Greenpeace have released a new report highlighting the human and economic cost of pollution from fossil fuels. It found that burning gas, coal and oil leads to three times as many deaths as traffic accidents. It is estimated that polluted air costs China $900 billion each year while annual costs for the United States add up to approximately $600 billion

Pollution levels in Beijing have soared to the highest level in nearly two years and are likely to worsen. The most usual suspects for the smog have been crimped by the government in order to halt the spread of the Coronavirus. Experts have pointed the cause to several possibilities, including residue from natural gas burned at power plants and home heaters, emissions from steel mills and industrial facilities.

International Energy Agency released its report on global CO2 emissions, which showed that over the last 30 years, the main driver of CO2 has been largely driven by China and India, with emissions rising from 9.2 gigatonnes in 1990 to 22 gigatonnes in 2019

China is currently “one of the world’s most water-stressed countries” with water resources at less than 30% of the global average. 66.5% of China’s coal-fired power plants are located where water supply is scarce, and where they compete with agricultural sites for share of the supply.

Clouds of air pollution labelled ‘killer dust’ are wafting from China to South Korea, increasing political tensions between the two countries.

According to data from the World Health Organisation, over 90% of the world’s population are forced to breathe polluted air. To help the situation, the UN and Swiss tech company IQAir have created a giant international database to track air quality in real time, which they launched at the 10th World Urban Forum in Abu Dhabi. Indeed, on Monday 10th February, the Chinese cities of Shenyang and Beijing were ranked amongst the top 10 most polluted cities in the world according to this live tracker. For years, the city of Shenyang has suffered unbearable levels of air pollution, caused by their heavy activity surrounding fossil-fuel industries including coal mining.

Despite the fact that China “likes to cast itself as a world leader in tackling climate change”, the nation “remains – by far – the biggest emitter of carbon dioxide, with total emissions in 2018 standing at about 14 gigatonnes”. Equally, China has increased its capacity for coal fuel by 42.9 gigawatts in the past year, whilst also financing “a quarter of all new coal projects in the rest of the world” through the Belt and Road Initiative.

Environmental responsibility and better sustainability are only fourth in the list of priorities included in China’s growth matrix. Sustainability and efforts to combat climate change “will always compete” with Xi’s focus on economic growth through domestic industry improvements and transnational infrastructure initiatives such as the Belt and Road Initiative.

Lung cancer kills approximately 1.6 million people each year, with common causes amongst non-smokers being air pollution and second-hand smoke. Indoor air pollution, predominately attributed to heating and cooking in the home using fuels like wood and coal, is a greater risk for lower income populations particularly in India and China.

South Korea is launching a major strategy to combat air pollution and the high level of smog in the country, which they believe 30% comes from China. As such, they are asking for their neighbour’s cooperation on implementing measures to fight against this. Indeed, the level of air pollution in South Korea worsens between winter and spring when it is blown in from China.