Pollution in Tianjin

           With a rating from Real Time Air Quality Index Visual Map of 677, the city of Tianjin ranks as one of the most polluted locations in China, which is no small accomplishment given the rampant air pollution present in the People's Republic. The Chinese government is hardly oblivious to this situation and has mandated traffic and industrial restrictions in the city on days of particularly poor air quality. As a nation focused almost exclusively on economic growth, the emergence of industrial cities like Tianjin have become common throughout the country, but recent complaints about the poor air quality and levels of pollution have stirred the government to pursue a reversal of the environmental degradation this has caused. As an industrial center for steel, thermal energy, and cement manufacturing plants, coupled with the increased use of automobiles and urbanization, it is not particularly difficult to understand why air quality is so poor in this particular region. The more interesting questions surround the attempts to curb continued degradation of air quality. First, will traffic and industrial restrictions actually significantly impact or improve the air quality in Tianjin? Then, how will these restrictions impact the economic growth that China has enjoyed so greatly in recent decades?

Below are links to more detailed information on Tianjin and its air pollution:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/19/uk-china-pollution-idUSKBN0DZ19O20140519

http://aqicn.org/map/china/