Human progress getting in the way of human progress

The article is about Beijing's main airport canceling 233 domestic flights and 17 international flights due to the decreased visibility caused by smog. The airport is the second busiest airport in the world by passenger traffic. The smog is caused by Beijing's increasing energy consumption and the burning of coal in the city. Beijing is widely considered one of the most polluted cities in the world. The U.S. and China have different methods of gauging air quality. The Chinese rate air quality by measuring particles 10 micrometers or less while the U.S. embassy measures those particles that are 2.5 micrometers or less.
China's future progress seems like it might be hampered by all the pollution. The smogs interference in air travel represents that in my mind. It would do China well to learn from the mistakes of other nations that have gone past that beginning stage of industrialization. China would then be able to avoid the pollution that accompanies that beginning stage.