A city shrouded in haze

Can haze be fanned away? A patent application to manually drive away smog recently appeared in the inquiry system of China’s State Intellectual Property Office, attracting attention.

The application abstract said people in haze-stricken areas could fan smog in the same direction simultaneously, creating a huge blast of air able to blow the floating particles away.

According to the application, the method is cost efficient and effective, and won’t cause secondary pollution.

For instance, if 15 million people join the “wind-generating campaign,” at least 1.08 trillion cubic meters of air could be fanned away at a rate of 68 km/h, enough to eliminate newly-formed haze in Beijing and keep it from worsening.

The patent application said the government should provide people with fans and inform them to join the campaign via TV, radio, and instant messages if there is haze.

It is uncertain whether the patent will be approved.