Air pollution is a health problem and a drag on China’s GDP. It is also a potent social and political issue, and the government has promised to meet the public’s demand for clean air. What that meant was the physical demolition of old coal-burning equipment in northeast China, from which the winter winds would carry pollution down to Beijing. But the winter was colder than expected, leaving the region short of energy, and hospitals and facilities without heat. This became a national crisis.
