“Heavenly bank notes” are burned at a grave site in eastern China Jiangsu province.
 
Vladimir Menkov via Wikimedia Commons
As you inhale deeply some of Beijing’s deathly bad air, give a thought to where it might have originated.
While pollution in China is typically associated with coal-fired power plants or the country’s ever-expanding fleet of exhaust-belching automobiles, state media attributes at least some of the smog to another source: the burning of dead bodies.
In a country short on land for burial plots, many families cremate their deceased loved ones, in addition to burning stacks of fake money for them to spend in the afterlife. While particulate matter from funeral pyres may sound like a minor problem when compared with the towers of smoke emanating from the China’s innumerable factories, local governments are nevertheless spending millions of yuan to encourage cleaner disposals of the dearly departed, state media reported on Wednesday, citing a new government report.
More than 10 million people died in China in 2014, according to the report, which was jointly produced by the Social Sciences Academic Press and the Ministry of Civil Affairs. With China’s population aging rapidly, that number is expected to double between 2025 and 2030.
The problem, according to the report, is with the cremation facilities. There are 5,743 crematoriums in China, with each one processing an average of 816 corpses per year. Many of the facilities are old and inefficient, resulting in excessing production of dioxins and other pollutants.
In addition to spending money to upgrade crematoriums, some governments are also encouraging environmentally friendly practices such as tree burials, the official Xinhua news agency said.
Funerals are not the only unconventional target in China’s war on pollution. In the past, environmental authorities have also launched campaigns to rein in fireworks and street-side barbeque stalls, claiming both were serious contributors to the country’s hazy skylines. While burning bodies, firecrackers and roasted mutton skewers undoubtedly contribute to pollution, studies show most of the smog comes from other more obvious sources, like diesel trucks and the aforementioned coal-fired power plants.
The effort to clean up funerals nevertheless continues apace. Leading the charge is the eastern Chinese province of Fujian, where authorities last year spent 62.5 million yuan ($10.2 million) in the cremation cleanup campaign, according to the official Xinhua news agency. Shaanxi and Hebei provinces spent 20 million yuan and 14.5 million yuan, respectively.
Talk about money to burn.
[CORRECTION: More than 10 million people died in China in 2014, according to state media. Due to a typo, an earlier version of this post said 10,000 million people had died.]