Bejing: But even residents of Beijing watching the event unfold on television weren’t entirely safe from the effects of China’s increasing environmental decay. China’s capital is one of the most polluted cities in the world and lung cancer is now the number one cause of death here, according to China’s State Environmental Protection Administration. A thick cloud of sulfur envelops the city most evenings; a recent picture taken from NASA’s Terra satellite shows the entire city covered by a nearly opaque band of gray smog. With more and more people finding themselves directly affected by China’s endemic pollution, public awareness of and anger over China’s deteriorating environment is growing. So is their willingness to take risks and do something about it, despite the strictures on organized political activity in this authoritarian state.