Environmental Issues: Problems Between USA and China

Environmental Issues Name Institution Environmental Issues Introduction The growing concern and people’s sensitivity to their environment, in China and the United States, forces the two governments to set up initiatives aimed at curbing or rather reducing the rate at which their economic activities pollute the environment. However, there exists some disparities in the efforts or steps taken by each country with China lagging behind due to its prior reservations about addressing its environmental issues until it became apparent the imminent danger and fatalities related to the ecological imbalances created by their activities. Public outcry from both countries and the commendable government initiative to address these challenges have come at an opportune time when the world faces the crisis of climate change which already proves its destructive capability to the human being’s survival. It is the human economic activities of both countries that are to blame for the massive gas emissions affecting the atmosphere and leading to climate change. The destructive nature of climate change reflects in the rampant occurrence of earthquakes in both countries that may be triggered through their mining activities, sandstorms, droughts and famine. Climate change has the adverse effect of rising the sea levels leading to unprecedented and catastrophic hurricanes and typhoons which claimed thousands of lives over the recent years and displaced millions from their homes. Hence it is of utmost importance to have a critical analysis of the environmental issues in China and the United States by mirroring disastrous nature of their impacts while highlighting their differences and both governments response to the challenges as well as their citizens’ initiative in averting the looming environmental crisis. The world leading economies, China and the United States of America, enjoy their various economic achievements through their investments in industrialization. Since the beginning of agricultural and industrial revolutions, the two countries have made major strides in the respective fields as both endeavor to make economic progress and improve the livelihoods of its citizens. As a result, citizens of the United States enjoy some of the best life practices that people in other nations cannot afford and always try to emulate the developed country’s initiatives in the attempt to impact social, economic, and political change CITATION GPT12 \l 1033 (Thomas, 2012). On the other hand, China through its progressive and continuous industrial revolution gradually climbed up the ladder beating other Western countries to become an economic powerhouse whose influence and presence in the manufacturing industry spreads across the globe. The tremendous achievements in the industrial sector leads to major life improvements for both countries through the creation of employment opportunities for their citizens and thus reducing poverty. Nevertheless, the positive changes witnessed by both nations have come at the costly price of environmental degradation which bring hazardous repercussions to their ecological balance. The economic activities in China and the United States cause major shifts in the ecological balance much to the distraught of not only their populations but also to the entire universe CITATION Bre17 \l 1033 (Doroski, 2017). Additionally, the ever-rising energy demands to keep the economic wheel of industrialization serve to further perpetuate the worsening conditions that is already shifting the climatic system. The two nations lead in contribution to the deterioration of the global environment and as such they at the receiving end of both the domestic and international citizens to reduce adverse impacts of their economic activities to the environment by seeking environment-friendly alternatives to their production or manufacturing methods. Environmental issues in China and the US Hurricanes/Typhoons One of the environmental issues facing both countries with disastrous effects to both nations is the occurrence of hurricanes and or typhoons. These are types of storms originating from the differences in temperature levels in the pacific and Atlantic oceans. Often starting as tropical cyclones in the Pacific Ocean the rising temperatures of the Chinese waters and its environs makes the country and the region culpable to frequent tropical cyclones CITATION Mar13 \l 1033 (Marc Lallanilla, 2013). The tropical cyclones gain momentum from the dry winds of from the bare lands to accelerate in speed to about 75 miles per hour whence it is termed a typhoon or a hurricane depending on the region of occurrence. Occurrence to the western Pacific region within the Asian coastline form what is known as a typhoon, and a hurricane if it occurs in the waters around the vicinity of North America. The frequency of the often catastrophic event is higher in the Chinese region than in the United States. The reason for the higher frequency in China is as a result of the higher rate of carbon dioxide emission to its regional atmosphere emanating from its industrial activities which demand the use of vast quantities of fossil fuels, especially coal. The increased carbon emissions into the atmosphere destroys the ozone layer of its atmosphere and thus increasing the intensity of the ultra violet rays from the sun. In return, an increase in the atmospheric temperature occurs within both the land and the sea thus making the area vulnerable to frequent occurrences of typhoons whose effects vary depending on the strength of the storms or oceanic waves rising as a result of the heightened temperatures CITATION Mar13 \l 1033 (Marc Lallanilla, 2013). The Unite States also has its fair share of hurricanes which turn out to be equally disastrous or catastrophic but their frequencies are not as rapid as with the China’s. Sandstorms Another environmental challenge faced by China and the United States as a result of the environmental pollution and degradation takes the form of sandstorms. Like the typhoons and hurricanes, are dependent on the strength of winds as they pass over a region of loose sand which upon picking them up reduce people’s visibility. One of the reasons for the occurrence of such phenomenon is deforestation or desertification of lands for the purposes of establishing industrial centers. Sandstorms are most common in the dessert region and also take place after the overheating of the air above the deforested lands or desserts. The heated air above the sand or soil makes it rises creating an unstable atmosphere as it violently shifts places with the low air temperature leading to the sandstorms CITATION Ele16 \l 1033 (Xu, 2016). Recently, the meteorological authority in Beijing warned its residents against venturing outdoors as the region experienced prohibited as a result of reduced visibility. Sandstorms in the United States are not as severe as in the Chinese Republic due to its lower rate of air pollution. Nevertheless, the nation has its bouts of sandstorm attacks that have adversely affected its agricultural, transport and respiratory health of its people. The South Western region of the United States has however witnessed increased prolonged episodes of sandstorm attacks owing to its eroded atmospheric cover. Sandstorm attacks in China could attack a region spanning eight provinces simultaneously and initiating a major standstill of economic activities as fights are canceled and driving and intensified occurrences of dust storms. The observation is attributed to the rising sea temperatures in the North Pacific which blow towards the cold waters on the shores of California. The cool dry winds from the North Pacific region blow into the land meeting dry soil which it blows high speeds carrying with it the valley fever pathogens that lead to an increase in the infection of the disease CITATION Mar13 \l 1033 (Marc Lallanilla, 2013). Both countries suffer from the implications of sandstorms as the population is at risk of getting respiratory disease which hamper the nation’s productivity and increases expenditure on health by both the governments and members of the public. Famine The US and China are considered as two of the largest economies in the world. However, it should not come as a shock that these countries are also plagued by famine. According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, famine is “an extreme scarcity of food” or “a great shortage.” The above simply means that famine is not limited to food but can be used to also showcase other shortages in the world. Well, the US and China have been victims of famine in the past and their struggles are well-documented. First of all, it is essential that the causes of famine be outlined. Some of the common causes of famine include drought, government restrictions, war, flooding, earthquakes, government policies, a socialist government like in North Korea, etc. Each of these causes impacts people’s lives differently and can disrupt the flow of food as well as other resources. In China, for example, numerous famines have been documented and each left people dead and hopeless the latest being the Great Chinese Famine. According to Penuel (2011), as per Government estimates only 15 million died. However, he continues to say that the number given above is “despite the official numbers” stating that “as many as 45 million may have died due to hunger during this disaster.” Looking at the events leading to the famine, Penuel says that this famine “was a result of a series of natural disasters compounded by poor policy choices, inadequate management, and shifting procedures.” The Great Chinese Famine is not the only famine China has had in the 20th century. The country experienced multiple famines including the Henan famine (1942-43), the 1936 famine, the 1928-30 famine, and the east-central famine of 1907 to 1911. The famines listed above were caused by different things including flooding like the Henan famine but looking at China today, one notes that the country has indeed managed to put the above behind it. The US, on the other hand, has not had a lot of famines like China. The only time the US was rumored to have had a famine episode was during the Great Depression. Looking at the material which documented the depression, one notes that there are no concrete statistics provided regarding the number of people who died during this time. One article written by Granados and Roux (2009) opines that while there was indeed a famine instigated by the Great Depression in the US, the population health never declined. The authors opine that mortality decreased during the Great Depression and life expectancy increased. However, one blogger by the name Boris Borisov seems to disagree with such notions. After conducting research on the US population during and after the Great Depression, Boris reported that the US lost more than 7 million people to famine during the Great Depression. While his article titled The American Famine can no longer be found, he did leave the world confused and thousands debating the credibility of his assertions. China and the US have indeed had episodes of famine. Well, China has had more episodes but has tried to secure itself and prevent any further episodes. Heat Wave To define or understand what heat wave is, one does not need to conduct research on it or even seek for materials because a dictionary offers the simplest and most easily comprehensible elucidation of the term. The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines a heat wave as “a period of unusually hot weather.” The Cambridge Dictionary is also not far off from the definition given above and says that it is “a period of time such as a few weeks when the weather is much hotter than usual.” Countries do have periods when they are unusually hot and the change is quite often noticeable. Well, in the US and China, heat waves are normal occurrences. In 2017, for example, the US experienced several episodes of heat waves many of which were documented while also raising questions on man’s influence on the environment. According to Pydynowski (2017) of AccuWeather, the heat wave experienced in 2017 put “all-time record highs in jeopardy.” Some parts of the country were uncharacteristically hot and the condition was unwavering. As per Pydynowski’s article, the heat wave was bound to sur...