Severe air pollution from China’s factories and coal-fired power plants has made the capital “barely suitable” for living – and that criticism is internal, coming from Beijing’s Social Science Academic Press and the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.

China’s growth-at-all-costs formula has tainted much of the country's air, water and soil.  The smog in the capital is so obnoxious that often the only way to see the sunrise is to watch it on Beijing’s giant LED screens.  People cut their way through the smog, unable to see too far ahead and worried about what it’s doing to their health.

Now, the Chinese scientists’ report says Beijing is the second worst out of 40 global cities for its environmental conditions.  The city's Environmental Protection Bureau had already reported that there was a significant level of air pollution covering the capital for 189 days in 2013 – more than half of the year.

The government said on Wednesday it would set up a 10 billion yuan (A$1.85 billion) fund to fight air pollution, and offer rewards for companies that clean up operations.