China's air pollution crisis

Air quality in Beijing, a city of around 20 million people, has mostly stayed above "very unhealthy" and "hazardous" levels since the beginning of this year. Thick, off-the-scale smog shrouds eastern China, forcing airlines to cancel flights because of poor visibility and prompting Beijing to temporarily shut factories and curtail fleets of government cars.

Household garbage is burned in an open air garbage room beside a road at a village in Beijing March 24, 2013. China will spend 100 billion yuan ($16 billion) over three years to deal with Beijing's pollution, an official newspaper reported on Friday, as the government tries to defuse mounting public anger over environmental degradation. Picture taken March 24, 2013. REUTERS/Jason Lee (CHINA - Tags: ENVIRONMENT BUSINESS POLITICS)
Household garbage is burned in an open air garbage room beside a road at a village in Beijing March 24, 2013. China will spend 100 billion yuan ($16 billion) over three years to deal with Beijing's pollution, an official newspaper reported on Friday, as the government tries to defuse mounting public anger over environmental degradation. Picture taken March 24, 2013. REUTERS/Jason Lee (CHINA - Tags: ENVIRONMENT BUSINESS POLITICS)