Measurements from Beijing show that upwards of 16% of the air pollution comes from coal. The World Bank estimates that China’s total annual air-pollution costs – based on what Chinese themselves indicate they are willing to pay to reduce their risk of dying – could be as high as 4% of GDP.
与此同时，北京以及中国许多大城市正遭遇着致病的雾霾，让人不禁联想到1950年代的伦敦。每年约有120万中国人因室外空气污染过早死亡。北京的空气测量数据表明，空气污染成分中有超过16%来自煤炭。世界银行估计，中国的年度总空气污染成本——由中国人表示愿意为降低死亡风险而支付的金额计算得出——竟相当于国内生产总值的4%。