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"Carbon is the backbone of life on Earth. We are made of carbon, we eat carbon, and our civilizations-our economies, our homes, our means of transport-are built on carbon. We need carbon, but that need is also entwined with one of the most serious problems facing us today: global climate change."

One new power plant is aiming to change that. Copenhagen's new waste-to-energy plant, the Amager Resource Center built by the Bjarke Ingels Group will have both a ski slope and a rock-climbing wall on its modern exterior, while inside, household waste is incinerated and turned into energy. It's a relatively clean process, but still one that generates CO2.

Over the last few days a thick, grey fog has enveloped the Chinese capital, sending levels of particulate matter - the unit of measuring air pollution - into deeply hazardous territory. Levels of particulate matter 2.5, which can penetrate human lungs and cause respiratory ailments, heart attacks and other health impacts, peaked near 600 micrograms per cubic meter of air in the city. The World Health Organization standard for healthy air is just 25 micrograms per cubic meter.