While the increased coal consumption that accompanies winter in northern China is known to fill the skies with more smog during the colder months, this year has been particularly bad. Smog has enveloped almost the entirety of China’s eastern coastline this month and blanketed the country’s financial hub Shanghai, shutting down schools and airports.
According to news outlet Quartz, the 22 coal plants in the area around Shanghai alone are responsible for more than 4,000 premature deaths a year. Currently, there are more than 2,300 coal-powered plants spewing out polluted fumes in China. To get a better idea of where the facilites are operating in China currently, check out a this map created by Greenpeace. A more interactive graphic can be found here.
