The Relationship Between Beer Production And Air Pollution In China (Research Paper Sample)

Beer Production and Air Pollution in China
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Introduction
The brewing sector holds a crucial economic position in the food and beverage industry, as it is one of the most preferred drinks among alcoholic beverages. According to Market Watch, the beer industry accounted for 35% of the alcoholic drinks market globally in 2016 (Market Watch 2019). Regardless of the critical role played by the beer industry in economic and social development, the production process associated with brewery has been associated with a myriad of environmental concerns. The process of turning barley or raw products into finished beer product is energy-intensive, uses large quantities of water, and releases many waste products to the environment (Hospido, Moreira and Feijoo 2005). However, the sensitivity of the environmental awareness subject and the billions of monies made by beer breweries makes the subject often skip the environmental degradation talks during the appearance of the beer industry news in the media. It is easy, therefore, for the conservative stakeholders to cookout figures and spread propaganda that the industry is well on course when it comes to environmental issues. It is thus imperative, as a student of research, to utilize hard facts and figures from credible sources to establish the environmental hazards posed by beer production.
Beer Production and Air Pollution in China
The topic of alcohol production and consumption in China, versus environmental pollution has gained traction not only in the Chinese media but also from global platforms. Studies have established a positive correlation between increased beer production and environmental degradation (Olajire, 2012). Indeed, the international media has been conspicuous on revealing the adverse impacts of beer production in China on climate. An article published in the Guardian by Fullerton (2015) titled ‘The Beijing bar where the beer gets cheaper as the smog gets worse', reflects on the heavy air pollution in Beijing as a result of increased beer production. According to the article, the Chinese Ministry of Environmental Protection classifies Beijing’s Air Quality Index at 400 micrograms per cubic meter (Fullerton 2015). This is by any means the highest contamination of the air, since the World Health Organization regards an AQI of 300 as so severe a polluted atmosphere that people are advised not to go outside.
Studies have been conducted on energy use and emissions during the brewery processes. According to NPC (2003), breweries incur over 5% of the total budgets in energy needs. In China, for example, natural gas and coal account for over sixty per cent of the total base energy use in the malt beverages industry. Thermal energy is used during the brewery process to heat water and other compounds that facilitate beer production (Hospido, Moreira and Feijoo 2005). As such, manufacturing houses are always emitting carbon gasses from fossil fuel combustion, greenhouse gas emissions, and other compounds that make air unfit for supporting life (Scheller, Michel and Funk 2008). Although these studies are crucial for shedding some light on the issue of air pollution as a consequence of increased beer production using energy-inefficient means, they do not provide accurate data with visualizations to point to the magnitude of the problem.