China's exports manufacture major pollution source: Study

The manufacture of goods for export contributes a lot to China's severe air pollution, a recent study shows.

The major air pollutants are ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and greenhouse gases.

Research conducted by nine Chinese and international scholars showed that in 2006, about 36 percent of sulfur dioxide, 27 percent of nitrogen oxide and 22 percent of carbon monoxide emitted by China came from export manufacturers.

“Consumption, production and pollution are related. Production of goods is to supply consumption, and at the same time it leads to pollution. We would like to look at air pollution from a consumption perspective, as an alternative to the previous production-based view,” Lin Jintai, lead author of the paper and professor at Peking University, told China Daily on Wednesday.

Looking at emissions from the perspective of where goods are consumed helps elaborate the roles of different countries in global air pollutant emissions and transport, Lin said.

“We hope our study can shed some light on how China and other countries can better understand each other and strengthen cooperation in fighting against pollution,” Lin said.

The pollution from Chinese export manufacturers also blew across the Pacific Ocean, contributing 3 to 10 percent sulphate concentrations to the western US in 2006, the research said.

The paper was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Monday, and was the work of nine scientists from three countries.