Air pollution in most Chinese cities exceeds 6 to 20 times the values suggested by the WHO Air Quality Guidelines

In North China, the most affected area, long-term exposure to total suspended particulates may have reduced life expectancies by about 5.5 years

Although coal is currently the major cause of the air pollution in China – about 33% of air pollution is due to industrial plants, 200 new coal power plants will be built across the country, increasing coal’s production by 20 percent in the next three years

Understanding the complex impact of air pollution is crucial to assessing exposure risk and update public health system in China. In order to understand the impact of air pollution, we need to understand urban activities among China.

In this final project, we aim to answer these following questions:

  • Are people in affluent cities demonstrate the same avoidance behaviors as people in less affluent cities?
  • If air pollution has a significant impact on urban activity, to what extent does it affect urban activity and how the impact changes with factors such as population groups, activity types, and socio-economic status?
  • What these new findings as to the social debate over the impact of air pollution, particularly in terms of environmental injustice and related urban development policies?