This is the seconf part of Polution in Shanghai.
It is the second time my warm hearted reader Carsten send photos on Shanghai to me. Last time, carsten wrote
I would like to help people here to be more aware of, and understand, that if all do a little every day, it will have a tremendous impact.
This time, Carsten sent me another picture taken from CA164:
© Carsten, who kindly gave me some earplugs for F1 race
To be honest, the scene is not the worst in Shanghai. Sometimes, Shanghai’s sky is completely gray or even dark at daynight and visability is only 1,000 meters at most. Polution is a big problem in Shanghai.
Carsten said (used with permission):
I attach a photo taken today from a Boeing 737 (CA164 from KIX, Japan)
a few minutes before landing on runway 34L on PVG. Nasty air pollution, isn’t it ?
You can use it for a posting of pollution. That is an issue worth following up on.
I totally agree that it is an issue worth following up.
How to Follow Up?
This is not an easy question to answer.
Besides the telephone number, email address and website I provided in my last article, I think at least we can do something.
1) Report whatever polution source we see to news hotline or on some public forum or BBS (This blog included). Although most time the voice will be ignored, at least it is something we need to keep doing. (A blog does not make any difference to the world, but keep doing may contribute something)
2) To tell other people about the situation of polution in Shanghai or in China, exactly like what carsten did. I was moved (for the second time) deeply by Carsten, who is an expat in Shanghai but concerns about environment more than most people do (I admit he is doing a much better job than I do).
Any other suggestion?
Small Effort? But It Makes Impact
This is the second time he drop me emails and more than second time commented about polution on this blog. I feel I have the responsibility to talk about polution at least immediately after I get the email. I believe what carsten did at least impacted one person – me, and I hope what I did at least one person – you.
What is Google Doing
Google started to offer 1 USD per installation in China – previously, this program didn’t open to China. Today should be the first few days that a FireFox tab appear in Adsense.
What is Google doing? By investing agressively on a browser (not belong to Google yet), Google wants to occupy the one of the most fundmental ring in the chain – the browser. If there are enough people to put it on, and attracts enough uses to use this browser (with Google toolbar), it will really be scary.
We all aware of the pollution even thought I am just a occasional visitor to Shanghai.
The smog overcasting Shanghai are contributed mainly by the coal fired power generators. Presently China burns more coal than US and India combine, but what can you do about it? Constitute an energy abatement program? or ask China become the signatory of Kyoto Accord? Either way will choke the economic growth of China.
Nevertheless, I do hope the people the Shanghai can find the balance between the clean air and water and the comfort and wealth.
For JS and Carsten, I admire you consistent effort on the ‘green’.
Kai-Fu Lee’s Business Card when he was in Microsoft
http://www.gaoyuan.net/blog/article.asp?id=41
When I was in China studying I got sick from the pollution. That is how bad it has gotten there. I don’t know the reasons either. I would guess it is cars, but I live in America and city have the size of most in China have more cars and it is no where near as dirty! (Except for Houston, which is the worst city in the world!) I love China and want to live there, I just hope my immune system can survive it!
Well, Houston is not the worst compared to Shanghai. I was so depressed when I was in Shanghai because of smogs that I justed wanted to watch a DVD movie with some blue sky in it!
The standards of gasoline and car emission actually are different. You can guess, in China, it is loose.
Living on the 19th floor of an apartment right opposite Pearl tower and Jinmao Tower, we are witnessing how much pollution Shanghai has everyday by the visibility of the two landscapes.
We did a Pearl Tower Index on our blog: http://anonymouse.org/cgi-bin/anon-www.cgi/http://madaboutshanghai.blogs.com/mad_about_shanghai/oriental_pearl_tower_visability_index/index.html
In some bad days, we could taste the thick pollution in our mouth, which make us really sick.
It looks like London in history.
http://www.ecs.soton.ac.uk/~yh05r/blog
@carsten,
Last summer when I was in Shanghai, I saw the pollutant deposited on tree leaf are light brown dust and to me it is distinctively sulphur, have Shanghai received their dose of ‘Acid Rain’ yet?
Yes, Stephen, usually the first drops have a value of Ph 3. (Not good for the cars !)
Some here recommend that babies and old people are protected by umbrella when the first “shots” come…
If you come to Xi’an, you will felicitate yourself that is a good case…
Maybe we can do something for that…?
all big cities in china have the same problem. that’s why i left china. u can see blue sky in smaller cities in china but small cities in china are not livable. it will take a LONG time for 1.4 billion people to realize what we talked about on this page. by that time, maybe too late…