Economy
Is Beijing Using Smog Cover as an Excuse to Crack Down on Rural Migrants?
A new police taskforce will target open-air barbecues, burning trash, and dusty roads—minor pollution sources associated with the city’s most marginalized residents.
In Beijing, winter smog has become a world-famous spectacle. Increased energy demands, wind patterns, and a reliance on coal all work together to create some of the most poisonous air in the world.
Over the past few years, Beijing has taken a number of steps to combating the smog—from transitioning coal power plants to natural gas to restricting when cars can use city roads. But at the beginning of the year, officials announced a new initiative to target other, perhaps negligible contributors to smog. A new police taskforce will target open-air barbecues, burning trash, and dusty roads.