The recent high environmental pollution levels in Beijing and other Chinese cities should be seen as a great threat to children's health and quality of life. A large number of children die every year from environment-related diseases.

The good news is that we can prevent such deaths by using low-cost and sustainable tools and strategies to improve the environment.

A World Health Organization study shows that 13 million deaths across the world can be prevented just by improving the environment. In some countries, environmental change can rid governments of more than one-third of their burden, which is created by the spread of diseases.