Alessandro Digaetano Photographer

China's rapid economic growth has come at a cost: environmental degradation that stokes civil unrest, affects economic growth and ultimately surpasses its own borders. To meet the rapidly growing economy's huge demands, the country is building more coal-fired power plants, which emit large amounts of sulphur dioxide and other pollutants, causing acid rain and leading to respiratory illnesses; such heavy polluters are damaging the environment and harming its people and its neighbours. With its dependence on coal-fired power plants, China is among the world's most wasteful energy users, spending 2.4 times more energy per unit of gross domestic product than the rest of the world (according to the United Nations Development Program). *** Local Caption *** Truck drivers waiting to get in the energy plan to unload the coal from the trucks. A never ended queue of trucks is always waiting outside the energy plant.