In this blog post, we will look at the real causes of fine dust and the other side of media reports, and reflect on how close we are to the truth.
I would like to ask you if you have ever felt like you were drinking fine dust. Probably not. This is because fine dust has no taste or smell. You cannot tell that you have drunk it. Then, take a look around the streets. You can easily see people wearing masks. Are they wearing masks because they can taste the fine dust? If not, how did they know that fine dust exists?
It has not been long since people became aware of fine dust. Recently, awareness of fine dust has been increasing, not only because of environmental pollution, but also because people have become more informed. In fact, with the advancement of science and technology, we now have access to a wide range of information about the environment in real time. Through smartphones and the Internet, we can easily check information necessary for our daily lives, such as the weather, air quality, and fine dust levels. With greater access to information, people have become more aware of environmental issues and are preparing to respond to them.
If I ask someone wearing a mask on the street why fine dust is dangerous, they will probably quickly search on their smartphone and answer, “Fine dust is too small to be filtered out by the respiratory system. “Fine dust is so small that it cannot be filtered out by the respiratory system. Therefore, it accumulates in the lungs and is fatal to humans.” Then I would ask, ‘Do you know what causes fine dust?’ After spending a little more time searching, he would probably say, ”It is because of the rapid industrialization of China, which has destroyed forests and vegetation that would otherwise fix the soil.” “It’s because of the rapid industrialization of China, which has destroyed forests and eliminated the vegetation that stabilizes the soil.” If I finally ask him how he knows how much fine dust is in the air, he might respond with a dismissive, ‘Don’t you watch the news?’ At first glance, these answers seem fine, but it is important to recognize that the problem lies in not recognizing that there is a problem.
Now, let’s take a look at China. China has grown at an unprecedented rate in human history, industrializing a huge population of 1.3 billion people in just 30 years. This required the use of an exponential amount of fuel, and China is suffering severely from the resulting environmental damage. However, due to excessive industrialization, this damage is spreading beyond China to Korea as well. The damage is in the form of fine dust. Therefore, it can be said that the damage caused by fine dust in Korea is due to China’s industrialization.
However, it may be narrow-minded to attribute the fine dust problem solely to China’s industrialization. Korea has also become a major contributor to air pollution as it has undergone rapid industrialization and urbanization. Car exhaust, factory emissions, and dust from construction sites are worsening the environment around us. Ignoring these internal problems and blaming only external factors will not help solve the problem. Furthermore, by blaming the fine dust problem solely on China, we may neglect our own environmental protection efforts. Therefore, in order to solve the fine dust problem, we must not only cooperate with China, but also make our own efforts.
As mentioned earlier, can you think of anything that might be a problem? Is Korea not responsible for the generation of fine dust? Is China’s industrialization, which is reported daily in the news and emphasized by the media, the only cause of fine dust? We know that Korea is also an economic powerhouse and that many industrial processes take place here. If so, why does the media tend to blame China rather than Korea for the fine dust problem? Also, why are there so many advertisements and promotional articles in the media about fine dust? Perhaps this is because the media is not trying to reduce the root causes of the problem, but rather reducing citizens who are facing the threat of fine dust to mere “consumers.”
The actual concentration of fine dust has been on a downward trend since 2007, and in 2013, it remained at a similar level to previous years, with no significant increase in the concentration of fine dust. However, since 2013, the amount of media coverage on fine dust has increased significantly. This may have led to an increase in the number of people wearing masks. Knowing these facts and looking at the phenomenon of mask-wearing, I strongly feel that masks do not prevent fine dust, but rather cover the mouth. It is the mouth that can face the truth and speak out about it that is being covered. It is not just the issue of fine dust, but we may be wearing these masks for various issues in various aspects of society.
I don’t think wearing masks is a problem in itself. I’m just afraid that once I put on a mask, I won’t be able to take it off, and that I won’t be able to face the truth about other issues. In our daily lives, we tend to ignore or turn away from the truth for various reasons. This stems from a psychological tendency to choose comfortable lies over uncomfortable truths. However, this attitude can ultimately cause bigger problems. If you are not aware of this, you may never be able to take off the mask you are wearing now.
