News Article Beijing media join attack on air pollution Beijing. China's capital, one of the world's most polluted cities, has begun to clean up its air following moves by a number of cities in China to release data on air pollution levels. Beijing has long suffered from air pollution produced by the burning of low quality coal in homes and factories, and its growing number of cars is aggravating the problem.
Similar problems afflict many Chinese cities.
Indeed, a World Bank report last year cited air pollution as one factor making chronic obstructive pulmonary disease emphysema and chronic bronchitis the leading cause of death in China. The problems are not confined to China's cities. Acid rain is afflicting forests, particularly in the south. Despite a 1989 law requiring environmental reports by all levels of the Chinese government, local governments have only recently begun to release figures on air pollution. The start of weekly reports in Beijing has been followed by intense media coverage of air pollution problems in what Western observers say is an orchestrated effort by the new central government to build public awareness as it starts to tackle the problem.