Haze is Asian Countries - Term Paper Example

Environmental Studies – Haze is Asian Countries Introduction Haze is a growing problem in South-East Asia that has led to some major problems in the region. Problems are associated with people’s health in these Asian countries. Haze causes problems in breathing in the short term, which results to asthma in the long run. It also causes different types of skin diseases, which could be fatal as time goes on. Recent studies have proved that it I also one of the leading causes of heart attack and strokes in young people. Although it is a man made problem it can be prevented. Haze can be prevented if people look to take responsibility. The government has to be pro active and start to replace restrictions on industries that cause pollution so that haze could not be formed in the atmosphere. The government would also need to make sure that people do not apply techniques that cause smoke to rise in the atmosphere and turn into haze. Discussion Formation of Haze Haze is mostly found in populated countries where a lot of pollution takes place. Pollution in the form of dust and smoke gather and form particles in the air. These particles cover the atmosphere making it hard for people to see anything from the ground. Mostly when haze occurs in the atmosphere, it covers a wide range of the area making it impossible for people to see what is ahead or above them (Glover 6). Two of the most affected countries by Haze are Malaysia and China in South-East Asia. However, there are various ways and reasons why haze is formed in different parts of the world. In Indonesia it is caused much because of the slash and burn technique that the farmers use. This technique is used to empty and clear up pieces of land so that they can be used in the future to grow and cultivate something new (Rao 157). Farmers set fire on the forest that quickly spreads destroying most of the trees nearby. This creates a lot of smoke that covers the environment with small particles. When these small particles start hovering around they form haze (Rao 163). In China there are other reasons for the formation of haze in the atmosphere. In China it is caused because of the emission of industrial smoke that causes the accumulation of black carbon in the air. Similarly in other Asian countries like Pakistan and India, haze is mainly formed because of smoke coming out of motor vehicle (Glover 27). The smoke that comes out is called carbon monoxide that covers the atmosphere in a brownish pink substance making it hard for people to see. There are different causes and reasons for the formation of haze in different parts of Asia but their effect is the same everywhere. Effects of Haze Effect on Humans In the past few years researchers have penetrated that haze has had very drastic affects on health of people’s life. Haze is formed because of small particles of dust and smoke and so it decreases the quality of air. This leads to great many problems. It makes it hard for people to breathe in the atmosphere where dust is found. It makes people allergic to dust and in some cases it makes them asthmatic (Levine 57). When dust is mixed in the air and people are forced to breathe in such environments then it makes them asthmatic patients as they also breathe in particles of dust with air. This could endanger their life and if they are forced to breathe in similar circumstances for a long period of time then it could even take their life (Hobbs 207). Not only does it make a person asthmatic but it could also cause him or her lung pain and diseases. This is because lung acts as a useful organ when a person tries to breathe. Haze causes a person to breathe harder because of the presence of dust and smoke. More energy is required with deeper breath and this is what makes the lung weaker. If a person puts more pressure on his lung while breathing then the chances are always that he or she may damage the lungs. Some of the particles even enter the body creating a disturbance inside the system (Péwé 47). Because Haze is also formed of dangerous smoke it can easily irritate the skin of people and cause skin diseases. It is very easy to damage the skin when haze is present around the atmosphere. What haze does is that it continuously brings dust and smoke on a person’s skin. Sometimes the dust and smoke do not wash off with water and they enter the body through pores that are present in the skin (Litta 92). When this happens it makes the cells of that portion in the body less active and in some period of time it can weaken the cells so badly that they become completely inefficient. This makes the cells less affective in healing the body and makes it more vulnerable against the dust. The skin continues to get damaged leading to a major problem ahead in time. Research has shown that people can lose their power of listening and sight when completely exposed to haze (Litta 93). A recent study penetrated that haze causes cardiac diseases (Litta 17). The problem is that Haze can be seen from a distance but its danger cannot be felt when somebody is passing by it. Haze is nothing but a mixture of chemicals in the air. It is not something solid that could be felt. When it is being inhaled people normally do not feel anything. It is the gas that causes problems once it has entered inside a human body. In some countries like China haze is made up of a mixture of industrial and gas emitting out of vehicles (Bachman 49). This is very dangerous as it is a combination of carbon monoxide and other black gases. Researchers believe that such a combination is the leading cause of heart attacks and strokes in people. There has been an increase in the number of young people getting heart attacks and scientists are of the opinion that it is much because of the dangerous chemicals in the air. In China it was penetrated that people who lived in places where haze formed were more susceptible to diseases. Nearly there were 30% more patients in hospitals in China where haze was found compared to places where there was no haze penetrated (Fu 33). Patients normally complained of chest pain, breathing problems and problems of sight. This indicates that haze could be fatal for humans as people suffered from various diseases related to it (Fu 37). Economic Effects Haze not only causes physical trouble and diseases to humans but also causes economic problems for a country. All the problems associated with haze have a cost that the country has to pay. There is a major cost incurred when farmers in South-Asian countries try to apply slash and burn techniques. This technique mostly goes out of hand not only burning the desired area for which the fire was started but also other areas of land that might be valuable. Farmers do not have the skills or tools to know what part of land might be rich in mineral or could contain precious items and this lack of knowledge could bring great harm to the public property. In the end the government is deprived of resources that it could have extracted if farmers had not caused fire in the forest (Dent 231). Haze causes delays in flight and business activities. In countries like China planes are not allowed to take off when the weather is unfavourable. This greatly affects the business class people who have products and services to send to other countries on an immediate basis. China is an exporting country that exports to nearly every part of the world. Recent trouble with haze has caused delays in sending urgent parcels to the customers abroad that has hindered trade relationship (Dent 244). Political Effects Haze has caused several countries to form a coalition in order to fight it. The 1997 haze in Asia was so dangerous that it is believed it cost loss to the countries worth over 9 billion US dollars. The countries that were mainly affected by it were Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia. Though a coalition between different South-eastern countries have been formed but nothing concrete has been done about haze. This is mainly due to the fact that Indonesia has failed to cooperate with the rest of the countries. Indonesia does not plan to give up the slash and burn technique and so it does not play any part in the coalition (Kewlani 76). Prevention Slash and Burn Techniques Haze is a man made problem found in Asia. It can be prevented if people and the government in realizing how harmful it is make a better effort. The first step that the government should take is that it should ban the slash and burn technique in Asia. This technique is the leading cause of haze in Asia. Although most of the Asian countries like Singapore, China and Malaysia have laws that prohibit people from performing such techniques but farmers still continue to do so (Kewlani 83). This is majorly because the government does not take strict actions against the perpetrators. Once a ban has been strictly placed on this activity then the government must strictly take actions against the farmers who perform such activities (Kewlani 83). In order to stop people from performing slash and burn technique, the government must make investments in machines that could clear the area or piece of land without burning it. The machines required to do the job are expensive and have to be imported from European counties but is a great method to stop the farmers burning the forest and could have some real long term benefits. It might be difficult for farmers to operate the machines but the government could train them or they could bear the cost of operating the machines themselves (Hobbs 113). Pollution from Factories: One serious cause of creating and forming haze is the industrial pollution. This is mainly the prime cause oh haze in China. Because China is an exporting country there are lots of factories there. Factories exhibit poisonous smoke that forms layers of black smoke in the atmosphere that reduces to particles forming haze. So it is the black smoke from factories that leads to haze in countries like China. Most European countries do not allow the factories to emit black smoke beyond a certain level. If the level of polluting the atmosphere is crossed then the factories are charged a hefty fine. This makes factories in Europe much more organized than factories in Asia (Péwé 78). The government should make a similar approach in Asian countries and especially in China. There are a lot of factories in the country that emit black smoke and in order to stop haze smoke has to be controlled. One way is to place restrictions on factories from emitting smoke just like the European countries do. This might result in less productivity in the country as lesser goods would be produced to avoid the dilemma. But at least the life of people would be safe (Péwé 78). Stopping Corruption Corruption is one of the areas in Asia that also leads to the formation of haze. It has been discovered that most of the palm-oil projects in Indonesia belong to powerful foreign companies. These companies involve a third party to burn the forest so that palm oil can be obtained. In 2003, the governor of Riau was found guilty of giving unlawful permission to some of the companies in search of penetrating palm oil in the region. Although he was sacked from his job it is still believed that unlawful activities of a similar nature still exist in the country. (Péwé 80). If politicians in Indonesia would involve themselves in such unlawful activities then it would be very hard to prevent the problems associated with forming haze. The government of Indonesia should take active steps in setting up a special body to look into such matters. The aim of a body like this would be to check all the unlawful activities related to palm oil in the country and report it to the government (Péwé 81). There has to be a constant check made on the powerful companies to deal with the problem. There should be an effort made by the rest of Asian countries like Thailand, China and Malaysia to take Indonesia in the coalition to fight against the formation of haze. No other country in Asia performs the slash and burn techniques to empty land like does Indonesia. This over the years has been the main cause of haze. If Indonesia is not stopped then the entire purpose of the coalition is lost. Indonesia must be talked to and pressurized to join the coalition. This way they can be convinced not to burn the natural habitat and cause haze (Péwé 81). Protection from haze There are also some ways in which individuals can protect themselves from haze. One way to do so is by regularly checking the weather online. The health authority website for example contains daily report of the weather and how much humidity is in the air. It also warns against the risk of haze or fog in a particular region. It is always advisory to keep a proper check before making a trip out somewhere (Kewlani 97). In case there are signs of haze then all the doors and windows in schools, offices and homes must be closed. There must be no room given for haze to enter the house, school or office and harm the skin or other body parts of humans. Also outdoor activities like playing football or any other sport must be avoided. It does not take much time for the haze to fully appear and it could get very chaotic when it does (Kewlani 97). In Asian countries like India and Pakistan where the temperature is very hot it should be made sure that the air conditioners are in good condition. Haze carries small particles of dust and these small particles are a disaster for electronic items. In order to make them work well they should be regularly serviced. People living in China and Malaysia must make sure that they are taking their proper medication. People suffering from asthma must make sure that they have taken all the required medicine so that there is no difficulty in breathing even though they are exposed to haze in the future (Kewlani 97). Conclusion There are various reasons why haze is formed in South-East Asia and there are various ways that it could be stopped. If the government of the countries where haze is formed takes the initiative then it could be easily prevented. The European countries are a fine example of this. Because the European government does not allow its industries to cross a certain level of emitting smoke, the countries are mush safer for the citizens. The government of Asian countries should try to follow the same direction. There should be a certain limit set for the product and automobile industry and the government must take firm actions if any industry looks to cross that level of pollution. This way a must brighter and haze free future could be expected in Asian countries. Works Cited Bachman, Jonathan T. Air Pollution: Estimated Benefits and Costs of the Navajo Generating. New York: DIANE Publishing, 1998. Print. Dent, Christopher M. East Asian Regionalism. Abingdon: Routledge, 2008. Print. Fu, Congbin. Regional Climate Studies of China. London: Springer, 2008. Print. Glover, David. Indonesias Fires and Haze: The Cost of Catastrophe. Ottawa: IDRC, 2006. Print. Hobbs, Peter. Clouds Their Formation, Optical Properties, And Effects. London: Elsevier, 1981. Print. Kewlani, Jasleen. Deforestation and Socio-economic Environment. New Delhi: Concept Publishing Company, 2012. Print. Levine, Joel S. Biomass Burning and Global Change. New York: The MIT Press, 1996. Print. Litta, Henriette. Regimes in Southeast Asia: An Analysis of Environmental Cooperation. Berlin: Springer, 2011. Print. Péwé, Troy Lewis. Desert Dust: Origin, Characteristics, and Effect on Man. Boulder: Geological Society of America, 1981. Print. Rao, Gandikota V. Air Quality. Raleigh: Springer, 2003. Print. Read More