggs, Mary Beth. "Why Is the Smog in China so Bad?" Popular Science. N.p., n.d. Web. 23
Apr. 2017.
Kan, Haidong. "Climate Change and Human Health in China." Environmental Health
Perspectives. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Feb. 2011. Web. 06
Feb. 2017.
"Climate Change Impacts on China's Environment: Biophysical Impacts." Wilson Center. N.p.,
28 Sept. 2011. Web. 06 Feb. 2017.
Hsu, Sara. "Is China's Pollution Accelerating Climate Change?" Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 09
Sept. 2016. Web. 06 Feb. 2017.