Last Friday morning on my drive to Beijing Capital International Airport, the air was so thick with pollution from carbon intensive coal consumption that you could see it gently pushing against the buildings and enveloping the endless stream of cars on the road. It was noticeably worse than the day before. Checking on my phone, I found that the Air Quality Index (AQI) was over 300, putting it in the ‘Hazardous Zone’ of between 300 and 500. There are times when the AQI in Beijing can reach a ghastly and astonishing 1,000. Bad air in Beijing is hardly a surprise to anybody who’s been there and it is a fact well known by people all over the world.