Growing up in Shanghai, China, I was constantly surrounded by smog. The industrial factories and the constant fossil fuel emissions contribute to rising amounts to pollutants in the air; these pollutants are extremely detrimental not only to our health, but the health of the planet as well. As a young child, I didn’t really understand why my fellow citizens wore face masks, but now I understand. Some of them are preventing the spread of germs, but others are preventing themselves from constantly inhaling the dirty air. But what exactly are the numbers that are behind Shanghai’s air? In a 2014 report by ShanghaiDaily, 50% of air pollution comes from vehicle and factory emissions, 10.5% comes from construction site dust, 7.3% from power stations, 10% from straw burning, and the rest goes toward other provinces. In the same report, reports of what has been called “China’s strictest air protection law” passed, which banned the burning of straws. Straw burning is exactly what it sounds like, and farmers use this technique to get rid of surplus, whilst simultaneously fertilizing the soil and killing weeds. Under this law, businesses had to be more careful lest they be subject to severe fines. In fact, Ding Wei, director with the legal commission of the Shanghai People’s Congress stated that “We’d like to fine violators to bankruptcy, if necessary, to deter them from polluting the air.”

To make matters worse, air pollution has a very high mortality rate. According to the World Health Organization, an estimated seven million people die yearly from air pollution. These people succumb to the effects stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections, which all have increased rates due to air pollution. There are two types of ambient air pollution, according to the WHO’s website, ambient and household. Ambient air pollution is everywhere, but unsurprisingly, low and middle income countries are the most affected. Major sources like vehicles and industrial plants constant pollute the air with toxic chemicals, chemicals that end up killing people. Unfortunately, our world revolves so much around transportation that it’s nearly impossible to drastically lower carbon dioxide emissions. Policies have been enacted, of course, but until we dramatically alter our living styles we are subject to doing the best we can. On the other hand, household air pollution poses a threat as well. Dung, wood, and coal being burned in inefficient stoves or open hearths release pollutants, and this is just as deadly as breathing in toxic air outside. The deadly combination of indoor and outdoor pollution is one that possesses a big challenge for our leaders, but we must do what we can individually. This is a problem that plagues our generation and will most likely plague generations to come, so finding a solution sooner than later is probably best.