The president did not have to use precious clean water to wash his shirts in China. But if you think the water problem is bad, you ought to take a look at the air. You can, by the way. The air is very easy to see in much of China. It is brown and gray and yellow.
China admits to having a terrible pollution problem.
Five of the 10 most polluted cities in the world are located in China. The World Health Organization says the airborne suspended particulates in the air in some Chinese cities are up to nine times safe levels. Some 900 million tons of coal, which provide two-thirds of China's energy needs, go up in smoke every year, causing pollution and acid rain. More than one-quarter of all the deaths in China are caused by respiratory illness. The average Chinese car spews 15 times the exhaust material of an American car, and leaded gas has just been banned, with catalytic converters not required on new cars until next year.