As far as Chinese farmers in regions neighboring Beijing are considered, the nuclear apocalypse has already begun. It is becoming common knowledge that smog in many of China’s major cities is growing rapidly out of control. However, the severity of the situation is so great that the effects on China’s agriculture is resembling that of a nuclear winter. Due to the thick smog cover, plant growth has started to become drastically hindered. When seeds of the same plant were grown in a lab under artificial lighting and in a greenhouse farm, the lab-grown seeds took 20 days to grow whilst the latter group of seeds took over two months. Such light-deprived is unsustainable for growth, and a further degradation of the conditions could lead to dire consequences for an agricultural industry constituting 10% of the GDP of a nation home to over 1.6 billion people.
Wheat farmer in fog-covered field. Photo Credit: Xinhua
China is one of the world’s largest export manufacturers; 65% of its energy is fueled by coal. It is not surprising, then, that a combination of massive energy use and lack of significant government action that the conditions have become so toxic. In fact, the smog has even begun drifting to other countries, most notably settling into Japan a week ago, as well as Korea and as far as Los Angeles. Although fairly weak relative to the smog levels experienced in Beijing, the smog that reached Japan still contained 50% more airborne particulate matter than is considered safe by the World Health Organization; levels in China have reached as much as 15 times the safe level. Whilst questionable policy enforcement on its own soil is already a major issue, spreading smog may add fuel to already-tense Sino-Japanese relations, worsening the situation further.
Chinese smog as seen from satellite. Photo Credit: NASA Goddard Photo and Video
As I noted in my presentation in class several weeks ago, one of the proposed solutions in combating the smog issue was the implementation of super-sized sprinklers on top of all major skyscrapers and high-rises so as to physically wash the smog away; this is theorized to be able to reduce the amount of smog to safe levels in a matter of days or weeks. Another, more outlandish proposal involves the creation of massive, inflatable bubble-like structures to encompass parks and gardens and form a refuge for citizens seeking a reprieve from the increasingly toxic air. However, such a method would cost substantially more money, would not address the amount of smog, and, given the extreme rich/poor divide in China, potentially lead to an Elyisum-reminiscent situation.
The Eden Project in the UK, similar to the proposed structures in China. Photo Credit: Jack Two
Regardless of the path down which China decides to tackle its ever-increasing problem, it is imperative that they act swiftly. As their agriculture is more and more affected, other aspects of their economy will likely falter as well and, given the intertwined nature of the global economy, a relatively simply pollution problem may soon have worldwide consequences.
-Helon Law.
