Crimes Against Earth Pollution and Power Lines in Northern China In recent years, China’s economy has boomed; so has its pollution problem, leaving no aspect of the country’s environment unaffected. Solid waste often lacks proper disposal, waterways have been polluted, and the air quality has plummeted, largely due to the coal-fired power plants that serve as the country’s primary source of energy.  Environmental degradation has gotten so bad that the Chinese government, which doesn’t easily take—or allow—criticism, has admitted that birth defects in the country have increased as a direct result of it, particularly in coal-producing regions, such as the north, where the photo above was taken. It’s a shame that thousands of children with birth defects must be born for China to even think about change, let alone confirm this atrocity.