Linfen - World's Most Polluted City?

Linfen is located in the Shanxi Province of China. It is the heart of the China’s large and ever-growing coal industry. Linfen’s hills are dotted with mines, both legal and illegal and the air is filled with smog from the burning coals.

The World Bank has stated 16 out of 20 of the world’s most polluted cities are Chinese and Linfen tops the list. Levels of Sulfur Dioxide and particulates are many times higher than the limits set by the World Health Organisation.

A “blitzkrieg” of breakneck development has led to unregulated coal mines, steel factories and refineries which have resulted in heavy pollution. Water has also been diverted from agricultural sources

After much flak from various international media, China’s government has taken measures to change the structure of Linfen’s industry. It went from a rapid rush of development to a more laidback one. Relevant policies such as the emission threshold of industrial pollution. China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection has monitored Linfen’s environment and it has been listed as a model city for environmental protection in