Straw burning causes haze, where is the green way out?
On October 18, the Ministry of Environmental Protection reported that in the past two weeks, suspected straw burning fire points were monitored in 20 provinces, and the pollution prevention and control situation is severe. Just from the 15th to the 17th, North China, East China, and Central China had just experienced the first large-scale haze since the beginning of autumn.
In recent years, severe environmental pollution incidents caused by straw burning have been common. Although government departments in some areas have successively issued relevant “bans”, such compulsory “blocking” clearly cannot eradicate the chaos of straw burning. And in just the last few days, many places across the country have successively seen seriously polluted air quality, and the chief culprit is precisely straw burning. Faced with such an awkward situation, governments in various places should seriously reflect.
⟦NL> Because of large-scale straw burning, some areas have seen the gray scene of “haze locking the city.” On the surface, this is all the farmers' fault; they should not burn it. But why do these farmers, risking penalties, still insist on burning? Because in their view, after the autumn harvest is completed, the next season's planting must begin immediately. If they wait for the long process of straw utilization, they simply cannot afford to wait. This actually also shows that while farmers are required not to burn straw, they have not been given a smooth “green channel.”
Although the Ministry of Environmental Protection named several provinces for doing a good job in straw recycling and utilization, the services we can currently provide still cannot meet the needs of all farmers. Therefore, on October 10, the Vice Minister of Agriculture said that comprehensive straw utilization is a complex, arduous, and long-term systematic project. Before the straw utilization rate reaches 100%, the pain of large-scale haze across the country during every harvest season is almost unavoidable.
Straw burning pollutes the air and harms people's health. The fires caused by straw burning have also caused another kind of property loss for farmers. Amid widespread complaints, farmers burn despite the ban, which precisely also shows their helplessness and the urgency of promoting straw utilization.
The straw utilization rate is to reach 85% by 2020, but the utilization rate cannot explain the whole problem. If a farmer makes one phone call, a company comes to collect and help utilize it, and quickly clearing the straw from the fields is the most critical thing. Strictly guarding against and blocking farmers' straw burning will be something that has to be done every year from now on. But when this green channel can be built is not only the wish of farmers, but also the expectation of urban residents who have had enough of haze days.