China - Environment - Industry - Baotou City

A coal power plant spews out smoke in the early morning in Baotou, Inner Mongolia, China. Baotou is an excellent example of a one-industry town, and that industry is steel. Baotou is also notorious as a big polluter, mostly from the large Bao Steel factory. With Baotou sitting directly west of Beijing, much of Beijing's notorious smog and haze comes from cities such as Baotou, which lay directly west. With the economic stimulus package that was just earmarked for infrastructure and housing, China's environmental goals have been put on hold for the foreseeable future. While the residents of Baotou may not mind, one wonders about those of Beijing. (Photo by Ryan Pyle/Corbis via Getty Images)