Pollution is one of the biggest problems for today’s world and is a direct byproduct of the rapid progress we have made in the last century. We have managed to pollute all the resources that are vital for our very survival, air, water and land.
This is going on throughout the world, but one country where things are beginning to go out of hand, is China. It is no doubt that China has seen some of the fastest progress made in the last 30 years. But with that progress came pollution too, which is reaching dangerous levels. So much so that it is becoming impossible to live in certain areas.
Air pollution is so severe in some cities of China that at one point in 2014, visibility was down to just a few hundred yards. In fact, 10 cities were put on red alert in December, 2015 due to severe air pollution.
But there might be a solution for China’s air pollution problems, and an innovative one at that. A Dutch artist, Daan Roosegaarde has come up with a solution that proposes to turn the smog in these polluted cities into diamonds. Yes, you heard that right.
The project is named the Smog Free Project which had a successful pilot run in Rotterdam, Netherlands and is finally making its way to China. The method proposed to achieve the said turning, consists of two parts.
First, there will be several 7 meter tall towers all over the cities which will suck up the polluted air in the surrounding area and would release clean air into it.
Second, all the carbon collected from the sucking of smog will be pressurised for 30 minutes to convert it into diamonds which would then be sold as jewellery to fund the expansion of the project.
Whether or not the project will actually be successful on such a large scale cannot be predicted right now, but it is a necessary step in the right direction. But some others have expressed their concerns that instead of treating the effects of pollution, we should be treating the cause. Nonetheless, projects like these will at least help is some damage control.
You can check out this video by World Economic Forum, which describes it further.
