#Chinas #big #cities #huge #trouble
It really seems that China’s megacities have nowhere to grow, apparently they became victims of their own success, and now signs of deterioration can be observed. According to a recent study, most of the country’s population lives in large cities that are sinking more than 3 millimeters per year. And some areas, such as Beijing, have more than 45 millimeters per year.
According to the researchers’ forecast, about a quarter of China’s coastal area may sink below sea level by 2120.
The picture is for illustration only
Fotó: NurPhoto / NurPhoto via Getty Images/worker
Although there are many reasons for the subsidence, researchers have identified excessively rapid urban development as one of the main culprits. But in addition, the enormous amount of ground water extraction necessary to support the urban population, as well as the weight of buildings and urban infrastructure, also caused damage. And another similar research in New York found that the brutal weight of concrete, glass and steel used in the city’s skyscrapers – an estimated 762 million tons – also contributed to the lowering of the ground level. However, there is one raw material that caused more damage than any other: it is none other than a concretewhich is the second most used substance on Earth after water.
In the first 15 years of the 21st century, about half of global urbanization took place in China!
Residential buildings, airports, roads, water supply, waste management, power plants and much more have been built in this country at an amazing speed. China expands its cities by nearly two billion square meters of floor space every year – which is equivalent to creating an urban area the size of London.
The picture is for illustration only
Photo: MU YU / Xinhua via AFP/cn
Construction requires huge amounts of concrete, sand, gravel, water and cement. Today, slightly more than half (52 percent) of the world’s total cement production of 4.1 billion tons per year To China is bound. Only a small amount of cement produced in China is exported. According to estimates, the country used 2.4 billion tons of cement in 2020, which is 23 times the amount used in the same year in the US.
Recently, however, it seems to be slowing down China concrete boom, as the level of consumption and production decreased, as did investments in real estate development. Regardless, the pace of China’s construction industry continues to significantly outpace that of any other country in the world.
