Cigarettes have gotten really pricey, but here’s a solution: take a trip to China. The city of Linfen, in Shanxi Province, has been named the “world’s most polluted city” by the World Bank, as the air quality is the equivalent of inhaling three packs of cigarettes a day. Coal is China’s main source of energy, and Shanxi Province is the leading coal producer. The same World Bank survey noted that 16 out of 20 of the world’s most polluted cities are in China.
The geniuses at VBS.TV sent a journalist to Linfen (which for some strange reason, has no tourism), to provide a first-person account of what it’s like to spend a day in Smog City. Unsurprisingly, residents have a high rate of lung disease and stomach and lung cancers, but most don’t wear face masks (in contrast to residents in many of Asia’s largest cities). Unfortunately, perma-smog is such a part of daily life, the dire environmental and human health consequences that are the result of coal mining lose their impact. Studies show that particulate from China’s factories and coal mines travels as far as the West Coast of North America.
Linfen serves as yet another heartbreaking reminder that globally, we need to work on reducing our energy consumption, and finding alternative resources. Don’t forget to turn the lights off when you leave.
[Via CNN]