October 25, 2017
China has shuttered tens of thousands of factories amid a growing pollution crisis, recent media reports have indicated, in a bid to stave off another “airpocalypse” during the winter central heating season, recent media reports indicate.
The country’s ministry of environmental protection has sent out thousands of inspectors to shut down factories that don’t comply with strict new emissions standards, and has the power to cut off their electrical and gas supplies until they have been fully assessed, according to a recent report in Bloomberg and the Washington Post.
More than U.S.$130 million dollars in fines have been levied through the tax system against 18,000 companies who failed to meet the stricter environmental regulations to date, according to U.S. National Public Radio.
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And a recent University of Chicago study found that residents of northern China can expect to lose three years from their lifespan compared with compatriots in the south, where there is less heavy industry and central heating. Continue reading…