Air Pollution in China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Air Pollution in China - Essay Example The health analysts have promised more disease such as lung cancer, pulmonary diseases, and other health complications as a consequence of the air pollution trends. Cumulatively, the effects of air pollution have a negative impact on the economic growth of a country, which is a severe problem in society. Consequently, there is a need to focus on the causes of air pollution, its impacts and the possible preventive measures that can be used to mitigate against the scourge. Reilly (2011, p. 1) points out that the progressive development of China for three consecutive decades has come along with adverse consequences on the environment. In the last 30 years, China has experienced the highest level of industrial development which has consistently contributed to the development of this state. However, industrialization has been accompanied by the emission of hazardous gases in the atmosphere which has contributed to an increase in the carbon dioxide gas content in the atmosphere. Most indus tries use crude oil products to fuel their machines as the source of industrial power. The by product of these industries include smoke, whose carbon dioxide content is high and additive to the atmosphere. As most industries regard the cost of fuel as cheaper than that of electricity, they opt to use this kind of power and consequently contributing to build up of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Urbanisation is another factor that has contributed to the increased air pollution in the atmospheres. With development of industries, most people have relocated to urban areas in search of job opportunities and better livelihoods. This population build up in China towns predisposes the environment to the risk of air pollution. For instance, Beijing alone has a population of more that 22 million people, a figure that is more than double the population in New York City (Policy and Global Affairs, 2005). As people obtain job in the urban areas, they have the ability to purchase vehicles that run by diesel or petrol. For instance, in Beijing, every day the town experience an increase in its automotive by a figure of 2000 new cars. This trend promises an increase in the rate of air pollution and an increase in the adverse effects of the carbon dioxide surge in the atmosphere. This has sent an alarm to environmentalists to design effective mitigative measures to reduce and if possible eliminate the level of air pollution in China. In the rural areas of China, solid fuels contribute to the increase in the rates of air pollution in the country (Policy and Global Affairs, 2005, P. 6). One characteristic of the rural areas in China is that they have the poorest and disadvantaged groups who live well below the poverty line. This lifestyle makes it hard for the people to afford alternative means of fuel such as electricity and they have to resort to the use of coal, corn stalks, firewood and other biomass. Burning these solid fuels produces a lot of smoke that contains high leve ls of carbon dioxide and other unfriendly gases that are unhealthy for human consumption. Coupled with the fact that this population has no chimney facilities accelerates the rate of air pollution in the atmosphere. The fact that the majority of the population lives in rural areas makes it even more complex to induce preventive measures to curb environmental pollution in this region of China. In essence, Energy is a

Paper 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Paper 2 - Essay Example For instance, Lauren Slater’s Metaphorical Memoir ‘Lying’, she chronicles her youth, how she struggled with epilepsy until she was cured through psychotherapy and medication; however, Slater also narrates how, when after being diagnosed with epilepsy, she developed the irresistible compulsion to lie. On the other hand, in her Autobiographical Memoir titled â€Å"The Kiss†, Kathryn Harrison reveals how, due toan unhealthy relationship with her mother, she became a victim of an incestuous relationship with her father. In this respect, we can posit that both Slater and Harrison had devised alternative ways of seeking attention to fill the emptiness from being neglected while growing up- compulsive lying and incestuous relationship respectively. Lauren Slater’s metaphorical memoir ‘Lying’ is an outright lie right from the title where she boldly and loudly announces that the contents of the book do not represent a true account of her life. As if that is not enough, Lauren Slater advertently imposes upon the reader a need to redraw the lines between factual truth and metaphorical truths; she achieves this by cunningly confusing facts and fiction throughout the book thus undermining the very essence of a memoir, which naturally is supposed to be a true account of events in one’s life. ... uring her adolescence, Lauren too begins lying, stealing and faking seizures as alternative ways of seeking attention from the people around her; this shows how neglected she was and how desperately she craved for the much needed attention. Later in her life, Slater begins an affair with a married man who was much older than she was but the relationship ends badly; Slater resorts to attending Alcoholics Anonymous sessions even though she was not alcoholic. However, Slater tells her story with so much conviction that even when she later confesses that she was not an alcoholic, everyone dismisses her true story as denial (Slater 207). The interplay between literal/factual with the Metaphorical/fictional is heightened even further when Slater suggests that epilepsy affects the memory thus, by confusing her emotional memory and factual memory, Slater raises concerns about the fundamental assumptions of the Memoir genre and all narrative self-disclosure. Kathryn Harrison develops an inces tuous relationship with her father as a way of courting the much needed attention due to her being neglected by her mother while growing up. In her autobiographical novel, â€Å"The Kiss†, Harrison reveals how her distant father figure coupled with the unhealthy relationship with her mother translates into a four-year incestuous affair; growing up, Harrison had close to no clue of her father until she recreates him in her own mind as someone bigger, faster and stronger than all other dads do. Harrison is raised by her grandparents because her parents divorced when she was only six months old (Harrison 5); her father appears ghostly, almost mythical because she is not allowed to discuss or talk about him. This causes the young Harrison to become extremely curious about her absent father, the