"The latest investigation by my students and me shows that the
ecological and environmental deterioration caused by global warming
has been gradually changing China's monsoon climate," said Qi Ye, a
professor with the Tsinghua University. The findings are contained
in an academic report delivered in Beijing on June 13 and reported
by the Public Science News on June 26. However, the issue
hasn't aroused people's interest yet, according to Prof. Qi.
Qi cited the fact that the humid oceanic air no longer reaches
Chinese inland areas the way it used to. The reduction in the force
of monsoon weather has led to flooding in the south and drought in
the north. Over the past 20 years the financial losses caused by
the weather have equaled 3-6 percent of the country's gross
domestic product annually.
According to Qi, there is a hypothesis that as air pollution has
weakened the light intensity which the sun radiates to earth,
therefore reducing the ground temperature. This in turn affects the
growth and reproduction of plants, furthering leading to ecological
and environmental deterioration.
Qi spoke of another phenomenon which is possibly easy to be
neglected by people. "Urban pollution, serious as it is, is only a
'point' source of pollution. Rural ecological pollution has much
greater impact on environment. The fertilizers and pesticides used
in farming aggravate the situation. Livestock waste has caused
water, air and soil pollution," he said.
A survey of 343 cities in 2002 showed that only one third of
them met the national second-level air quality standard.
Dioxin-like substances had been found in breast milk and milk sold
in some local supermarkets. The mercury content in vegetable
plantation soil in some areas was well above the acceptable
standard.
As a result, health problems have become increasingly prominent,
according to Qi. He gave a series of statistics to support his
views: The annual death toll from air pollution has exceeded 50,000
in 11 large Chinese cities with the number of patients who suffer
from respiratory complaints increasing alarmingly; the lung cancer
death toll in air polluted areas is 5-9 times higher than that of
other areas.
Qi observed that Japan, the United States and European countries
had all encountered severe environmental problems before, but the
legal system in these countries had played a great role in the
improvement of environment. He stressed that harnessing the
environment is not only a scientific and technological issue. China
lacks policy, law and management support when dealing with the
environmental issues, he said.
(China.org.cn by Li Jingrong, June 29, 2006)