Clouds to the East (1999)

Increased prosperity in the developing nations ofAsia is taking a toll on the health of the people and the environment. In the last few decades, nations such as Japan, Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan have shared the spotlight as they experienced dramatic economic growth and industrialization. Equally astonishing is the rapid development occurring in other countries in Asia. For example, industrialization and urban development have soared in China since the early 1980s, making it one of the world's five fastest growing economies. This economic boom, however, comes at a cost, as sharply increased consumption of energy and resources have produced a major surge in pollution and inflicted significant damages on the Asian people and their environment. In World Health Organization (WHO) rankings of cities with severe air pollution around the world, China has earned the dubious distinction of having several of its cities ranked near the top of the list for the last decade. While economic development has brought China great benefits, including increased prosperity, the health damages resulting from air pollution have greatly impaired the well-being of the Chinese people. In 1997, the World Bank estimated that in Chinese cities with heavy air pollution, the costs of human health damages caused by that pollution exceeded 20 percent of the average income of urban dwellers. [1] In addition, emissions of air pollutants in China have raised concerns on a regional and global level. Sulfur emissions from coal combustion are transported across national boundaries. Transnational air pollution also creates international political tension as concern grows over acid deposition in the oceans and in neighboring countries. For example, sulfur emitted from sources in China is believed to contribute to acid deposition in Japan. Moreover, as energy consumption and emissions of greenhouse gases continue to rise, unless further action is taken, China is expected to be one of the world's major emitters of carbon dioxide and thus a major factor in global climate change early in the 21st century. Of course, China is not alone among Asian countries with severe air pollution problems. Air pollution in big cities in the Pacific and South Asian countries, has also inflicted severe damage to the exposed urban population and to local ecosystems in the region. In Jakarta, Indonesia, for example, levels of particulates in the most populated areas are five to six times the national air quality guidelines. [2] In Bangkok, Thailand, vehicular emissions have caused very high concentrations of particulate matter, carbon monoxide, and lead in the urban air. Every year, it is estimated that 5,000 premature deaths occur in Bangkok as a result of air pollution. [3] If you live in Delhi or other metropolitan areas in India, the air you breathe does you as much harm as smoking 10 to 20 cigarettes a day. Different Asian countries at various stages of economic and social development have different sources and patterns of air pollution, making generalizations impossible. For example, China's air pollution is composed primarily of particulates and sulfur dioxide from the use of coal, which is the primary source of energy for industrial activities, power generation, and domestic heating and cooking; in South and Southeast Asian megacities, vehicle emissions and traffic congestion on the roads contribute the most to the deterioration of urban air quality. In addition, government and private sector commitments to environmental investments and pollution abatement vary However, these countries' institutional and economic stakeholders are failing to maintain healthy air in the cities, and public awareness of the health and environmental damages of air pollution is still low. Choking cities in Asia face the critical challenge of sustaining large populations, while fueling economic development with limited resources and cleaning up the air. …