GVB is working to end the pollution and environmental degradation that plagues China as it bids to become a truly great country.
Just recently, we read the funny and informative travel book Lost On Planet China: The Strange and True Story of One Man's Attempt to Understand the World's Most Mystifying Nation or How He Became Comfortable Eating Live Squid (available on amazon.com).
Here are some of the startling facts about pollution in China, according to this book:
1. Over 1/3 of air pollution in California is from China… which is 4,000 miles away.
2. China leads the world in carbon emissions.
3. The World Bank estimates that 700,000 people in China die every year simply from breathing the air. For comparison, San Francisco has about 700,000 in it.
4. Air toxins, sometimes called particulate matter, are considered unsafe at 50 micrograms in the USA. In Beijing, on an average day, there are 141 micrograms of particle matter in the air.
5. Because of air pollution, the average life expectancy of a traffic cop in the city of Guangzhou is 43 years old.
6. 90% of the traffic cops (still) alive in Guangzhou have lung infections.
7. There are over 90 cities in China that, like Guangzhou, have over a million people. Currently, less than 1% of urban Chinese have safe air to breath.
8. This urbanization will continue, as about half the cranes for construction in the world are in China. There are 200 million migrant workers in China entering cities, looking for work or displaced by environmentally devastating projects like the Three Gorges Dam. (The ENTIRE population of the United States is 300 million!)
9. With 1.3 billion people, China has 20% of the world’s population. The USA only has 5% of the world’s population, but contributes to about 25% of the world’s pollution. What happens when China starts living like us?
10. For example, right now in the USA, there is 1 vehicle for every 1.25 inhabitants. In China, there is 1 vehicle for every 40 inhabitants. As China grows wealthier and more consumer-driven (already 150,000 new cars are purchased yearly in Guangzhou alone), the quality of the air AND the fight for oil could be disastrous.
11. China is already the 3rd biggest economy and the biggest exporter of goods – responsible for almost half the exports in the world. As bad as China is, they are only reacting to world-wide demand.
Keep this in mind as a consumer!
Global Village of Beijing is working hard to promote green communities, cut energy consumption, and promote eco-consciousness. GVB has an international reputation as being one of the most influential non-governmental organizations in China working to help the country achieve environmental sustainability
For more about Global Village of Beijing, click here:
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