| China has seen great economic development over | | | | Much of the power requirement of these kilns is |
| the decades. This has taken place largely to the | | | | met by old-fashioned, unscrubbed coal-burning |
| benefit of their population, but some problems | | | | power plants. Almost 70% of China's electrical |
| have arisen. China air pollution has become quite a | | | | demands are met using coal. The overwhelming |
| significant concern. They are aware of it of | | | | majority of China's greenhouse gas emissions |
| course and some progress has been made in | | | | come from this type of source and fuel. |
| rectifying it. That said, they have a long way to | | | | These issues came to the fore during the 2008 |
| go. | | | | Beijing Olympic Games, which opened with the |
| Since 2007, China has been the world's #1 emitter | | | | city clouded in smog. Although the skies did clear |
| of greenhouse gases, making air pollution in Asia, | | | | up, to what degree air quality improved is a |
| including China, a serious global issue. It is at least | | | | subject of speculation. The Chinese government |
| as serious a problem for the Chinese people. China | | | | closed the only independent agency monitoring air |
| air quality contributes to the deaths of three | | | | pollution in Beijing, the Cambridge Environmental |
| quarters of a million people every year, according | | | | Research Consultants (CERC), for the duration of |
| to the World Health Organization (WHO). | | | | the games. The data available comes from either |
| China's economic growth, combined with industrial | | | | independent, but untrained journalists, or the |
| equipment that could now be replaced with | | | | Chinese government and the impartiality of these |
| cleaner technology, is largely responsible for the | | | | numbers has been identified as suspicious. Even if |
| current China air pollution situation. A major | | | | the Chinese officials accurately reported China air |
| example is cement making. China's construction | | | | quality statistics, the standards used for |
| and infrastructure-building boom have led the to | | | | comparison leave something to be desired. While |
| this country becoming the world's leading maker | | | | they consider any day with a particulate matter |
| of cement. Just over half the worldwide output | | | | rating below 100 to be a "Blue Sky Day," the |
| now comes from China. Concrete production is | | | | WHO draws their line at 50. |
| polluting and highly energy intensive and methods | | | | They are making some efforts to reverse their |
| currently used in China compound the problems. | | | | trend towards ever-greater China air pollution. |
| Many producers use inefficient shaft kilns, which | | | | Their reforestation project, "the great wall of |
| the West started to abandon at the beginning of | | | | green," will become the world's single greatest |
| the 20th Century. Overall, 6% of the nation's | | | | re-planting of forest when completed. However, |
| electricity is used in operating cement-making | | | | the country's progress in other ways has been |
| plants, and much of it is wasted. These | | | | less promising. In 2000, their government |
| unscrubbed kilns also emit vast quantities of | | | | promised that it would reduce the China air |
| mercury, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, sulfur | | | | pollution by 10 percent by the year 2005. |
| dioxide, particulate matter, and other substances | | | | However, China grew to surpass the United |
| of interest. Unscrubbed means the facility is | | | | States as the world's biggest greenhouse gas |
| operated without the use of additional technology | | | | emitter. |
| specifically designed to reduce emissions. | | | | |