The Coal Monster: Pollution Forces Chinese Leaders to Act

Under a haze of smog, China’s economic successes seem less amazing. Bernhard Zand describes acid, bleach, smoke, sulfur, soot and pollutants that assault the senses in China’s cities. “Chinese bloggers are on a rampage, and even the most loyal government newspapers are examining every aspect of the crisis and attacking those responsible for conditions in China with unprecedented ferocity,” Zand writes for Spiegel Online. “The fury over toxic air, food and drinking water marks a political turning point.” He adds that China is the world’s largest emitter of carbon dioxide, and ““China covers 70 percent of its energy needs with coal, consuming about as much as all other countries combined.” Estimates suggest that 750,000 die from pollution each year in China, and consumers in the West are questioning the safety of tomatoes, apples and other food exports from China. The West is complicit in China’s growth patterns, and the wealthy and powerful of China and abroad are finding it more difficult to evade the environmental challenges. – YaleGlobal