The cool, playful sea breezes on the sunny beaches of California may be more menacing than they seem. A study published this month by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that China is exporting its pollution across the Pacific Ocean and onto American soil. The study, conducted by nine scientists from Britain, China and the United States, attempted to identify the environmental consequences of interconnected economies. Specifically, the researchers wanted to investigate how American air quality is affected by the demand for goods produced in China.
Pooling their diverse academic backgrounds, which included economics and earth and environmental science, the researchers analyzed the Chinese economy as well as the earth’s atmospheric and weather patterns. They found that China’s economic ascent has resulted in a surge of pollution for America’s West Coast. Highlighting this surge, the study noted that Los Angeles sees at least one extra day of smog every year due to pollution from China.
This process of trans-oceanic movement is carried out by powerful winds that sweep across the Pacific Ocean. These westerlies can carry emissions from Chinese factories to the U.S. in roughly six days, which is less than the time it usually takes for Chinese goods to reach American consumers. The main pollutants are dust, ozone and carbon. These accumulate in the valleys and basins of the Western states. Carbon is especially dangerous; black carbon cannot be washed away by rain so it hangs around in the atmosphere for a long time. This particular pollutant has also been linked to a plethora of health issues including asthma, cancer and heart disease.
There is a silver lining to this smog cloud. The researchers found that, although the West Coast is suffering, the air quality on the East Coast is improving. This may be due to the high rate of outsourcing of East Coast factories to China. As production moves to Asia, the American factories close, preventing further localization of pollution on the East Coast. Furthermore, while China is considered the world’s largest emitter of human-created air pollution, the researchers found that the country is not responsible for the lion’s share of pollution in the American western states. The majority of the West Coast’s air pollution comes from vehicle fuel emissions and West Coast factories and industries.
Nonetheless, Americans should take the findings of this study as a warning. The Chinese pollution that is degrading our air quality is an indirect result of our consumption habits. Twenty-one percent of China’s export-related emissions came from products that China exported to the US. If the US is not careful about consuming goods and outsourcing, this pollution problem could spread, leaving the whole nation in a cloud of consumer-driven smog.
