The Growing and Alarming Situation in…

In recent weeks, I have read in different news and blogs regarding China’s (another) alarming problem with regards to air pollution. It already reached or should I say, far exceed the WHO’s guideline. Anyone living in many of China’s main cities is living under a harmful air quality situation. Some reports came out saying how bad the smog around major cities that you cannot see buildings just across the street. The American embassy in Beijing has been monitoring the air particulate for several years and now issuing an hourly report in this matter.

What I’m saying is, when you are trying to monitor air quality in an hourly basis that alone is already a big environmental concern and it’s implications towards climate change. We already know that China is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases but in fairness to China, they are also the world’s leading investor in renewable energy and clean technologies.

Despite such huge investment in green technology, China is also rapidly becoming a country of wheels which added up to the worsening circumstances. But what I am more concern of is the growing (probably won’t stop any time sooner) road accidents data while the lack of driving experience is often cited as the common cause. According to the report in Reuters, that China’s driving school is teaching millions of students the art of war in the streets. And to quote a few lines in that column and what the driving instructor have said to the student driver, “Now remember, you don’t cross the line into others, but if someone crosses into yours then you must fight back.”

At first I thought they are doing the right job in molding the attitude of new drivers yet it was after all a scary thing. Add to it when drivers suddenly changes lane without even signaling and some pedestrians will sprint across streets unexpectedly. So how’s that driving on China’s thoroughfare?