Moreover, the polluted air in China is helping to destroy the gases in the atmosphere far beyond the boundaries of its borders. Every year there are more than 1,750,000 unnecessary and premature deaths related to the air pollution.

Part of the reason that the air pollution in China is so significant is due to the very speedy development of manufacturing and products that has increased the value of China’s per capita income. Since coal is the most appropriated fuel burned in China, the levels of pollution in the air is really not surprising.

In light of this information, it can not be overlooked that because the air pollution in Chinese cities is so desperately obscene that the government and scientific research has allowed China to also be a leader in redevelopment of their natural resources, especially the forest cover increase.

Coal power plants throughout China are responsible for the serious destruction. Coal is a fossil fuel that releases toxins into the air that destroy the ozone layer and contribute to smog and pollution that has the potential to threaten human life.

The air pollution has caused some serious environmental problems in China. China once claimed about 30% of its boundaries to beautiful deserts. Thanks to the rapid growth of the society, China has had to significantly deplete the deserts and allow construction and development.

The Yellow River has not been able to provide its life affirming water to the deltas below it. The river has been redirected and manipulated into other areas, leaving a once lush area into a new desert. Of course, there are governmental and lobbying officials in China that are working hard to help mankind coexist with their natural surroundings.

With the air pollution in China becoming such a large issue that the desert land is growing smaller all the time, this is one country that has put forth more effort than any other to correct the error. China now has the “green wall” in effect. The green wall is vegetation that has been intentionally enhanced to help the environment.

This very expensive project will put China ahead of the world in the practical application of restoring plant and fauna life from the edge of the desert all the way through the more populated areas.

The air pollution in China has been so strong that there have been complications when it comes to finding clean drinking water. While drinking water is also contaminated by runoff and other sources, the pollution that is trapped within the rain and fog comes back down to the ground via precipitation, adding to the water pollution problems in China that prevent more than 300 million Chinese citizens from drinking clean water.

While it might take China some time, the pollution is being addressed with careful conservation and clean up efforts that a far beyond those of most countries.

Reading articles on water pollution is a depressing and a very complicated subject to get into, but even the quick facts on water pollution are enough to give any conscientious person the chills:

Researcher Larry West estimates that every day, 14,000 people die because of water pollution.

According to official classification, 41.3% of the United States’ water is polluted.

China is the latest victim of impure water tragedies. Emissaries around the globe are working nonstop to help China prevent a polluted-water epidemic before their contaminants spread even further. Some facts on water pollution in China:

70% of Chinese lakes and rivers are polluted, not to mention 90% of their groundwater (which constitutes most of the “potable” water people use for drinking, cooking, etc.) This pollution means that 320 million Chinese citizens have no clean drinking water.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently estimated that 75% of all disease in China comes from water pollution.

WHO puts the number of Chinese water-pollution-related deaths at 100,000 per year.

Water pollution in China is largely due to lax restrictions. In 2005 a Chinese petro-chemical plant exploded, shooting 100 tons of benzene into the Songhua River—and as usual, the company would have gotten off scot-free if the international community had not noticed something amiss and raised the alarm.

International distress is well-placed. Consumers of Chinese goods, who number in the millions, are upset by reports of unhygienic practices because of the overwhelmingly numerous Chinese imports distributed worldwide.

Children’s toys are largely made in China and this is a particular concern. Many people are smart enough to realize that sources of water pollution have an extremely pervasive vehicle in which to transmit toxins. Citizens of the USA’s Pacific Coast are especially worried that China’s polluted water will reach them in tidal currents.

The environment is extremely fragile. Recent pollution offenses include mountaintop mining in the Appalachians, oil drilling at both the Arctic and Antarctic poles which results in massive wildlife death, and oil spills that sicken people, as was recently the case in Puerto Rico.

So, after all of this sobering and unpleasant information, one question remains: how to stop water pollution? There are many technicalities involved, but the most comprehensive and pressing solution is better regulation. Government oversight needs a dramatic facelift.

A recent, disgraceful slump is due to a 2002 ruling by British courts which, incredibly enough, stated that heavy industrial mining waste was not dangerous and could be dumped into any water source at any time without permission. Articles on water pollution in the news reflect the consequences.

This ruling has given rise to a scandal currently unfolding in the Appalachian Mountains—West Virginian senator Robert Byrd, backed by profit-hungry mining companies and the Corps of Engineers, are literally “blowing the tops off mountains” to get at the ore inside and then dumping their poisonous leftovers directly into nearby streams, making them direct sources of water pollution.

They have even insulted public intelligence with their ludicrous claim that there is no better way to dispose of this waste. Well, if ultimately drinking it is the best solution, then here’s a toast to Senator Byrd. But if it turns out that putting heavy mining slag into our bodies isn’t the best solution, then here’s hoping that the government steps in to regulate pollution—and soon.

It is an unfortunate yet all-too-true fact that developing nations tend to ravage the environment as they climb to power.

The United States famously destroyed a good portion of its natural resources during the 1800’s when citizens of every kind raced toward Manifest Destiny.

Britain caused a great deal of its own pollution during this same timeframe with the Industrial Revolution.

India has been having problems preserving their beautiful landscape as their economy pushes them toward becoming a world power.

However, recent articles on water pollution reveal that perhaps the most pervasive contamination of all is found in China, where burgeoning financial success is also bringing huge environmental failures. Most notably, China’s water sources are abominably unclean.

There are certainly other conservation causes in China that need attention, but none are as dangerous or widespread as the water pollution in China. 70% of Chinese lakes and rivers are polluted, not to mention 90% of their groundwater (which constitutes most of the “potable” water people use for drinking, cooking, etc.) This pollution means that 320 million Chinese citizens have no clean drinking water.

The facts about water pollution in China aren’t pretty by any means. To make matters worse, almost every day a large-scale pollution incident occurs, and there is little or no regulation infrastructure in place to prevent, much less deal with,  these contaminations.

Water pollution in China is not merely a nuisance; it is a danger. Although Chinese bureaucrats will of course claim otherwise, the World Health Organization (WHO) recently estimated that 75% of all disease in China comes from water pollution.

As we learn more about the water pollution crisis in China, it becomes abundantly clear that they have a severe lack of officials who know how to stop water pollution. Dirty water has caused so much cancer that people living along polluted water sources are often said to live in “cancer villages,” and are lucky if they reach their prime without contracting a terminable disease. Inevitably, such practices take their toll. WHO puts the number of Chinese water-pollution-related deaths at 100,000 per year.

This shocking mortality rate could easily be prevented if China’s government would change their attitude about regulation. Responsible parties currently get away with extreme pollution and the Chinese government quickly and quietly covers up each scandal in order to save face. Water pollution in China is largely due to these lax restrictions.

Yet there comes a point at which hiding is no longer an option.  International attention was aroused in 2005 when a Chinese petro-chemical plant exploded, shooting 100 tons of benzene into the Songhua River. Despite dealing with similarly atrocious spills on a frequent basis, China’s government officials did not move fast enough this time, and journalists around the world exposed China’s appalling environmental policies.

The international community began on ongoing campaign pressuring China to hold itself accountable for pollution, which means not only punishing and restricting the companies that break environmental laws, but also allowing the facts about water pollution to be accessed by the public.

Happily, this outside encouragement is getting results. China now openly acknowledges what WHO already knew: that their water is in a deplorable state of contamination. Pan Yue, the Vice Minister of China’s environmental protection department, admits that crisis with the environment, especially for water, has reached China much earlier than expected.

Pan Yue’s statement is essentially a delicate confession that China has finally realized the impact they are having not just on their immediate territory, but on the planet and its people at large. Sources of water pollution can cause damage miles away. Citizens on the Pacific Coast of the USA are particularly concerned about China’s polluted water reaching them in tidal currents. Consumers of Chinese goods, who number in the millions, have also voiced trepidation about Chinese imports and their safety standards.

Hopefully with international voices as their conscience, China will continue its progress in a greener, safer way, so that water pollution in China will take its rightful place as a thing of the past.