China’s efforts to clean up its cities’ air have worked, but driven energy costs up, leaving some rural areas unable to afford heating as temperatures plummet.
Replacing coal with renewables or gas has paid off: Beijing’s air quality was “good to moderate” on 95% of days last year, up from 55% in 2013, authorities say. But energy subsidies to incentivize the move have ended.
The cost of heating a home over winter is now more than some elderly couples’ pensions, Pekingnology reported, and villagers are huddling under blankets, or secretly burning firewood. There is an ironic echo of a global story: Improving air quality has actually accelerated global warming, as particulate pollution reflected some of the sun’s heat back into space.
