Smog-tastic Beijing

Beijing has always seemed to have a smog problem, admittedly getting progressively worse over the last decade, what with the explosion of the city and the introduction of cars, but this year was the first year I hear the authorities telling people to stay inside because the air is so bad. This last wee while has seen the Air Quality Index actually go past the 900 off the chart in to the sort of air quality that can potentially decrease your lifespan.

Guy Horton said it makes him feel like he's in the book 'After the City' by Lars Lerup. Only instead of this being about a placid sentient weather system, Beijing's apocalyptic atmosphere has been conjured up out of reckless, hard nosed economic nationalism. The coal power plants fuelling the surge of apple products and hyper shopping malls with little regard for the ironical destruction of the city by a skyrocketing economy.



Horton's point is that China has always been this 'other' place but now the country is killing itself as fast as the rest of us. Although you wouldn't know it at the Olympics or on special occasions with all the cloud seeding. Like an unexpected index of aggressive capitalistism and rising empire.

Well, not that unexpected. Previous empires where built on coal so why not this one? China's energy production is 79% coal and they are set to build 140 new power plants in the next 4 years. Looks like coal is king and will be fore some time.