Gas masks in China

Monday, February 4, 2013

— Is it already too late for China to clean up its fast-blackening skies?

For all the lip service about green growth, investments in renewable energy and sprawling windmill farms, China’s pollution woes are spiraling out of control. Beijing’s air, which has exceeded the World Health Organization’s healthy limit every day this year, is similar to that in an airport smoking lounge.

The city’s leaders closed factories, ordered some cars off the roads and recommended that its 20 million residents stay indoors as much as possible after pollution levels stayed in the range of hazardous for a fifth straight day. Mind you, this isn’t a script from some apocalyptic movie churned out by Hollywood. It’s the political center of an economy that’s poised to surpass the United States’ within a couple of decades.

Yet China is literally choking on its economic success.

It will lead to deaths, too. The issue is high concentrations of PM2.5, the airborne particulate matter that raises risks for lung and heart diseases.

The problem is political will. China’s next president, Xi Jinping, will have his hands plenty full consolidating power, maintaining social stability, improving relations with neighboring governments and dealing with the U.S.’s pivot toward Asia. Amid so many challenges, China’s dual needs to reduce emissions and boost domestic demand are in direct conflict as never before. Unless China acts immediately and boldly, its main growth industry will be gas masks.

Editorial, Pages 10 on 02/04/2013