The impacts of Chinese Nian culture on air pollution

Air pollution in China has attracted world attention again since the winter of 2012. Besides considering the normal level of air pollution, it is interesting and important to choose and analyze periods of extremely high levels. These extremes are not only important because high values of PM2.5 have more severe impacts, but also to help us to effectively understand the causes of air pollution. Energy consumption, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, and motor vehicle emissions are regarded as two main primary causes of air pollution. However, culture is a less-obvious factor affecting air pollution, which is often overlooked by researchers. Culture plays an important role in many environmental problems. This study investigates why and how “Nian” culture leads to increased air pollution during Chinese New Year. Air pollution during Chinese Lunar New Year is more severe than other times of the year. Although the relationship between the lighting of fireworks and air pollution is of wide concern, the cultural factors behind it are not fully recognized, which hinders the understanding and solving of the problem. It is an important step for Chinese people to reduce the lighting of firecrackers, believed to drive away monsters. Four solutions are proposed to deal with the severe air pollution problem during Chinese New Year.