China uses as much coal as the rest of the world combined. The Beijing smog in January was so thick it could be seen clearly in space.
And, most shockingly, China's bad air is said to kill nearly 700,000 people a year.
To fight China's catastrophic air pollution, China's eco-warriors need to know where it's coming from. And big gains are being made on that front.
Chinese environmentalist Ma Jun says the new rollout of PM 2.5 readings in China is the direct result of online people power.
A former journalist, Ma has become one of China's leading environmental watchdogs. It's his personal and professional mission to bring better air to the people of China. To do just that, he's using social technology as a force for change.Ma and his team at the Beijing-based non-profit Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs (IPE) have launched a social media mapping program to name and shame China's biggest polluters.
Source: By Kristie Lu Stout, CNN (April 19, 2013 -- Updated 0616 GMT (1416 HKT)