document_title: List of Saved by the Bell characters

question_text: who played nikki kapowski on saved by the bell

question_tokens: who played nikki kapowski on saved by the bell

text: List of Saved by the Bell characters

text: Main characters[edit]

text: Zack Morris[edit]

text: Kelly Kapowski[edit]

text: Kelly Kapowski (portrayed by Tiffani Amber Thiessen) is the most popular girl in school and is head cheerleader and captain of the volleyball, swim, and softball teams. Though a good student and role model, Kelly did find herself sentenced to detention on a couple of occasions. She is also a big fan of George Michael. She also is the love interest and later wife of Zack Morris. In contrast with her friends, she came from a more modest working class family and her father went through periods of unemployment.

text: At the start of Kelly's freshman year, Zack had been trying to go out with her for as long as she could remember. For a while, a feud began between Zack and fellow student A.C. Slater over who would be her boyfriend, which caused her great stress, but a lot of fun at the same time. Kelly blushed numerous times when both Zack and Slater would hit on her, especially when it was done in front of other students. During her sophomore year, Slater conceded defeat to Zack and she and Zack began dating, whereas Slater thereupon pursued his interest in Jessie Spano.

text: The following school year marked the end of their relationship. Zack wanted to go steady with Kelly, but she is not sure at first. She thought it over but by the time she decided to accept Zack's offer, he had become infatuated with a young school nurse. That turned out to be a dead-end, but when he tried to apologize to Kelly and get her back, she brushed him off. However, they were back together in the following episode ("Breaking Up is Hard to Undo"). Kelly began working at The Max as a waitress and fell for her boss, Jeff Hunter (Patrick Muldoon), much to Zack's disappointment. This caused her and Zack to break up. Kelly dated Jeff for a while, until he is caught at an 18-and-over club (The Attic) with another girl.

text: Subsequently, Kelly and Zack became closer friends, though they dated other people. While vacationing in Palm Springs for Jessie Spano's father's wedding, Zack and Kelly flirted with the possibility of getting together again but ended up remaining friends.

text: In her senior year, she is once again pursued by Zack to accompany him to the prom. She agrees, and they get back together. As graduation approached, Kelly stated she could not afford to go to an out-of-state university and instead would attend community college. She and her friends graduated from Bayside High in 1993 and went their separate ways.

text: In Saved by the Bell: The College Years, Kelly is accepted into California University on a scholarship, joining Zack, Slater, and Screech as suitemates. She also became the new roommate of Leslie Burke and Alex Taber. While at Cal. U., Kelly engaged in an affair with her anthropology professor, Jeremiah Lasky. Zack makes a final attempt to win her over when she decides to go on a "Semester on the Sea" program through the Mediterranean for three months. Zack proposed to Kelly, and she accepted.

text: Without much support from their families, Zack and Kelly had planned to get married in Las Vegas in Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas. The couple managed to bring Slater, Screech, and Lisa Turtle with them for the event. Just prior to the exchange of vows at the ceremony at a cheap wedding chapel, Zack's parents showed up and stopped the wedding. They told Zack and Kelly that they would give them the wedding of their dreams. A few days later, Zack and Kelly had an elaborate outdoor wedding in the Las Vegas area. Lisa and Jessie stood as bridesmaids while Screech and Slater stood as groomsmen. The newlyweds then went on a honeymoon.

text: When Zack and Slater made guest appearances on Saved by the Bell: The New Class a few years later, Slater asked Zack how "the Mrs." (meaning Kelly) is doing, Zack replied, "Good."

text: Samuel "Screech" Powers[edit]

text: Samuel "Screech" Powers (portrayed by Dustin Diamond) is one of only two characters to appear as a series regular from the beginning of the franchise to its end. He appeared in Good Morning, Miss Bliss; Saved by the Bell; Saved by the Bell: The College Years; and Saved by the Bell: The New Class. Screech is seen as the geek of his peer group. While he is clearly intelligent and a high academic achiever, he lacks common sense and social skills. His friends, who are more conventionally attractive and "cooler" than he is, like him anyway and always include him in their plans.

text: In Good Morning, Miss Bliss, Screech is much like he is in all of his other incarnations, only younger. He mentions he has a brother in one episode, but this was written out of all subsequent continuity.

text: In Saved by the Bell, Screech is the only child of an unseen father and an Elvis-obsessed mother (guest star Ruth Buzzi). In addition, he has a dog named Hound Dog, and a robot pal named Kevin, whom he built and programmed himself and who exhibits artificial intelligence. He often exhibits low self-esteem when it comes to girls, in contrast to his more popular friends.

text: During his years at Bayside High, Screech frequently pursues classmate Lisa Turtle and is consistently turned down by her. However, she does agree to date him in one episode, only to spoil the date by talking through the movie. She also attends senior prom with him, because she is moved by both his honesty about how hurt he is that no one wants to go to the prom with him and impressed when Screech says he will stand by an earlier promise not to ask her to the prom.

text: It is revealed in one episode that Screech is of Italian ancestry.

text: Screech does eventually end up with a girlfriend, Violet Anne Bickerstaff (played by the then unknown Tori Spelling), and dates her for several episodes, even managing to win back the support of her upper-class parents after losing it on a disastrous dinner date. Violet is then never seen again, without any explanation.

text: Screech is frequently roped into scams by his best friend, Zack. As a running gag, he often unwittingly sabotages them. In spite of all his faults, Screech is well liked by his friends.

text: Upon graduating, Screech and his friends Zack, Slater, and Kelly, attend California University in Saved by the Bell: The College Years. Screech remains there until his sophomore year, when he begins a work-study program at his alma mater, Bayside High, alongside Principal Richard Belding.

text: In Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas, Screech attends Zack and Kelly's wedding. He served as Zack's best man in the wedding along with Slater. This is mentioned in an episode of Saved by the Bell: The New Class, which aired around the time of the movie's release.

text: From season two in Saved by the Bell: The New Class, Screech is initially in the role as Belding's administrative assistant as part of a work-study program. Screech retains the same bumbling tendencies he did as a teenager, often irritating Belding and leading to his new what-did-I-do catachcall "Zoinks!" (an utterance originally made famous by Shaggy Rogers from Scooby-Doo). However, Screech remains at Bayside in this capacity until the end of the series. Mr. Belding leaves to pursue a new job at the University of Chattanooga at the end of the series. It's implied that Screech will take over as Principal but the series ends without showing this happening.

text: A.C. Slater[edit]

text: Albert Clifford "A.C." Slater (portrayed by Mario Lopez) is a popular jock who excelled in most sports (particularly football and amateur wrestling). An Army brat, he is an outsider, having transferred to Bayside in the first filmed episode (which aired later as a flashback). A.C. mentions that he has been to Bolivia, Italy, Iceland, and Berlin among other places. He becomes the school's star athlete, excelling as a wrestler and the quarterback of the football team, but does not excel in the class room.

text: His father, Martin (a Major in the U.S. Army), appears in two episodes. His mother, Lorraine, however, is not in any episodes. He also has a younger sister named J.B. whom Zack briefly began dating, much to Slater's chagrin. In the season four episode "Love Machine," his ex-girlfriend from Berlin visits and calls him by his real name, "Albert Clifford ".

text: Much like Voorhies, Lopez was able to captivate the show's producers into casting him into a role that was originally written to be Caucasian. This issue of Slater's ethnicity is addressed in "Slater's War" from The College Years, where it is revealed that 25 years earlier A.C.'s father changed his last name from Sanchez to Slater so he could get into the military academy. Although the episode reveals that A.C. does not fluently understand Spanish, A.C. is seen speaking broken Spanish to the kitchen staff of the Malibu Sands Beach club.

text: At the start of freshman year in Saved by the Bell, Slater arrives as a transfer student, immediately making an enemy of Zack Morris by attempting to make a move on Kelly Kapowski. Both boys end up in detention after schemes to be with Kelly backfire on both of them. While in detention, Slater reveals to Zack that he had transferred in and out of various schools throughout his life due to his father being a Major in the army. Their mutual understanding of a father putting something else before his son would serve as the ice breaker between the two (Zack's own father was too busy with his job and never paid attention to him or his academics). By the end of the first season, Zack and Slater find themselves bonding over similar social standing, popularity among women, and athletic ability. During Season 2, the rivalry between the two is toned down, and they begin to become friends. Slater grew into the habit of calling Zack "Preppie" which he at first intended as an ongoing insult, but once they became friends, Slater used the term as an affectionate nickname for Zack. Slater goes on to date feminist Jessie Spano on and off for the remainder of High School.

text: Throughout the course of the show, Slater and Zack compete for many other girls which often puts a strain on their friendship (one instance culminated in a brawl between the two during their senior year). In the end though, their friendship is more important to them than any girl that would possibly come between them.

text: In Saved by the Bell: The College Years, Slater is accepted into California University, along with Zack, Screech, and Kelly as suite mates and begins dating Alex Taber, one of Kelly's roommates. While there, Slater continues his passion for wrestling and works in the University's main restaurant. Along with Screech, Slater serves as Zack's best man at his wedding to Kelly in Las Vegas in Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas. Slater makes two return guest appearances in Saved by the Bell: The New Class, firstly in "Goodbye, Bayside" Part 2, along with Zack and Lisa when a millionaire alumnus J. Walter McMillan plans to buy the school and tear it down for the purpose of constructing a condo, and in "Fire at the Max: Part 2", where he reminisces on fond memories he had with his friends at the diner, after it was accidentally burned down by student Ryan Parker, who forgot to turn off the Christmas lights.

text: Jessie Spano[edit]

text: Jessica "Jessie" Myrtle Spano (portrayed by Elizabeth Berkley) is a lifelong friend of Zack, Screech, Lisa and Kelly. She and Zack live next door to each other, and Zack regularly visits Jessie by climbing through her window. Her parents are divorced. She lives with her mother, who remarried in the third season, providing Jessie with a stepbrother, Eric (played by Joshua Hoffman) from New York City, seen in only two episodes. Jessie's father is the owner and manager of the Marriott Desert Sands resort. He also becomes remarried in the hour-long "Palm Springs Weekend" episode, to a much younger woman with whom Jessie did not initially get along and was against marrying. She eventually accepted Leslie for who she was and becomes friends with her (Jessie's father is played by George McDaniel, and her new stepmother, Leslie, is played by Barbra Brighton).

text: Jessie is portrayed as a liberal (she critiqued then-president George H. W. Bush), with strong feminist views. She is often the first to speak up when she feels something is unjust. Although seen as intelligent, Jessie has a somewhat neurotic streak.

text: Jessie is the class president. In a close election, she initially lost to Zack. However, Zack used underhanded techniques to win the election in order to get a free trip to Washington, D.C., but upon realizing that being class president would be a much better fit for his friend Jessie, Zack stepped down from office, naming Jessie the president. Jessie remains president for the remainder of her time at Bayside.

text: From sophomore year until the end of the series, Jessie dates athlete A.C. Slater in an "opposites attract" relationship, which causes friction between the both of them. Slater's pet name for Jessie is "Mama." Jessie and Slater's relationship is put to the test several times over the course of the series. Jessie also has a brief romantic encounter with Zack when the two are forced to endure a kissing scene in a school play. Additionally, she has a crush on one-time character Graham (played by David Kreigel), with whom she spends cut day. (This last encounter ultimately leads to her and Slater's break up).

text: Most notable is Jessie's struggle with addiction to over-the-counter caffeine pills, in the episode entitled "Jessie's Song." Pressure from school and social obligations, and her desire to be accepted into Stanford University, drive Jessie to take caffeine pills in order to stay awake. Eventually she gets hooked on the pills and has a breakdown as Zack comes to her rescue.

text: Another ongoing issue is Jessie's height. She often considers herself too tall, and has therefore developed a bit of an insecurity complex, especially when it comes to shorter boys, and sometimes superficially judges men based on their height. Additionally, she is known as Jessie "Legs" Spano to some. Jessie would later stop judging men based on their height when she begins dating Slater.

text: In an early episode, Jessie reveals that she attended dance camp as a child. As such, she is an experienced dancer. Jessie is also on the swim team. Jessie later joins Kelly and Lisa as cheerleaders (because, according to Jessie, it looks good to colleges).

text: Before graduation, Jessie has her hopes pinned on becoming valedictorian, but ultimately loses out to Screech. However, Screech realizes how important it is to her, and concedes the honor to Jessie. Jessie soon realizes just how much valedictorian meant to Screech and gives it back to him.

text: After graduation, Jessie goes off to attend Columbia University.

text: In Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas, Jessie, with Lisa, returns as one of Kelly's bridesmaids at Zack and Kelly's wedding in Las Vegas. This was her final appearance to date in the show.

text: Lisa Turtle[edit]

text: Lisa Marie Turtle (portrayed by Lark Voorhies) is the rich girl of the group, whose parents both worked as physicians. She is frequently seen wearing designer clothing.

text: In her first appearance in Good Morning, Miss Bliss, Lisa plays a more secondary role than she later would in the later incarnations of the series. She attends John F. Kennedy Junior High with Zack Morris and Samuel "Screech" Powers.

text: Throughout her high school years in Saved by the Bell, Lisa spends most of her time fighting off the affections of Screech, who is relentless in pursuing her (and eventually wins at least one date with her) and has been doing so since they were in Kindergarten. Despite her irritation with Screech, she values him as a friend, and eventually comes to admire Screech's nobility when he abdicates his position as the class valedictorian in favor of Jessie Spano, who had a slightly lower grade point average than he did, but valued the position more. Lisa even went to the senior prom with Screech when she felt sorry that no one would go with him, when he promised to respect her comfort zone and not ask her, but she decided that she wants him to be her prom date. Most of Lisa's time is spent in the company of schoolmates and fellow cheerleaders Kelly Kapowski and Jessie Spano.

text: Unlike the rest of her friends, Lisa does not have a long-term relationship during high school (despite having countless dates), although she has a short term romance with Zack Morris in the episode "The Bayside Triangle," much to the chagrin of Screech. To keep his friendship with Screech, Zack must break up with Lisa. However, this is forgotten about in following episodes. "Screech's Spaghetti Sauce" involves Screech on a date with a girl who is impressed by him, causing Lisa to be in a state of disbelief.

text: Upon graduating, Lisa is accepted into the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. Lisa only makes one guest appearance in Saved by the Bell: The College Years when she visits her former classmates Zack, Screech, Kelly, and A.C. Slater at California University in the episode "Wedding Plans", after hearing of Zack and Kelly's engagement. In Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas, Lisa and Jessie were Kelly's bridesmaids for her wedding to Zack. Lisa returns to Bayside High along with Zack and Slater in "Goodbye Bayside: Part 2" (from Saved by the Bell: The New Class), where they are reunited with Screech (now working at Bayside on a work-study program) and their principal Mr. Belding when the school is under threat of being torn down by an alumnus.

text: Mr. Belding[edit]

text: Mr. Richard Belding (portrayed by Dennis Haskins) is the principal of Bayside High School. In his first appearance in the pilot of Good Morning, Miss Bliss, Mr. Belding's first name was Gerald, and the character was played by Oliver Clark. Other than Miss Bliss, the character of Mr. Belding was the only one carried over when the show began production. The character also appeared in Saved by the Bell: The New Class and guest starred in "A Thanksgiving Story" (from Saved by the Bell: The College Years). He is one of only two characters to remain from the beginning of the franchise until the end (the other being Samuel "Screech" Powers). Mr. Belding's name is a pun referencing the onomatopoeia "ding" that comes from a bell, (a "bell ding"). His signature catchphrase is "Hey, hey, hey, hey! What is going on here?", usually uttered after finding out about something ridiculous occurring at the school.[1]

text: Mr. Belding's most frequent nemesis is Zack Morris; however, throughout the series, it is abundantly clear the two like and respect each other, arguably because in "Save the Max" it is revealed that when Belding was a student himself he was a disc jockey and one who would rebel against school authority, prompting the comment that he was "the Zack Morris of the 1960s". On at least one occasion, Belding has even called Zack Morris "the son [he] never had". A small joke was also that Belding was open about his past failures with women prior to his marriage, such as when he was in the U.S. Army and in love with a North Vietnamese girl, where "even she was with the enemy!" Belding's family has appeared in the series on many occasions. The most frequent appearances were by his infant son, named in honor of Zack. When Belding's wife (Becky) went into labor in an elevator, Zack Morris, along with classmate Tori Scott, helped deliver him.

text: Much of Belding's humor comes from his attempts to make jokes, sing or being generally tricked and scammed by Zack. Despite Zack's ideas that he knew Belding inside and out, occasionally Belding would reveal that he had other ideas to deal with issues, thus outfoxing Zack. He also was against the Bayside-Valley High prank war and in spite of his best efforts to call a truce with Valley High's principal, the war continued until then end of the cheerleading competition when one of the students from Valley was exposed.

text: Belding also has a small rivalry with fellow teacher Mr. Tuttle, who was also in line for the position of Principal at Bayside. He also had a friendly rivalry with Brandon Tartikoff over courtship of Belding's wife, but Tartikoff accepted that he got the short end of the straw and accepted the eventual presidency of NBC (thus implicitly breaking the fourth wall, since Tartikoff actually was president of NBC at the time) while Mr. Belding was "happily married and got to be principal of a school of great kids."

text: Belding remains the one constant between all the series and in the second season of The New Class, he is reunited with Bayside High alumnus Samuel "Screech" Powers, who is studying to become a teacher. Screech becomes Mr. Belding's administrative assistant until the end of the series, when Belding decides to take a job as dean of a College in Tennessee.

text: In 2012, Dennis Haskins reprised his role as Mr. Belding on the hit Nickelodeon series Victorious in the episode "April Fools Blank".

text: Tori Scott[edit]

text: Tori Scott (portrayed by Leanna Creel) arrives at Bayside during senior year, making an immediate enemy of Zack Morris by parking her motorcycle in his usual parking space on her first day. Eventually, things thaw between Tori and Zack and they later begin dating, but broke up in the episode "The Will" due to Zack's sexist behavior. After the episode "School Song," Tori is never seen or mentioned again.

text: Bayside faculty[edit]

text: Mrs. Culpepper[edit]

text: Mrs. Culpepper is the school’s de facto art teacher (although she is seen teaching history during Cut Day) and made appearances in both junior year and senior year. She is always involved in comical situations in which she bumps into lockers and mistakes inanimate objects for living things due to her bad eyesight. At one point she even accidentally made Mr. Belding think she is in love with him; when he talked to her about her "crush" she became completely flustered, and later punched him the face for continuing to "reassure" her that he had no romantic designs towards her.

text: Mr. Dewey[edit]

text: Mr. Dewey (Patrick Thomas O'Brien) is a math teacher who also oversaw detention. He represented the archetypal down-on-his-luck, more-bored-than-the-kids, depressed teacher but seemed to be respected by the kids on the grounds that nothing they did bothered or registered very much with him. He spoke in a monotonous voice, is sarcastic, always wore glasses, and once auditioned for American Gladiators. Mr. Dewey also appeared in the New Class.

text: Doctor Mertz[edit]

text: Dr. Mertz (Avery Schreiber) is a science teacher that seems to want the students to enjoy his class, giving out awards such as a molecule hat to Screech. His Science test stresses Kelly because she has concert tickets that she won't get to use if she fails. Zack hoping to get on Kelly's good side arranges for Screech to tutor Kelly. The plan backfires when Kelly develops romantic feelings for Screech. Kelly manages to pass Dr. Mertz's test but finds that without the need for a tutor, she and Screech really do not have much in common.

text: Mr. Dickerson[edit]

text: Played by Raf Mauro, Dickerson is a history teacher known for his unfriendly demeanor and an impossible midterm that no student had passed in three years, something he seems to be very proud of. In the episode "The Fabulous Belding Boys," Dickerson has a nervous breakdown and is replaced by the very popular Rod Belding.

text: Mrs. Simpson[edit]

text: Mrs. Simpson (Pamela Kosh) is the nearly deaf, British-accented teacher who taught English class. She also appeared at the beginning of junior year and embarrassed Kelly and Zack by referring to them as “Bayside’s Most Beloved Couple” just a short while after they broke up. She said she didn't like Zack, and once wore a hearing aid that she discarded because the titular bell caused painful sound waves to assault her. She also made an appearance in the pilot episode of The New Class.

text: Coach Sonski[edit]

text: Coach Sonski (played by comedian Monty Hoffman) is the wrestling coach at Bayside High. He is overweight with a testosterone-laden personality, and has been shown to be a sexist (mainly in "Hold Me Tight"). He depends on Slater as his star athlete.

text: Coach Sonski is also shown as Bayside's auto shop instructor in the episode where Jessie's new stepbrother comes to California. He retains his sense of humor as well as his macho attitude throughout the episodes, though he once confessed to watching Oprah because he is "sensitive to dames".

text: Mr. Tuttle[edit]

text: Tuttle (portrayed by Jack Angeles) is an enthusiastic, overweight teacher (perhaps a foil for the thin, dour Mr. Dewey). He is well-liked by the students but had a mutually unfriendly relationship with Mr. Belding, stemming largely from Tuttle having been runner-up to Belding when Bayside had chosen a new principal. He also served as a leader in the local teacher's union, a driver's education teacher, and a music teacher.

text: Ms. Wentworth[edit]

text: Ms. Wentworth (portrayed by Carol Lawrence) is the Social Studies teacher during sophomore year who piqued Zack’s interest in his family heritage by assigning a family research project. She also taught the class about subliminal advertising, which led to a predictably hair-brained scheme from Zack. Ms. Wentworth is one of Bayside's more enthusiastic and unorthodox teachers. Like Mr. Tuttle, she is one of the few teachers who genuinely seems to like Zack, and seems to be popular with her students, because she is serious about her job but treats them nicely and has a good sense of humor.

text: Bayside students[edit]

text: Violet Ann Bickerstaff[edit]

text: Violet (Tori Spelling) is a nerdy character (appearing in 3 episodes in seasons 2 and 3) who was originally dating Maxwell Nerdstrom, but she dumped him in favor of Screech (whom she commonly addresses by his real name "Samuel"), as Maxwell had treated her poorly. In her first appearance, she knocks over Screech's mother's statue of Elvis Presley. This leads to a moneymaking scheme by the gang to get $250 for a new statue. Violet comes from an upper class family who disapproves of her relationship with Screech, mainly due to the fact he is from a lower class, despite the fact he and Violet share many common interests. In another episode, Violet is shown to have a beautiful singing voice, but is too shy to sing solo for Bayside's abysmal school choir until Screech supports her. She then quits the choir after Screech embarrasses her at a disastrous dinner with her folks, but when he comes out and sings her opposite, saving the day for her it convinces the Bickerstaffs that he is a good guy, and they say they no longer object to him dating their daughter.

text: Ginger[edit]

text: Ginger (portrayed by Bridgette Wilson) is a pretty but vacuous blonde (appearing in five season 4 episodes) who dates Zack a few times, but annoys him because she has little to say beyond asking him if she has lipstick on her teeth.

text: Rhonda Robistelli[edit]

text: Rhonda (portrayed by Kirsten Holmquist) is Bayside’s resident tomboy. She is a tall, lanky girl with disheveled blond hair (appearing in 3 first-season episodes). She and Zack have one date, during which she forcibly plants a kiss on his lips. Rhonda also tries to join the cheerleading squad in "Save That Tiger" and tries out for the team when one of the regulars is injured right before the big competition against Valley. Her audition is clumsy and the girls eventually talk Jessie into taking the spot.

text: "Big" Pete Stonebreaker[edit]

text: Pete Stonebreaker (Bryan Cooper) is one of the tallest nerds at Bayside (appearing in two episodes in seasons 3 and 4) who made his first appearance in an episode during the Malibu Sands storyline as a volleyball player when Screech was trying to recruit some members to replace Gary, an injured volleyball player. He seems to be a leader amongst the nerds, and has been able to fit in socially at times with more popular students.

text: Louise[edit]

text: Louise (Lara Lyon) is a nerdy Bayside student with blonde hair in pigtails and horn-rimmed glasses (appearing in 3 episodes in seasons 2 and 4) who is sometimes shown as a friend of Screech's. She enrolls in the Army JROTC program at Bayside after Zack convinces her that in the US Army men outnumber women. She is placed on Zack's "nerd team" in a physical competition to compete against Slater's better qualified team. Zack learns a lesson about leadership when he must encourage his team to realize their potential, which included telling Louise she could climb a rope. She returns in the episode "1-900-Crushed", where she confides she has feelings for the jock "Moose", whose feelings are mutual, but she worries about the mismatched relationship. She is the queen bee of the school's nerd clique, and Zack goes out on a date with her during his campaign to earn the nod for writing the new school song, knowing she would convince Bayside's geeks and dweebs to vote for him. Slater tells another high-ranking geek that Zack's "date" with Louise could set a precedent where other popular guys begin dating geek girls, which inspired the geeks to cast their votes in the song contest for Screech's entry.

text: Moose[edit]

text: Moose (portrayed by Mark Clayman) is a very dumb and childlike jock, much like his fellow football teammate Ox (appearing in two episodes in seasons 2 and 4). He is seen dating Louise in the episode "1-900-Crushed", and also has a minor speaking role in the episode "Student-Teacher Week."

text: Maxwell Nerdstrom[edit]

text: Nerdstrom (portrayed by Jeffrey Asch) is a rich nerd (appearing in two episodes in seasons 2 and 4) who is Violet Bickerstaff’s boyfriend and treats her rather poorly, although he does buy her a gold-plated pocket protector. His poor treatment of her is one of the factors in her becoming Screech’s girlfriend. While most of the nerds comport themselves with a bumbling dignity at most, Nerdstrom goes above and beyond, behaving as a pompous, stuck-up geek. He defeats Zack in a game of poker, but gets his comeuppance in the end. Perhaps Maxwell's most noted accomplishment at Bayside is mistakenly kissing Screech’s dog, "Hound Dog" believing him to be Jessie, to everybody’s delight. He is later humiliated when Screech pointed out that Maxwell kissed his dog and tells Maxwell to stay out of Violet's life.

text: Ox[edit]

text: Ox (Troy Fromin) is a member of the Bayside football team and an archetypal "dumb jock" (appearing in nine episodes in seasons 3 and 4) who pals around with Slater when Slater is without his friends. Despite being a jock, he dates a female nerd, and is often shown to be gentler and more sensitive than his size and oafish behavior would suggest. He is among the students who get drunk senior year at the toga party. A similar character named "Moose" also appeared on the show, however.

text: Belding family[edit]

text: Rod Belding[edit]

text: Rod Belding (portrayed by Ed Blatchford) is Mr. Belding’s brother and steps in as a substitute teacher during junior year, after Mr. Dickerson has a mental breakdown. He initially makes a hip impression on the students because of his happy-go-lucky attitude, world-weary demeanor, and tales of defying authority and schoolwork. Rod arranges to take the students on the rafting trip for their annual class trip (ruining Mr. Belding's plans to visit Yosemite Park) and attempts to teach them about it. Mr. Belding is overshadowed by his brother’s connection with the students, which is evident in a minor confrontation they have when Mr. Belding tells his brother he is not to be teaching the kids whitewater rafting on official class time. After Zack accuses him of being jealous of Rod, he soon finds out what he's really like on the inside. During a confrontation with the brothers, Rod tries to skip out of the trip just to meet a stewardess named Inga. Mr. Belding is furious that Rod would abandon his commitment to the students and orders him never to come back to Bayside. Rod leaves as Zack ducks behind some lockers to avoid his sight. Not wanting to upset his students, Mr. Belding claims that Rod is ill. However, when he offers to chaperone the trip instead, the students happily and gratefully accept. Zack, who had secretly overheard the incident, tells his principal that “we got the better Belding.”

text: Mrs. (Becky) Belding[edit]

text: Becky Belding, Mr. Belding’s wife (portrayed by Louan Gideon), is featured in the episode “Earthquake!”, in which she, Zack and Tori get stuck in an elevator after a minor earthquake. During the time in the elevator she goes into labor and gives birth to the Beldings' son with the help of Zack, who becomes the baby's namesake.

text: Penny Belding[edit]

text: Richard Belding’s niece (portrayed by Jodi Peterson) is blonde and bubbly, but no one wants to date her as she is related to the Principal. During Zack’s sophomore year at Bayside, he earns himself a Saturday school detention. In order to be released from serving time and to be able to attend Kelly’s upcoming party, he signs a treaty with Mr. Belding agreeing to take Penny out on a date on Friday in lieu of serving his sentence. After making this agreement, Kelly informs Zack that her birthday party would also be that Friday, since the Max was booked on Saturday. In order to make Kelly’s party, Zack trains Screech to imitate him, so that he could take Penny out on the date instead; this works out well because Penny is attracted to Screech, but she angers Kelly when she says that she is hot for “Zack,” thinking that was who Screech was.

text: Zack Belding[edit]

text: Richard and Becky Belding’s son, born when Zack, Mrs. Belding, and Tori get stuck in an elevator. He also appears in two episodes of Saved by the Bell: The New Class.

text: Morris family[edit]

text: Derek Morris[edit]

text: Derek Morris (portrayed by John Sanderford[2]) is the father of Zack. He is a businessman who spends little time with his son. He is very strict and opposed at first for Zack to marry Kelly in the TV Movie Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas.

text: Melanie Morris[edit]

text: Melanie Rhonda Morris (portrayed by Melody Rogers[3]) is the mother of Zack. She's more fresh and less strict than her husband Derek. She adores Zack but still she knows some of her son's tricks. She supported Zack's marriage but couldn't do much to aid him in order to respect her husband, in the TV movie Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas.

text: Kapowski family[edit]

text: Frank Kapowski[edit]

text: Frank Kapowski (portrayed by John Mansfield) is the father of Kelly and her six other siblings. Kind and loving, he worked at a defense plant, but is laid off in the season two premiere "The Prom". He is also seen at Zack and Kelly's wedding in Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas giving Kelly away, and at the reception with his wife and two of Kelly's younger brothers.

text: Billy Kapowski[edit]

text: Billy Kapowski is Kelly’s baby brother, whom she places in the care of her friends in the episode “The Babysitters” so that she could have her cheerleading picture taken for the school yearbook. Zack is often left alone with Billy as the others make excuses or have other commitments to attend to. Because of this, Billy and Zack bond quickly to the point where Zack distrusts anyone else to care for the baby. He is forced, however, to allow Jessie and Lisa to look after him in their Home Economics/Parenthood class. They lose track of Billy when Screech goes to fetch Billy for Zack but mistakes a doll for the baby. The gang eventually find him in Mr. Belding’s office, and at the end of the episode he speaks his first word: “Zack.”

text: Kyle Kapowski[edit]

text: Another brother of Kelly's, he disrupts the end of one of Kelly and Zack's dates. Kyle later dumps water on Zack from the second floor of their house after Kelly decided against going steady.

text: Nicki Kapowski[edit]

text: Nicki Kapowski (portrayed by Laura Mooney) is Kelly’s tomboyish little sister who develops a crush on Zack. She becomes convinced that Zack feels the same way after he mixes up her phone call with Kelly's (while running the "Teen Line"). Although she is only thirteen and in the seventh grade, she nonetheless shows up at Bayside High to visit Zack, sporting a more feminine look and demanding a kiss. After trying various ploys to turn her off (including dressing up like a geek and trying to gross her out with a pet spider), Zack finally has to tell her the truth: he isn’t interested in her; he is in love with Kelly. More angry than hurt, she insults Zack for trying to scare her away instead of having the courage to tell a thirteen-year-old girl how he really feels.

text: Harry Bannister[edit]

text: Harry Bannister (portrayed by Dean Jones is Kelly's grandfather from the movie Saved by the Bell: Hawaiian Style. He invites Kelly and her friends to stay at "The Hawaiian Hideaway", a rustic hotel in Hawaii. However, someone else is out to buy his land and build a hotel/resort complex, and the gang has to save it.

text: Slater family[edit]

text: Maj. Martin Slater[edit]

text: Major Martin Slater (Gerald Castillo) is A.C.’s strict but loving father, who is frequently transferred due to Army obligations. Although he wants his son to attend West Point and enter the military as he himself had done, he eventually changes his views when he sees that Slater wants to attend college on a wrestling scholarship and figure things out from there. He is more frequent in the first season than any of the others. It is later revealed in "Saved by the Bell: The College Years" that Martin's last name was actually "Sanchez," causing an embarrassed A.C. Slater to realize his father concealed his Latino heritage (presumably simple due to his decidedly non-Latino appearance) to avoid rampant bigotry as he entered the military.

text: J.B. Slater[edit]

text: J.B. is Slater's younger sister. She shows up suddenly to visit A.C. and Zack develops a crush on her. This makes A.C. angry as he knows how big a womanizer Zack is, and forbids them from seeing each other. Once J.B. learns of this, she confronts Slater angrily and tells him to butt out of her love life. He eventually accepts that she will be dating his best friend and thus wouldn't be so bad. He still warns Zack to "treat her right". She does not appear in any other episodes besides "Slater's Sister."

text: Jessie Spano's stepfamily[edit]

text: Leslie[edit]

text: Leslie (Barbra Brighton) is the aerobics instructor (in the two-part season 3 episode "Palm Springs Weekend") as well as Jessie's future step-mom. Although Zack makes a pass at her in the beginning of the episode, the gang later finds out Leslie is marrying Jessie's dad. Jessie refers to her future step-mom as an "aerobics bimbo", insults and lies to her, and asks her dad flat-out to not marry her. Her father firmly says he loves Leslie and is marrying her, period. Jessie then refuses to attend the wedding. At the end of the episode, however, Zack convinces Jessie to do the right thing and they arrive (though slightly late) to the wedding on a golf cart, where Jessie apologizes and Leslie forgives her.

text: Eric Tramer[edit]

text: Eric Tramer (Josh Hoffman) is Jessie’s stepbrother from New York (in the two-part season 3 episode "The Wicked Stepbrother"). At first excited to have a new stepbrother, Jessie quickly grows to dislike his rough, confrontational and offensive personality. Eric causes trouble and conflict at Bayside, particularly with Zack who feels threatened by the new prankster bad-boy, even going so far as to offer up Mr. Belding’s car for auto shop class dissection to get Zack into trouble. However, after a punch and a speech from Jessie (after he said she was "just a chick"), he reforms his ways, entirely reassembles Belding’s car, and apologizes to all. He was planning to return to New York City, but the gang, particularly Lisa, who had developed feelings for him, convinces him to remain at Bayside.

text: Turtle Family[edit]

text: Mr. Turtle[edit]

text: Mr. Turtle (Henry Brown) appears in the episode "The Lisa Card". He was Lisa's father, who gave Lisa her first credit card for 'emergencies only,' however, she spends nearly $400 on clothes with the credit card. At the end of the episode, she confesses that she spent the emergency credit card balance on clothes, and Mr. Turtle forces her to pay the credit card off herself.

text: Judy Turtle[edit]

text: Lisa's mother Judy Turtle (Susan Beaubian) appeared in two episodes of the series, "Operation Zack" and "Drinking and Driving". In "Operation Zack", she is Zack's doctor after he accidentally breaks his leg when Mr. Belding bumps into him in the locker room. In "Drinking and Driving", Lisa crashed her car after getting drunk at a party, and has to deal with the repercussions of her actions, including telling Judy what she did to her car.

text: Powers Family[edit]

text: Roberta Powers[edit]

text: Roberta Powers (Ruth Buzzi) appeared in the episode "House Party". She is Screech's mom, who is a huge Elvis fan. In the episode, she trusts Screech to be home alone for a weekend and gives him a long list of rules to abide by. Her favorite Elvis statue gets broken by Screech's girlfriend, Violet, and the gang has to throw a party to raise money for the statue replacement.

text: Kimberly[edit]

text: Kimberly (who was uncredited) is Screech's cousin who appeared in the episode "The Aftermath". She was one of Zack's blind dates, which was intended to cheer Zack up after his rough breakup with Kelly. Slater, Jessie, and Lisa start wondering how Screech is related to her, due to the strong dissimilarities in their appearances, until Screech tells them she is adopted.

text: Malibu Sands employees[edit]

text: Stacey Carosi[edit]

text: Stacey Carosi (portrayed by Leah Remini, appearing in six episodes of season 3). She works for her father, Leon Carosi, at the Malibu Sands beach resort as a staff manager, in charge of all of the other members. Zack Morris is quickly smitten with her, and is disappointingly shocked to learn that she is the daughter of his boss. Throughout the summer, she and Zack progress from flirtation to hostility to eventual romance, marked by their kiss under the fireworks during the Fourth of July celebration.

text: Leon Carosi[edit]

text: Leon Carosi (portrayed by Ernie Sabella) is Stacey's father, who takes a strong dislike to Zack due to his constant snarky remarks and attempted courting of his daughter. He is also the gang's greedy boss for the summer. He also is very narcissistic, pompous and sometimes bumbling and thinks highly of himself and his daughter. However, despite his dislike of Zack, he eventually warms up to him towards the end of Zack's summer employment and says he approves of Zack and Stacey dating. He is similar to Mr. Belding who is always trying to get rid of Zack.

text: The Max's employees[edit]

text: Max[edit]

text: Max is the owner of The Max (played by Ed Alonzo, in 20 episodes during the first two seasons). He often advises the students of Bayside on their choices and dilemmas, and re-inforces his points with magic tricks. He is also the gang's friend.

text: Jeff Hunter[edit]

text: Jeff Hunter (played by Patrick Muldoon) has a brief tenure (in three episodes of season 3) as the Max’s manager who likes Kelly Kapowski. As a result, Zack and Kelly break up, allowing Jeff and Kelly to begin a relationship. Unfortunately, very soon afterwards Jeff’s infidelity was revealed when he is seen dancing with and kissing a girl at an over-18 club known as The Attic. Kelly breaks up with him as a result.

text: Miscellaneous characters[edit]

text: James the Actor[edit]

text: James (portrayed by Mark Blankfield) is an out-of-work actor who takes a job as a waiter at the Max (appearing in two episodes in seasons 2 and 3). He claims that he was a student at acting school. Most of the work he seems to get as an actor on the show is in the employ of Zack. In the season 3 episode "S.A.T.'s," Zack hires James to do a double role as Stanley Alan Taylor (S.A.T.), who orders Mr. Belding to lighten up Zack's workload after his grades have dropped, then to play an admissions officer for Harvard who acts snooty and elitist to everyone. In the season 2 episode "Rent-a-Pop," Zack hired James to impersonate his father after Belding demanded he meet with him as a condition to go on a ski trip in order to report on Zack's failing grades; to which Zack was convinced his real father would not let him go if he knew the truth. Zack then has to hire James again to play Mr. Belding after his real father accepts a letter to meet Belding once more, where James falsifies Zack's grades as spectacular. James the Actor also made two appearances on Saved By the Bell: The New Class.

text: Frank and Laura Benton[edit]

text: Frank and Laura Benton (Stephen Mendel and Jennifer McComb) are a homeless father and daughter, respectively (in the two-part season 3 episode "Home for Christmas"), who catches the eye of Zack and the gang around Christmas time. Laura, who works in a department store with Kelly, seems to be a tentative love interest for Zack; she is very shy around Zack about her homelessness. Zack, Slater and Screech get Frank to a hospital when he passes out at the mall from hunger, and then they find out he is Laura's father. Laura's boss accuses her of stealing a suit jacket that Kelly set aside to buy, so Frank would have an outfit that he could wear to job interviews. Later, Laura's boss apologizes and gives Laura the jacket for free. Eventually, the Morris family takes in the Bentons until they could “get back on their feet.”

text: Kevin the Robot[edit]

text: Kevin the Robot (operated and voiced by Mike Lavelle) was a creation of Screech’s with artificial intelligence (appearing in three episodes during seasons 1 and 2), who lives in Screech’s room and usually dishes out advice and witty remarks. His appearances include him as Screech's assistant when Screech is doing a magic show; and as assistant hall monitor when Screech is nominated for the post by his classmates, to make up for forgetting Screech's birthday.


document_title: Pollution in China

question_text: what is the cause of smog in china

question_tokens: what is the cause of smog in china

root

text: Pollution in China

text: Pollution statistics[edit]

text: Soil contamination[edit]

text: The immense growth of the People's Republic of China since the 1980s has resulted in increased soil pollution.[citation needed] The State Environmental Protection Administration believes it to be a threat to the environment, food safety and sustainable agriculture. 38,610 square miles (100,000 km2) of China’s cultivated land have been polluted, with contaminated water being used to irrigate a further 31.5 million miles (21,670 km2.) and another 2 million miles (1,300 km2) have been covered or destroyed by solid waste[citation needed]. The affected area accounts for one-tenth of China’s cultivatable land. An estimated 6 million tonnes of grain are contaminated by heavy metals every year, causing direct losses of 29 billion yuan (US$2.57 billion)[citation needed]. Heavy metals (including mercury, lead, cadmium, copper, nickel, chromium, and zinc) in the contaminated soil have adverse health effects in human metabolism. Ingestion, contact through skin, diet through the soil-food chain, respiratory intake, and oral intake can deliver the toxic substances to human beings.[5]

tag: p

text: Waste[edit]

text: As China's waste production increases, insufficient efforts to develop capable recycling systems have been attributed to a lack of environmental awareness.[6] In 2012, the waste generation in China was 300 million tons (229.4 kg/cap/yr).[7]

text: A ban came into effect on 1 June 2008 that prohibited all supermarkets, department stores and shops throughout China from giving out free plastic bags, therefore encouraging people to use cloth bags as during the ancient times.[8] Stores must clearly mark the price of plastic shopping bags and are banned from adding that price onto the price of products. The production, sale and use of ultra-thin plastic bags - those less than 0.025 millimeters (0.00098  in) thick - are also banned. The State Council called for "a return to cloth bags and shopping baskets."[9] This ban, however, does not affect the widespread use of paper shopping bags at clothing stores or the use of plastic bags at restaurants for takeout food. A survey by the International Food Packaging Association found that in the year after the ban was implemented, 10 percent fewer plastic bags found their way into the garbage.[10]

text: Electronic waste[edit]

text: In 2011, China produced 2.3 million tons of electronic waste.[11] The annual amount is expected to increase as the Chinese economy grows. In addition to domestic waste production, large amounts of electronic waste are imported from overseas. Legislation banning importation of electronic waste and requiring proper disposal of domestic waste has recently been introduced, but has been criticized as insufficient and susceptible to fraud[citation needed]. There have been local successes, such as in the city of Tianjin where 38,000 tons of electronic waste were disposed of properly in 2010, but much electronic waste is still improperly handled.[12]

text: Industrial pollution[edit]

text: In 1997, the World Bank issued a report targeting China's policy towards industrial pollution. The report stated that "hundreds of thousands of premature deaths and incidents of serious respiratory illness have been caused by exposure to industrial air pollution. Seriously contaminated by industrial discharges, many of China's waterways are largely unfit for direct human use". However, the report did acknowledge that environmental regulations and industrial reforms had had some effect. It was determined that continued environmental reforms were likely to have a large effect on reducing industrial pollution.[13]

text: In a 2007 article about China's pollution problem, the New York Times stated that "Environmental degradation is now so severe, with such stark domestic and international repercussions, that pollution poses not only a major long-term burden on the Chinese public but also an acute political challenge to the ruling Communist Party." The article's main points included:[14]

text:
According to the Chinese Ministry of Health, industrial pollution has made cancer China’s leading cause of death.
Every year, ambient air pollution alone killed hundreds of thousands of citizens.
500 million people in China are without safe and clean drinking water.
Only 1% of the country’s 560 million city dwellers breathe air considered safe by the European Union, because all of its major cities are constantly covered in a "toxic gray shroud". Before and during the 2008 Summer Olympics, Beijing was "frantically searching for a magic formula, a meteorological deus ex machina, to clear its skies for the 2008 Olympics."[15]
Lead poisoning or other types of local pollution continue to kill many Chinese children.
A large section of the ocean is without marine life because of massive algal blooms caused by the high nutrients in the water.
The pollution has spread internationally: sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides fall as acid rain on Seoul, South Korea, and Tokyo; and according to the Journal of Geophysical Research, the pollution even reaches Los Angeles in the USA.
The Chinese Academy of Environmental Planning in 2003 produced an unpublished internal report which estimated that 300,000 people die each year from ambient air pollution, mostly of heart disease and lung cancer.
Chinese environmental experts in 2005 issued another report, estimating that annual premature deaths attributable to outdoor air pollution were likely to reach 380,000 in 2010 and 550,000 in 2020.
A 2007 World Bank report conducted with China's national environmental agency found that "[...] outdoor air pollution was already causing 350,000 to 400,000 premature deaths a year. Indoor pollution contributed to the deaths of an additional 300,000 people, while 60,000 died from diarrhoea, bladder and stomach cancer and other diseases that can be caused by water-borne pollution." World Bank officials said "China’s environmental agency insisted that the health statistics be removed from the published version of the report, citing the possible impact on 'social stability'".

tag: ol

text: A draft of a 2007 combined World Bank and SEPA report stated that up to 760,000 people died prematurely each year in China because of air and water pollution. High levels of air pollution in China's cities caused to 350,000-400,000 premature deaths. Another 300,000 died because of indoor air of poor quality. There were 60,000 premature deaths each year because of water of poor quality. Chinese officials asked that some of the results should not be published in order to avoid social unrest.[16]

text: China has made some improvements in environmental protection during recent years. According to the World Bank, 'China is one of a few countries in the world that have been rapidly increasing their forest cover. It is managing to reduce air and water pollution.[17]

text: Vennemo et al., in a 2009 literature review in Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, noted the wide discrepancy between the reassuring view in some Chinese official publications and the exclusively negative view in some Western sources. The review stated that "although China is starting from a point of grave pollution, it is setting priorities and making progress that resemble what occurred in industrialized countries during their earlier stages of development." Environmental trends were described as uneven. A quality of surface water in the south of China was improving and particle emissions were stable. But NO2 emissions were increasing rapidly and SO2 emissions had been increasing before decreasing in 2007, the last year for which data was available.[18]

text: Conventional approaches to air quality monitoring are based on networks of static and sparse measurement stations. However, there are drivers behind current rises in the use of low-cost sensors for air pollution management in cities.[19]

text: The immense urban growth of Chinese cities substantially increases the need for consumer goods, vehicles and energy. This in turn increases the burning of fossil fuels, resulting in smog. Exposure to Smog poses a threat to the health of Chinese citizens. A study from 2012 shows fine particles in the air, which cause respiratory and cardiovascular diseases are one of the key pollutants that are accounted for a large fraction of damage on the health of Chinese citizens. [20]

text: Water pollution[edit]

text: The water resources of China are affected by both severe water shortages and severe water pollution[citation needed]. An increasing population and rapid economic growth, as well as lax environmental oversight, have increased water demand and pollution. According to an investigation in 1980, the entire country has 440 billion cubic meters of the total water consumption. Consumption by agriculture, forestry, husbandry, and country residents was about 88 per cent of the total consumption. However, an investigation shows that 19 per cent of water in main rivers which has been polluted as well as a total length of 95,000 kilometers. In addition, a survey for 878 rivers in the early 1980s shows that 80 per cent of them were polluted to some extent, and fishes became extinct in more than 5 per cent of total river length throughout the country. Furthermore, there are over 20 waterways unsuitable for agricultural irrigation due to water pollution.[21] In response, China has taken measures such as rapidly building out the water infrastructure and increased regulation as well as exploring a number of further technological solutions[citation needed].

text: Air pollution[edit]

text:
“
In northern China, air pollution from the burning of fossil fuels, principally coal, is causing people to die on average 5.5 years sooner than they otherwise might.
”

— Tim Flannery, Atmosphere of Hope, 2015.[22]

tag: table

text: Air pollution has become a major issue in China and poses a threat to Chinese public health. In 2016, only 84 out of 338 prefecture-level (administrative division of the People's Republic of China (PRC), ranking below a province and above a county) or higher cities attained the national standard for air quality.[23]

text: Zhong Nanshan, the president of the China Medical Association, warned in 2012 that air pollution could become China's biggest health threat.[24] Measurements by Beijing municipal government in January 2013 showed that highest recorded level of PM2.5 (particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometers in size), was at nearly 1,000 μg per cubic meter.[25] Traces of smog from mainland China has been observed to reach as far as California.[26]

text: Sulfur dioxide emission peaked at 2006, after which it began to decline by 10.4% in 2008 compared to 2006.[27] This was accompanied by improvements on related phenomenons such as lower frequency of acid rainfall. The adoption by power plants of flue-gas desulfurization technology was likely the main reason for reduced SO2 emissions.[27]

text: Large-scale use of formaldehyde in make home building products in construction and furniture also contributes to indoor air pollution.[28]

text: Particulates[edit]

text: Particulates are formed from both primary and secondary pathways.[29] Primary sources such as coal combustion, biomass combustion and traffic directly emit particulate matter (PM). The emissions from power plants are considerably higher than in other countries, as most Chinese facilities do not employ any flue gas treatment.[30] High secondary aerosol[31] (particulates formed through atmospheric oxidation and reactions of gaseous organic compounds) contribution to particulate pollution in China is found.[32] According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, such fine particles can cause asthma, bronchitis, and acute and chronic respiratory symptoms such as shortness of breath and painful breathing, and may also lead to premature death.[33]

text: According to the World Bank, the Chinese cities with the highest levels of particulate matter in 2004 of those studied were Tianjin, Chongqing, and Shenyang.[34] In 2012 stricter air pollution monitoring of ozone and PM2.5 were ordered to be gradually implemented from large cities and key areas to all prefecture-level cities, and from 2015 all prefecture-level or higher cities were included.[35] State media acknowledged the role of environmental campaigners in causing this change. On one micro-blog service, more than a million mostly positive comments were posted in less than 24 hours although some wondered if the standards would be effectively enforced.[36]

text: The US embassy in Beijing regularly posts automated air quality measurements at @beijingair on Twitter. On 18 November 2010, the feed described the PM2.5 AQI (Air Quality Index) as "crazy bad" after registering a reading in excess of 500 for the first time. This description was later changed to "beyond index",[37] a level which recurred in February, October, and December 2011.[38][39][40]

text: In June 2012, following strongly divergent disclosures of particulate levels between the Observatory and the US Embassy, Chinese authorities asked foreign consulates to stop publishing "inaccurate and unlawful" data.[41] Officials said it was "not scientific to evaluate the air quality of an area with results gathered from just only one point inside that area", and asserted that official daily average PM2.5 figures for Beijing and Shanghai were "almost the same with the results published by foreign embassies and consulates".[41]

text: By January 2013 the pollution had worsened with official Beijing data showing an average AQI over 300 and readings of up to 700 at individual recording stations while the US Embassy recorded over 755 on 1 January and 800 by 12 January 2013.[42][43]

text: On 21 October 2013, record smog closed the Harbin Airport along with all schools in the area. Daily particulate levels of more than 50 times the World Health Organisation recommended daily level were reported in parts of the municipality.[44]

text: In 2016, Beijing's yearly-average PM2.5 was 73 μg/m3, 9.9% improvement compared to 2015. In total, 39 severely polluted days were recorded, 5 fewer compared to 2015.[45]

text: Government's response to the air pollution[edit]

text: In an attempt to reduce air pollution, the Chinese government has made the decision to enforce stricter regulations. After record-high air pollution in northern China in 2012 and 2013,[46] the State Council issued an Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Air Pollution in September 2013. This plan aims to reduce PM2.5 by over 10% from 2012 to 2017.[47] The most prominent government response has been in Beijing, aiming to reduce PM2.5 by 25% from 2012 to 2017.[48] As the capital of China, it is suffering from high levels of air pollution. According to Reuters, in September 2013, the Chinese government published the plan to tackle air pollution problem on its official website.[49] The main goal of the plan is to reduce coal consumption by closing polluting mills, factories, and smelters, and switching to other eco-friendly energy sources.[48]

text: These policies have been taking effect, and in 2015, the average PM2.5 in 74 key cities in monitoring system is 55 μg/m3, showing a 23.6% decrease as of 2013.[50] Despite the reduction in coal consumption and polluting industries, China still maintained a stable economic growth rate from 7.7% in 2013 to 6.9% in 2015.[51]

text: On 20 August 2015, ahead of the 70th-anniversary celebrations of the end of World War II, the Beijing government shut down industrial facilities and reduced car emissions in order to achieve a "Parade Blue" sky for the occasion. This action resulted in PM2.5 concentration lower than the 35 μg/m3 national air quality standard,[52] according to data from Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Monitoring Centre (BMEMC). The restrictions resulted in an average Beijing PM2.5 concentration of 19.5 μg/m3, the lowest that had ever been on record in the capital.[53]

text: China’s strategy has been largely focusing on the development of other energy sources such as nuclear, hydro and compressed natural gas. The latest plan[50] entails closing the outdated capacity of the industrial sectors like iron, steel, aluminum and cement and increasing nuclear capacity and other non-fossil fuel energy. It also includes an intention to stop approving new thermal power plants and to cut coal consumption in industrial areas.[50]

text: According to research,[54] substituting all coal consumption for residential and commercial use to natural gas requires additional 88 billion cubic meters of natural gas, which is 60% of China's total consumption in 2012, and the net cost would be 32-52 billion dollars. Substituting the share of coal-fired power plant with renewable and nuclear energy also requires 700GW additional capacity, which cost 184 billion dollars. So the net cost would be 140-160 billion dollars considering value of saved coal.[54] Since all the above policies have been already partially implemented by national and city governments, they should lead to substantial improvements in urban air quality.[54]

text:
“
In northern China, air pollution from the burning of fossil fuels, principal coal, is causing people to die on average 5.5 years sooner than they otherwise might.
”

— Tim Flannery, Atmosphere of Hope, 2015.[22]

text: Four-color alert system[edit]

text: Beijing launched four-color alert system in 2013. It is based on the air quality index (AQI), which indicates how clean or polluted the air is.[55]

text: The Beijing government revised their four-color alert system at the start of 2016, increasing the levels of pollution required to trigger orange and red alerts. The change was introduced to standardize the alert levels across four cities including Tianjin and four cities in Hebei, and perhaps in direct response to the red alerts issues the previous December.[56][57]

text:
AQI
Description

101-150
Slight pollution

151-200
Moderate pollution

201-300
Heavy pollution

301-500
Hazardous

text:
Color
Condition

Blue
"Heavy pollution" in the next 24 hours

Yellow
"Hazardous" in the next 24 hours; or "heavy pollution" for three consecutive days

Orange
Alternate "heavy pollution" and "hazardous" days for three consecutive days

Red
Average of "heavy pollution" for four consecutive days, "hazardous" for two consecutive days or average AQI over 500 for one day

text: Light pollution[edit]

text: With active economic growth and a huge number of citizens, China is considered as the largest developing country in the world. Due to urbanization, light pollution generalize is an environmental factor that significantly influences the quality and health of wildlife. According to Pengpeng Han et al., “In the 1990s, the increasing trend in light pollution regions mostly occurred in larger urban cities, which are mainly located in eastern and coastal areas, whereas the decreasing trend areas were chiefly industrial and mining cities rich in mineral resources, in addition to the central parts of large cities.” In the 2000s, nearly all urban cities were dominated by an uprising trend in light pollution.[58]

text: Pollutants[edit]

text: Lead[edit]

text: Lead poisoning was described in a 2001 paper as one of the most common pediatric health problems in China. A 2006 review of existing data suggested that one-third of Chinese children suffer from elevated serum lead levels. Pollution from metal smelters and a fast-growing battery industry has been responsible for most cases of particularly high lead levels. In 2011, there were riots in the Zhejiang Haijiu Battery Factory from angry parents whose children received permanent neurological damage from lead poisoning. The central government has acknowledged the problem and has taken measures such as suspending battery factory production, but some see the response as inadequate and some local authorities have tried to silence criticisms.[59]

text: A literature review of academic studies on Chinese children's blood lead levels found that the lead levels declined when comparing the studies published during 1995-2003 and 2004-2007 periods. Lead levels also showed a declining trend after China banned lead in gasoline in 2000. Lead levels were still higher than those in developed nations. Industrial areas had higher levels than suburban areas, which had higher levels than urban areas. Controlling and preventing lead poisoning was described as a long-term mission.[60]

text: Persistent organic pollutants[edit]

text: China is a signatory nation of the Stockholm Convention, a treaty to control and phase out major persistent organic pollutants (POP). A plan of action for 2010 includes objectives such as eliminating the production, import and use of the pesticides covered under the convention, as well as an accounting system for PCB containing equipment. For 2015, China plans to establish an inventory of POP-contaminated sites and remediation plans.[61] Since May 2009, this treaty also covers polybrominated diphenyl ethers and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid. Perfluorinated compounds are associated with altered thyroid function and decreased sperm count in humans.[62] China faces a big challenge in controlling and eliminating POPs, since they often are cheaper than their alternatives, or are unintentionally produced and then released into the environment to save on treatment costs.

text: Yellow dust[edit]

text: The Yellow dust or Asian dust is a seasonal dust cloud which affects Northeast Asia during late winter and springtime. The dust originates in the deserts of Mongolia, northern China and Kazakhstan where high-speed surface winds and intense dust storms kick up dense clouds of fine, dry soil particles. These clouds are then carried eastward by prevailing winds and pass over Northern China into Korea and Japan.

text: Desertification has intensified in China. 1,740,000 square kilometres of land is classified as "dry", and desertification disrupts the lives of 400 million people and causes direct economic losses of 54 billion yuan ($7 billion) a year, SFA figures show.[63] Sulfur (an acid rain component), soot, ash, carbon monoxide, and other toxic pollutants including heavy metals (such as mercury, cadmium, chromium, arsenic, lead, zinc, copper) and other carcinogens, often accompany the dust storms, as well as viruses, bacteria, fungi, pesticides, antibiotics, asbestos, herbicides, plastic ingredients, combustion products and hormone mimicking phthalates.[64]

text: Coal[edit]

text: The increasing number of air pollutants can cause incidences of low visibility for days and acid rain. According to the article "Air Pollution in Mega Cities in China",[65] "Coal accounts for 70% of the total energy consumption, and emissions from coal combustion are the major anthropogenic contributors to air pollution in China." The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) also highlights the Haui River Policy established during China’s central planning period between 1950-1980. The policy provided homes and offices with free coal for winter heating, but was limited solely to the Northern region due to budget limitations. The policy led to a dramatic increase in coal consumption and production. Coal production alongside rapid economic growth has increased the emission of harmful pollutants such as carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and small particle matter known as PM2.5 and PM10. Chen, Yuyu (2013). "Impact of Sustained Exposure to Air Pollution on Life Expectancy from China's Huai River Policy". PNAS. National Academy of Sciences. PNAS. National Academy of Sciences. 110: 12936–12941. doi:10.1073/pnas.1300018110. </ref> Long-term exposure to pollutants can cause health risks such as respiratory diseases, cancer, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Coal is a huge issue because of the SO2 emissions from coal factories. According to the article, "SO2 exceeded the Chinese Grade-II standards in 22% of the country’s cities and caused acid rain problems in 38% of the cities."[65]

text: Other pollutants[edit]

text: In 2010 49 employees at Wintek were poisoned by n-hexane in the manufacturing of touchscreens for Apple products.[66]

text: In 2013, it was revealed that portions of the country's rice supply were tainted with the toxic metal cadmium.[67]

text: Impact of pollution[edit]

text: A 2006 Chinese green gross domestic product estimate stated that pollution in 2004 cost 3.05% of the nation's economy.[68]

text: A 2007 World Bank and SEPA report estimated the cost of water and air pollution in 2003 to 2.68% or 5.78% of GDP depending on if using a Chinese or a Western method of calculation.[69]

text: A 2009 review stated a range of 2–10% of GDP.[18]

text: A 2012 study stated that pollution had little effect on economic growth which in China's case was largely dependent on physical capital expansion and increased energy consumption due to the dependency on manufacturing and heavy industries. China was predicted to continue to grow using energy-inefficient and polluting industries. While growth may continue, the rewards of this growth may be opposed by the harm from the pollution unless environmental protection is increased.[70]

text: A 2015 study from the non-profit organization Berkeley Earth estimated that 1.6 million people in China die each year from heart, lung and stroke problems because of polluted air.[71]

text: Cross-border pollution[edit]

text: Criticisms of government environmental policies[edit]

text: Critics point to the government’s lack of willingness to protect the environment as a common problem with China’s environmental policies. Even in the case of the latest plan, experts[who?] are skeptical about its actual influence because of the existence of loopholes. This is because economic growth is still the primary issue for the government, and overrides environmental protection[citation needed].

text: However, if the measures to cut coal usage were applied strictly, it would also mean the dismantling of the local economy that is highly reliant on heavy industry. The Financial Times interviewed a worker who stated, “if this steel mill didn’t exist, we wouldn’t even have anywhere to go to eat. Everything revolves around this steel factory – our children work here."[72]

text: Pollution ratings[edit]

text: This article needs to be updated. Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (March 2015)

text: As of 2004:

text:
The top five environmentally friendly cities: Haikou, Zhuhai, Zhanjiang, Guilin, Beihai[73]
The top five cities with most effective pollution controls: Nantong, Lianyungang, Shenyang, Suzhou, Fuzhou[73]
The 10 cities with worst air quality: Linfen, Yangquan, Datong, Shizuishan, Sanmenxia, Jinchang, Shijiazhuang, Xianyang, Zhuzhou, Luoyang[73]

tag: ul

text: According to the National Environmental Analysis released by Tsinghua University and The Asian Development Bank in January 2013, 7 of the 10 most air polluted cities in the world are in China, including Taiyuan, Beijing, Urumqi, Lanzhou, Chongqing, Jinan and Shijiazhuang.[74]