The biggest single source of PM2.5 in Taiwan’s air is mainland China, study finds
Breathe in those sweet, sweet GDP growth numbers
The largest single contributor to the haze hovering over Taiwanese cities is mainland growth and development, according to one recently released study.
Using data provided by Taiwan’s Environmental Protection Administration, Lance Wu, professor in the Department of Information Management at Chang Jung Christian University, director of digital content creation at the National Space Organization, and former researcher at the Bell Labs Satellite Communications Department, found that the biggest source of harmful PM2.5 particulates in Taiwan’s air comes not from the island’s automobiles, manufacturing sector, or road dust, but is simply blown across the strait.
The study’s results were published this month by Taiwan News in a report which included some handy graphs shown below, indicating that more than one-third of Taiwan’s PM2.5 comes from “overseas.”
Making it the single largest source:
And here’s a more detailed breakdown:
The vast majority of this “overseas” air pollution comes from the mainland, which lies upwind of Taiwan. Around the end of 2017, northern Taiwan was hit with a wave of “severe air pollution” that environmental authorities blamed on pollutants blown in from the mainland — which had just been covered by a thick veil of smog/fog. South Korea has struggled with the same issue.
Such events have become an annual tradition each winter on the Taiwan. Back in 2015, netizens from the mainland gleefully mocked their Taiwanese counterparts during one of these mini airpocalypses, saying that if there truly is only one China, then they should all breathe in the same air.
Meanwhile, middle-aged Taiwanese pop star Huang An stirred up debate online by telling his compatriots to stop whining, posting to his Weibo account that: “It’s the smog that keeps Taiwan alive. Be grateful!”
However, this is all not to say that Taiwan doesn’t have air pollution problems of its own making. In particular, the air quality in southern Taiwan has grown noticeably worse in recent years, especially around the city of Kaohsiung, which serves as Taiwan’s industrial base.
A report released earlier this year by Air Clean Taiwan (ACT) found that daily mean levels of PM2.5 had surged across Kaohsiung in 2016, exceeding WHO-recommended daily maximums every second day on average.
[Images via Taiwan News]
