10 Places Humans Shouldn’t Be Able To Live (But Do)
5. Linfen - The Smog Choked Farmland
Linfen, as is so often the way in China, used to be renowned for it's clean spring water and rich arable land. It used to be known for its excellent fruit and flower production, but now it has all turned to ashes. Just 30 years on, it is commonly referred to as the most polluted city on the planet.
The problems came when people discovered that coal and industry were much more lucrative than boring old farming and factory after factory started to fly up and belch toxic fumes into the atmosphere.
It is said that, in Linfen, if you hang your washing outside, it will have turned black before it has had a chance to dry, such is the thickness of the smog.
Efforts to combat the terrible conditions have been predictably slow, but the Chinese government have made a little progress by closing down some of the most inefficient factories and cracking down on the illegal coal mines that sprung up all those years ago.
Who knows, perhaps one day the city will get back to its former floral glory, but something tells us that the coal will have to run out first.