Foreign demand for goods adds to air blight_美文

Foreign demand for goods adds to air blight

The paper, published in the US-based Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Monday, said 3 to 10 percent of sulfate concentrations in the western US in 2006 were related to China's production of goods for export.

The paper said the US outsourcing of manufacturing to China may have led to cleaner air in the eastern US, and the resulting increase in Chinese emissions may have led to reduced air quality in the western US.

This has had an overall beneficial effect for US public health due to the much denser population in the eastern US.

As smog in China is raising public concern and even causing worries for its neighbors, including South Korea and Japan, over the effects of air pollution, the findings are likely to trigger discussion between governments and academics about how the heavy-consuming nations can help producing countries cut air pollution.

Steven Davis, a co-author of the study and an earth system scientist at the University of California, said in a statement about the study that given the complaints about how Chinese pollution is corrupting other countries' air, the paper showed that "there may be plenty of blame to go around."

China has been the world's largest exporter since 2009, with the total value of exports reaching $2.21 trillion in 2013, according to the General Administration of Customs.

As the country's foreign trade is booming, air pollution is worsening in China, with a series of measures being taken by central and local authorities to tackle the problem.