My sympathies to the Convention and Visitors Bureau in Harbin, China, because after today’s blinding, choking smog emergency they aren’t going to be able to attract conventions or visitors for the foreseeable future.

Foreseeable – get it? Because you can’t foresee jack shit beyond the 10 meters of visibility in the city right now.

Officials in the city of 11 million people, located in northeastern Heilongjiang province, are blaming the smog blanket – more than 40 times the level that the World Health Organization considers safe and more than triple the concentration of what’s considered “hazardous” – on all the thoughtless, asshole people who simultaneously turned on their heat when it got cold yesterday. People turning on the heat to keep warm was clearly not something anyone could have predicted, so don’t be too hard on yourselves, officials.

Speaking of which, China isn’t doing particularly well overall with the air quality lately. The Killing Batteries Health Department is advising people who are planning travel in China to take precautions such as traveling to Fiji instead.

Is air quality something that would affect your potential travel plans? Please leave a comment.