Beijing (CNN)For years China has been the envy of the world, hailed as the great 'economic miracle' thanks to its sustained double-digit growth. Of late, however, the Middle Kingdom has also become the poster boy for environmental degradation, a target of ridicule for Beijing's now notorious "airpocalyse." Even U.S. President Barack Obama could not resist dissing Beijing's bad air. "I would just point to one simple example, and that is you would not want your kids growing up in Beijing right now, because they could not breathe," President Obama said while defending his controversial environmental regulation last week. "And the fact of the matter is that used to be true in Los Angeles -- as recently as 1970. And the reason it changed was because of the Clean Air Act," he added.
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China is a "poster boy" for environmental degradation
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President Obama recently took a swipe at Beijing's bad air
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Los Angeles' battle with air pollution could hold lessons for China, says city's mayor
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Garcetti says China can tackle smog without sacrificing growth
Los Angeles
Los Angeles
As the @placeholder population grew, smog in the 1950s and 1960s got worse.
Beijing
Beijing
Beijing
Beijing
Beijing
Like @placeholder today, 60 years ago LA was fumed up from oil refineries, power plants, our steel and chemical plants," Garcettie said.
Garcetti
We breathed the dirtiest air in the world," @placeholder explained.
Los Angeles
Los Angeles
When @placeholder was in self-denial, "we used polite words to describe smog, like 'it's just a hazy day' or 'it's overcast'," Garcetti recalled.
Beijing
Beijing
Beijing
Beijing
Beijing
It may be a small consolation for @placeholder to know that when LA was mired in bad air and dirty water, the skies in the Chinese capital were clear.
Beijing
Beijing
Beijing
Beijing
Beijing
I fondly remember @placeholder in the 1970s and 1980s, when rivers where clean and people fished and swam.
Beijing
Beijing
Beijing
Beijing
Beijing
Of course, @placeholder then had a few industries, life was spartan, population movement was severely restricted, and most people got around via bicycles, not cars.
Beijing
Beijing
Beijing
Beijing
Beijing
The encouraging news is residents and officials in @placeholder now agree that China needs to clean its air.
China
China
China
China
The encouraging news is residents and officials in Beijing now agree that @placeholder needs to clean its air.