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California Pollution: Made in China?

blogs.wsj.com

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Re: California Pollution: Made in China?

#2
As we learn more about how global systems are connected, it's going to be fascinating to watch the geopolitics work themselves out.

So far a number of signs point to many effects of pollution occurring oceans away from the polluter. This won't be fun to work out, because much of international relations is based around well-defined borders in the proximity of the landmass of the country itself. But winds and waves know no limits.....

EDIT: e.g. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_garbage_patch, http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100809/full/news.2010.396.ht...

Re: California Pollution: Made in China?

#3
What a terrible article...

It claims there is 'A lot' of pollution coming from China specifically and ending up in California.

The way they deduced this 'fact' is that 208Pb levels spiked at the same times in both China and California. That tells you absolutely nothing.

Re: California Pollution: Made in China?

#4

What a terrible article... It claims there is 'A lot' of pollution coming from China specifically and ending up in California. The way they deduced this 'fact' is that 208Pb levels spiked at the same times in both China and California. That tells you absolutely nothing.

The paper goes into greater detail; "a lot" ~ 29% in this case.

Using regionally specific isotope mixes to identify sources of pollution seems like a pretty good idea; why shouldn't it work?

Re: California Pollution: Made in China?

#6

What a terrible article... It claims there is 'A lot' of pollution coming from China specifically and ending up in California. The way they deduced this 'fact' is that 208Pb levels spiked at the same times in both China and California. That tells you absolutely nothing.

This comment is not accurate. Both locations measured were in California. The correlation to Asia is the timing of the spikes and dust storms in Asia.

Not a climate scientist, so I don't know how good of an argument that is, but if you're going to post a strongly worded response you best characterize the opposing arguments correctly.

Re: California Pollution: Made in China?

#7

What a terrible article... It claims there is 'A lot' of pollution coming from China specifically and ending up in California. The way they deduced this 'fact' is that 208Pb levels spiked at the same times in both China and California. That tells you absolutely nothing.

The paper goes into greater detail; "a lot" ~ 29% in this case. Using regionally specific isotope mixes to identify sources of pollution seems like a pretty good idea; why shouldn't it work?

Well, the article makes it sound like they're basing the research on the assumption that the 208Pb comes from Asia simply because it spikes in the spring. I would hope they have reason to believe in the specificity of that marker for Asian pollution, rather than actually engaging in such wild speculation, but if they do, the article skips over it.

Also, the non-sequitur about iPhones and iPads at the end is completely random and seemingly pointless.

Also needs "[2010]".

Re: California Pollution: Made in China?

#8
How ironic that CA made such swift and strangling economic regulations that all the factories moved to china or shut down.

Now we have no control of the egregious pollution that China produces and the world (including CA) is far worse off because of it.

Why can't politicians and activists just have a little foresight for a change? This kind of thing always seems to happen. Unintended consequences will always happen, but when people warned of this years ago and the powers that be did not listen... SMH

Re: California Pollution: Made in China?

#10

How ironic that CA made such swift and strangling economic regulations that all the factories moved to china or shut down. Now we have no control of the egregious pollution that China produces and the world (including CA) is far worse off because of it. Why can't politicians and activists just have a little foresight for a change? This kind of thing always seems to happen. Unintended consequences will always happen,…

I'm not sure how the situation you describe isn't a catch-22.

You state that if CA regulates their factories, for example: requiring that they meet strict pollution standards, they will move. When they move, CA no longer has jurisdiction over the excrement they shoot into the air.

So you state that CA should just not regulate their factories.

This doesn't sound like a solution at all.

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