Drones will freeze pollutants in midair with 176 pounds of chemicals.

China has decided to use drones on the front lines of its “war on pollution.” The drones will fire chemicals into the air, which will freeze pollutants and cause them to fall to the ground. Armed with 176 pounds of chemicals, which is expected to clear a five-kilometer radius, the drones will launch later this month.

The country is no stranger to drones, and has used fixed-wing versions of the aircraft to clear chemicals before important public events around the country. Equipped with a gliding parachute, and developed by a Chinese company, the new drones are said to be 90% cheaper. Airports and ports around northern China are likely to be the first places where the drones will go into action.

While it might be a novel use for the drones, the chemicals don’t actually remove any pollutants, they just get them out of the sky. So while many of the country’s most-polluted cities will look more aesthetically pleasing, there is a strong chance that much of the pollution will just find a new home on the city streets.

Other goals mentioned at this year’s Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), such as lower energy consumption, reduced emissions, the closure of 50,000 coal furnaces, and more alternative energy sources, are all much more sustainable approaches to the pollution problem in China.

Via psfk