One of our readers commented on an earlier post regarding Asian pollution and how it's affecting North America, and stated that he or she was disappointed that there was no investigation into how that same pollution was affecting people at its source -- that is, actual Asians.Point taken, and a great one at that.
We've decided therefore to post some pertinent information regarding Asian pollution as a whole and what it's doing to people living on the continent, taken from Wikipedia as a reminder for all those who are unaware of Asia's polluted state -- and for the rest of us who have forgotten this very buried, and very sad repercussion of rapid industrialization in the developing world.
We need to remember that pollution has no ideology or borders, and the sky is something all human beings have to share and live with.
Earthly damage that is done in one place affects us all, at both its source and far beyond the borders of offending nations, and it's an issue that will take total global cooperation in order to solve.
Here's more information on the "Asian Brown Cloud":
The Asian brown cloud is a layer of air pollution that covers parts of South Asia, namely the northern Indian Ocean, India, and Pakistan.[1][2] Viewed from satellite photos, the cloud appears as a giant brown stain hanging in the air over much of South Asia and the Indian Ocean every year between January and March, possibly also during earlier and later months. The term was coined in reports from the UNEP Indian Ocean Experiment (INDOEX).[3]
A major source remains the barely scrubbed pollution, from both coal-fueled powerplants and manufacturing in Southern China. Most clearly revealed and defined by NASA and NOAA photography. The stream extends across the Pacific Ocean by way of the jet stream. Part of the Acid Rain encountered in the United States, is directly related to the ABC. In some humidity conditions, it forms haze. It is created by a range of airborne particles and pollutants from combustion (e.g. woodfires, cars, and factories), biomass burning[4] and industrial processes with incomplete burning.[5] The cloud is associated with the winter monsoon (November/December to April) during which there is no rain to wash pollutants from the air.[6]
One major impact is on health. The 2002 study indicated nearly two million people die each year in India alone from conditions related to the brown cloud.[11]
The second assessment study was published in 2008.[12] It highlighted regional concerns:
- Changes of rainfall patterns with the Asian monsoon. The observed weakening Indian monsoon and in China northern drought and southern flooding is influenced by the clouds.
- Increase in rainfall over the Top End and Kimberley. A CSIRO study has found that by displacing the thermal equator southwards via cooling of the air over East Asia, the monsoon which brings most of the rain to these regions has been intensified and displaced southward.[13]
- Retreat of the Hindu Kush-Himalayan glaciers and snow packs. The cause is attributed to rising air temperatures that are more pronounced in elevated regions, a combined warming effect of greenhouse gases and the Asian Brown Cloud. Also deposition of black carbon decreases the reflection and exacerbates the retreat. Asian glacial melting could lead to water shortages and floods for the hundreds of millions of people who live downstream.
- Decrease of crop harvests. Elevated concentrations of surface ozone is likely to affect crop yields negatively. The impact is crop specific.
The report also addressed the global concern of warming and concluded that the brown clouds have masked 20 - 80 percent of greenhouse gas forcing in the past century. The report suggested that air pollution regulations can have large amplifying effects on global warming. (read more)
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