I remember when I was a kid, flying was a great way to admire the beauty of the world.  I adored looking out the window as landscapes passed us by (well, more like we passed them :-P).  It was so peaceful and gorgeous!  Now whenever I fly, I’m reminded of the massive change that has happened over the past two decades.  I look outside the window of the plane and see a hazy horizon.  It’s like I can see the heat rising from the earth.  Gone are those pollutant-free views of centuries past.

I don’t recall ever noticing air pollutants when I was young, except in certain parts of the Midwest where it was so hot the air couldn’t be clear and crisp.  Lately it’s become apparent that those childhood memories of looking clearly into the horizon were either far rosier than reality or the world’s atmosphere has really changed that much.  Back then, it was literally “as far as the eye could see” without all this smog or haze or whatever.  High up in the air, it was a treat to look down at our planet and enjoy its natural beauty.

In China, it’s even worse.  It feels like there’s a thick blanket of blurriness hanging over everything and sometimes it’s bad enough to be noticeable from the ground too.  At 30,000 feet I can barely make out what’s below us at times.  In fact, even on the ground taking a train ride made me wonder if the winters had always been so dreary.  I can pretty confidently say that that’s not the case – we as humans have just managed to cover our world with pollutants, haven’t we?

Case in point: you can barely make out the winding path and rolling hills below.

I think I’d find it depressing if I was a pilot, having to watch as year after year the sky got murkier.  But then again, if you saw the gradual change, maybe you’d get used to it and not even tend to notice the way that I have after years of not flying much.  Still, it’s sad that things have gotten to this point and I hope that the future brings initiatives to restore the beautifully clear skies that I once enjoyed.