China's Air Pollution

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/13/science/earth/beijing-air-pollution-off-the-charts.html?src=me&ref=general&_r=1&

 

 

This article discusses the outrageous amount of air pollution in Beijing, China. With a dramatic introduction, the author sets the scene by describing the day that the United States Embassy rated Beijing's air pollution a 755 out of a 1 to 500 scale. To assist the reader's understanding of how the air looks like, the author uses a simile comparing the air to "an airport smokers' lounge". The thick, heavy air of Beijing always feels like smog compared to locally where we only experience heavily toxic air if we were to be in a room full of smoke. Even with skeptics who believe America has similar pollution problems, the author quickly dismisses this idea by adding a side note set off with parenthesis saying that New York City had a rating of only 19 on the same rating system. The author appeals to both logos and pathos. By packing the article full of facts, explaining how the rating system works, one can being to understand just how grim the situation in China is. He relates to pathos by recording some of Beijing's citizens' responses to the air pollution, using words like "post-apocalyptic", "terrifying", and "beyond belief". He also includes the people's desperate attempts of buying air purifiers, masks, and shutting up their houses to reduce their intake of the poisonous air. With articles such as this one, the people of Beijing are not only demanding better air quality, but are getting more educated so they can be aware of their environment