What a surprise today: when you look for "pollution china" on Google, the very first result is this website!
As I have done absolutely no effort to increase my ranking, I guess Google considered my blog as useful and relevant!
Please give me your comments to further increase the quality of this blog!
I had a discussion tonight with a friend, who was arguing that my notebook (I mean an antique notebook made with paper) was not good for environment, compared to a laptop used for the same things. He said something like:
"Haaah! You use a notebook! How many trees did you destroy for that? How can you say you want to protect environment? You should use modern tools such as a notebook on your laptop!"
I was quite sure it is better to use a notebook for the things I use it for: at any time, writing meeting notes, keeping my todo list, writing some ideas...
I missed some striking arguments, so I had to go deeper in investigations and calculations. Now, the result is clear:
If I was taking notes on my laptop instead of on my antique notebook, I would emit 5500% more CO2!
It is a bit surprising still, because computers are often presented as the solution against paper consumption! What do you think?
Nice.
But your blog won't stay long ranking high on Google if you invite us to favor the use of notebooks/magazines/newspapers rather than laptops !!
By the way, when you'll have to move b... [more]
Adrien wrote :
This just proves that you can prove anything and the opposite with statistics. Here's more data : there are 22 working days a month (let's say 20). Your notebook lasts 4 months, which means ... [more]
xuedi wrote :
I think its not really about CO2, the permanent environment destruction to get te materials is much more important.
Notebook:
The wood grows and take back the same CO2 as it produce if y... [more]
xuedi wrote :
compare to the
Laptop:
Your Source: Empreinte écologique du papier, Bolloré, might be correct for the CO2 fact, BUT if you thing about how this 1000 differed materials get produced, the c... [more]
I was preparing it for quite a long time and it is finally ready: you can now use this website to compare the pollution in Beijing with the pollution indexes in other parts of the world. For now, you can "translate" Beijing air quality using the indexes of:
Austria,
Belgium,
UK,
France,
Madrid,
and the USA.
If you want additional cities or places, tell me which city and possibly the link to the website on which I can find the pollution indexes.
An upcoming evolution is also to add more Chinese cities.
Yes, there is a national standard for air index that applies for all the U.S.. You can find more information on this page: ... [more]
Mike Rainer, BJ wrote :
Do Belgians in Ostende (heavy industries), Americans under the influence of Atlanta airport emissions, or Parisians living close the busy ring road breath air of better quality than most of ... [more]
It is clear that average pollution is much much higher in Beijing than in most cities in Europe or in the US. I do not know for Atlanta or Ostende, but in whole Paris, the maximum of particl... [more]
Nt13 wrote :
pollutionchina, maybe get your facts straight? 232 isn't considered slightly polluted. There is a whole database that I just checked and it can be traced back for years and years. The index... [more]
Life reduced by 40% because of the pollution
Monday, 20 August 2007,
Written by Julien
That's what happens to traffic cops in China. According to Chinese media, life expectancy of traffic cops in China is 43 years, mainly because of pollution, plus other factors such as stress, noise and standing for long periods. In Guangzhou, 90% of the cops that underwent a checkup had infections.
For at least a month, Beijing Government has been announcing a pollution-free drill for this week-end, to prepare for the Olympics. The main element of the plan was to cut by half car traffic (car with odd number plates being forbidden on Friday and Saturday, even numbers forbidden on Sunday and Monday).
As a result, we were all expecting to enjoy this wonderful blue-sky day to enjoy Beijing. Unfortunately, here below is the view I have now... not even light blue!
This summer something quite unique happened in the fight against air pollution. For the first time, automakers accepted to compensate the damages of cars on people health.
Because cigarets are sold, i should start smoking??
well... i'm not sure this would sensibilize people not to use their car(s) so often or to use public transports... anyways, we're all vic... [more]
Back to (blue?) Beijing!
Wednesday, 15 August 2007,
Written by Julien
I did not spend so much time in Beijing this summer, trying to escape a bit from its traffic and from its pollution. After spending so much time in pollution-free mountains (France, Switzerland and Tibetan Plateau), I expected to suffocate back here!
But no. Sky is blue, air is almost clean. Such a difference compared to June (the most polluted month for years!). It seems the measures government took for the Olympics drills can be somehow efficient... But well, who knows how long it will last? Beijing cannot stop moving forever...
Simple way to fight indoor air pollution in developing countries
Monday, 18 June 2007,
Written by Julien
Indoor air pollution is a threat on people health. It is a threat for urbanized people, that spend 80% of their lives inside buildings with many chemicals pouring out from the walls and furnitures. It is an even more dangerous threat for children and women living in the country side, breathing the pollution produced by cooking stoves.
This video is really encouraging, showing that 1 million lives a year could be saved, using simple, easy to transfer, ways of preparing cooking fuel.
TED is a conference happening every year in Monterey, California, bringing together thinkers and doers.
why don't you just end it right now and save us your grumbling and consumption of resources, Disappointed?
Randal Wilhelm wrote What I can do:
Living in China for the past several years I have come to realize that it is the drive for cheap Chinese manufactured products that is driving the Chinese economy. US business, looking to cu... [more]
Thermal inversion and pollution
Wednesday, 13 June 2007,
Written by Julien
The last few days were really bad in Beijing, with grey sky and heavy smog. It is mainly due to thermal inversion.
You might have heard of convection. This is a natural phenomena that creates circulation in fluids from temperature differences. It is convection that creates bubbling when heating water. It happens because cold water is heavier than warm water.
Normally speaking, the same thing happens in the atmosphere, and the air heated by the ground tends to be replaced by fresh air from above. That is great to clean polluted air.
However, in some cases, air in altitude is warmer than air on the ground, so the convection cannot occur. Air stays and pollution accumulates! That's what happened those last days.
Today, the wind is back, so pollution has been taken away, air is fresher and the smog is partly gone!
I confess, I don't read your blog everyday. And I really don't know why because each time I read it, I learn something useful and I feel less ignorant! Thank you for lightning my smoky brain... [more]
Thermal inversion occurs when a layer of warm air settles over a layer of cooler air that lies near the ground. The warm air holds down the cool air and prevents pollutants from rising and s... [more]
Thermal inversion occurs when a layer of warm air settles over a layer of cooler air that lies near the ground. The warm air holds down the cool air and prevents pollutants from rising and s... [more]
Radio reportage on air pollution in Beijing
Saturday, 02 June 2007,
Written by Julien
Thank you for your comments!
As I am read by many French people, I invite you to listen to the very good reportage on RFI (Radio France International) about air pollution in Beijing. It gives a quick and balance overview if the situation. click on "écouter" to listen.
Bonjour,
Merci pour ce blog. C'est "super" d'avoir une comparaison avec Paris. En arrivant en chine en 2005, je me suis posé la même question, cad quel serait l'indice de pollutio... [more]
@ Andeol >> Thank you for your comment, and your question regarding the comparison to Paris indexes.
As I explained in one of my post (accessible when clicking on "Understand&quo... [more]
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