You Beijing Olympic Games have caused great controversy due to the fact that the capital chosen to host the games is one of the most polluted in the world. To alleviate the situation, the Chinese government is seeking to promote the so-called “artificial rain”. On the eve of the opening of the Games, for example, these rains will clean the atmosphere and ensure clear skies in the capital which in the summer is usually covered by a fog that could harm the sporting event and reduce the income of the athletes.
But how are produced "artificial rain”?
China often causes artificial rains to alleviate droughts, help extinguish fires, or simply eliminate the clouds, even the authorities claim that they can already generate the phenomenon in a third of its territory. China now has 7,000 cannons and 5,000 rocket launchers to fire the silver iodide, which is a catalyst used to accelerate the reaction, it attracts the water droplets present in the clouds forming ice crystals, the clouds get heavier and fall in the form of rain.
According to the Chinese government itself, the country is the one that most frequently manipulates the climate on the planet, but this practice does not harm the environment. The silver iodide used is a toxin and can be harmful to health, but as the amounts used are too small, it does not pose a threat.
China is second only to the United States in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, the Chinese city Limfen is responsible for the emission of sulfur and arsenic by thermoelectric plants, which poison the air with their high toxicity. Unfortunately, the measures taken by China so far have only eased the situation, they are short-term initiatives and if the country does not want to continue leading the ranking of the most polluted countries in the world, it will have to think about more technologies effective.
For the environmental organization Greenpeace, the authorities' idea of causing artificial rain during the three weeks preceding the Olympic Games 2008 it only proves the dire situation of the city's atmosphere, to alleviate the situation the Chinese authorities plan to stop construction, ban car traffic and close factories on the eve of Olympics.
It's just not raining on the day of the big party, and for that the Chinese also took precautions with the scheme High Tech, which will handle unwanted rainfall in open stadiums such as the China National Stadium.
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By Líria Alves
Graduated in Chemistry
See more:
Will it rain during the Beijing Olympics?
Operation High Tech brings together pilots, soldiers and scientists to prevent rain from disrupting the August spectacle.
Pollution harms the performance of athletes
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
SOUZA, Líria Alves de. "Pollution vs. Rain in China"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/quimica/poluicao-x-chuva-na-china.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
