Free Coal in China's North Contributes to Lower Life Expectancy

Heavy reliance on coal for heating and manufacturing in China's north has contributed to a 55% higher level of disease-causing airborne particulates there than in the south, says The New York Times. The 184-micrograms-per-cubic-meter differential has health consequences: Life expectancy in the north drops 3 years for every additional 100 micrograms per cubic meter above the south's average. The Chinese government has for years maintained a policy of free coal for heating in the north.