Which highly coal-dependent country has numerous cities listed among the worst for air quality?

China is known for its significant reliance on coal as a primary energy source, which plays a major role in the high levels of air pollution experienced in many of its cities. The combustion of coal releases large amounts of particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and other pollutants into the atmosphere, contributing to poor air quality. This has led to numerous Chinese cities frequently appearing on lists of the most polluted in the world.

In contrast, while Brazil, Japan, and Mexico do face their own environmental challenges, they do not exhibit the same level of coal dependency or severity in air quality issues as China. Brazil, for instance, relies more on hydroelectric power; Japan has made significant strides in improving air quality and has diversified its energy sources, especially after re-evaluating its energy policy following the Fukushima disaster; and Mexico, while struggling with pollution, does not have the same scale of coal reliance that greatly affects air quality as seen in China. Therefore, China stands out distinctly as the country with the worst air quality linked to its heavy coal dependence.