I lived in China for about six months. In Shanghai, in the French concession. I was working for a company in the Jing'an district. This gave me the opportunity to experience first hand what it is like to live in a country with little to no environmental regulations. It has been awhile since I have been there so things may have changed a bit since but I have my doubts.
- I went out to the bars on Bund one night and came home piss drunk. Hopped in the shower and was thirsty and drunk so took a big mouthful of water. I nearly vomited and was instantly sober. Shanghai tap water is disgusting - no one drinks it except the very poor. It tastes like liquid metal with god knows what mixed in
- I was driving home in a taxi one winter evening and looked out the window at the beautiful snow fall. Then I realised it was still well above freezing. The falling "snow" was just fly ash from the local coal fired power station
- A friend of mine landed at the airport. I went to collect her. On the taxi ride into the city she commented on the moon which was high in the sky. I told her 'no' that's the sun and its just smog that make it look dim. We then had an argument about whether it was the sun or the moon. I was right and she was wrong.
Here is a picture of what Shanghai looks like on a typical day
Here is a photo of Beijing, which tends to be worse than Shanghai
A pic from Shijiazhuang which is further inland
You guys might think that environmental regulations are killing the USA and UK, but I suggest the opposite. A lack of environmental regulations are killing China and places in Asia. All the rich Chinese establish anchor homes in the West, in part just so they can get away from the pollution.
Think twice before you advocate for getting rid of environmental protections. You might think that the EPA is communist, but it is truly awful living somewhere without proper environmental controls. I was offered a pay rise if I would stay for another six months after my contract was up, but I got the fuck out of China and have never been back. Once I got off the plane in the West and walked into the airport parking lot, all I could smell was this wall of fresh air and flowers. That memory is absolutely seared into my brain after six months of living in smog.
Some more information just so you don't think I am making it up:
Can I drink the tap water in China?
No, the tap water in China is not safe to drink. Unlike most western countries where there is easy access to safe tap water, in most places in China the tap water, although it looks clear, is not safe for drinking unless it has been boiled. Even in big cities like Beijing and Shanghai, water from the tap is not well filtered, sterilized, or purified, and may carry hazardous contaminants like sediments, rusts, bacteria, virus, chlorines, or other heavy metals. Sicknesses like diarrhea caused by drinking unclean water may spoil your trip.
Source:
https://www.travelchinaguide.com/essential/water.htmChina's air pollution crisis shows no sign of ending as nation fails to lower coal use 10 January 2017
For the last month, severe air pollution has choked Beijing and coal is estimated to cause about 40 per cent of the smog in the nation's capital. Other cities in the north, such as Shijiazhuang, have recorded air quality of 1000 PM2.5. PM2.5 are fine particles less than 2.5 micrometres in diameter that can lodge in the lungs and get into the bloodstream. The World Health Organisation says anything over 25 PM2.5 as a health hazard
Source:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-01-08/chinese-air-pollution-crisis-caused-by-ongoing-coal-use/8168702
)