Thanks for the tip, Charles - I will definitely check this out. That quote about the air quality PPM threshold is chilling.

"That quote about the air quality PPM threshold is chilling." ironic, considering warming is our problem.

Thanks, Charles.

Traffic jams provide time to contemplate.

Chinese bought cars for the same reasons Americans, Germans, and Albanians buy cars. The rate of industrial growth and corresponding wealth of individual Chinese provide the means to own a car. It got them off bikes. It's not just bikes though. It's happy consumerist. Can you blame them? Starbucks, iPhones, and K-pop. Hello world!

The country built massive public and well run transportation system and still couldn't keep up with the crazy population growth of old and new cities. Just think how compress in time their industrial revolution occurred compared to the US. They did it in 25 years. With such ability, they'll get their best scientists and industrial espionage hackers to work on remediation. I bet they'll be able to reduce their carbon emissions faster and more successfully- when and where they want to.

@5 Would you like fresh ground pepper on your word salad?

@6, IKR. Should've stuck with Charles' prokaryote and eukaryote soup instead.

@herrbrahms: That's why we have to build HSR systems (either steel rail or maglev) so that we don't have to be so dependent on cars, buses, and planes to get from city to city and town to town in (North) America. We also have to start building our cities like Germany's or any other place in Europe and Scandinavia.