"Be afraid humans." True. Gotta watch the video for that reference. As a cyclist, and living in a neighboring country to China, I check AQI every day. Do a google search on that one. It's very revealing. The country I live in is a small one based on population, but a big polluter because most of their electricity is generated from coal. Still, when the prevailing winds are from China, the situation is so much worse. I have struggled with breathlessness on those bad days. Really would be better of staying indoors. But google aqi Beijing or any other city in China and see what they are dealing with on a regular basis. It is so much worse than what we would think are the worst cities for air pollution in Europe and the US. It is truly living "Under the Dome". Of course, coal burning for electricity and factory and car emissions are only party of the problem, as traditional slash and burn agriculture also contributes. Sadly, science fiction dystopian futures are already here in many places in Asia when it comes to haze, and this means living in a world where children rarely see a blue sky or a white cloud. Can cleverness get us out of this one? If you are Vitaly, you would probably say no. We are so dependent on these heavily polluting fossil fuels that any benefit from alternative energy is already heavy leveraged on dirty air. He's probably right. But it's interesting that the brunt of this problem is borne by a country that has a lot of clever people and a special kind of pragmatism that can be energized by material gain. When something that has typically been taken for granted, like clean air and sunshine, no longer is, then the incentives for some solutions may reach alignment.

@maxdvz

I'll tell you little secret - usage of bad quality coal will rise in US and Europe also :-)

Beijing last days

@v10tdi

Might be real solution of all problems. Just leave all pollution below, reduce height of all exhausting.

And move all living areas up to 1km above ground level.

@Vitaliy Actually my comment about a tall island was a snide comment about sea level rise associated with the release of green house gases burning all that coal. But your approach has merit! I read somewhere in the popular press that the Saudi's are actually planning a 1Km tower...

If the complete cost of coal was included in the up front price... nobody would use it.

Wrong. People will use any form of energy available, as we are dissipative systems.