A third of China is hit by "acid rain" according to BBC. That is a silly headline for a serious problem. Rain is always either acid or alkaline. It is a simple matter of plus or minus. No one would write a headline saying "plus degree temperatures hit China" or indeed "minus degree temperatures hit China". Temperature is always plus or minus. pH is always acid or alkaline.
However, the problem is real. One of the big problems for China is pollution. In contrast to the old Soviet Union, China is well aware of the problems and tries to solve them. However, the problems are also inherently much more difficult. In the Soviet Union there was mismanagement and incompetence, which could have been avoided. In China there is a huge population with increasing very real needs to get the economy on par with Europe, the US and the rest of the industrialised world.
China has knowledge to solve many of its problems. It also looks for knowledge elsewhere. It is not a country afraid of learning from abroad.
However, it is very likely that the rest of the world also needs to help China solve its problems by cutting down. As China buys and consumes more of the world's resources, there will be less for the rest of us, and the prices of raw materials will go up.
This is not necessarily a catastrophe, but it is a challenge to handle. We will need to use existing resources more efficiently. The problem can be solved, but will it be solved fast enough?
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