An offer of coal comfort in the depth of winter

I have a dirty secret that will make the greenies turn red with anger - a liking for coal.

It's lumpy and a real fossil, but its attraction for me has nothing to do with how it looks.

That is because for the past few months in Beijing, I have had the chance to know the mineral intimately.

When I step out of my apartment block in the daytime, I usually walk into air thick with the smoke emanating from the chimneys of coal-fired power plants that fuel the city's heaters.

When I take deep breaths in the open, I also think of meat-stuffed buns steaming in bamboo baskets atop honeycomb-briquette braziers. The rich aroma of burning brings to mind the promise of a cozy office interior and the opportunity to take off thick, uncomfortable jackets. I work my shifts under a vent that blows air from the central heating system, keeping me constantly warm, down to my toes.

As the sun sets, street lamps and shop-front lights appear to pulsate in the heavy evening air. Roadside vendors twirl mouth-watering skewers of mutton kebabs that crackle on corrugated makeshift spits, offering the perfect supper at home after a hedonistically hot shower. The coal-heated water also feeds the radiators in my room so that I can gulp down a frosty can of beer in front of the TV, before I dive under luxurious silk blankets more suited for the cooler months.

The cityscape shrouded in haze that I see from my bedroom window helps blur reality and lulls me into a good night's sleep.

The pervasive scent from burning coal even generates occasional, soothing dreams of the backwoodsman fires I enjoyed during my school camping trips and military training stints.

Coal makes all these comforts possible in this northern capital. That could be why it is also a worrying addiction that is so hard to quit.

Coal is considered one of the dirtiest fuels. Emissions from burning it to heat water into steam for turning power turbines include greenhouse gases and toxic chemicals that pollute air and water resources. Mining the fossil fuel can cause irreversible damage to land resources. Acid rain from coal emissions damages flora and fauna, while particulates from coal burning erode lungs and shorten lives.

About three-quarters of China's energy consumption depends on coal, the main cause of its air pollution. Air pollution levels in a number of its cities are the worst in the world, with many cities suffering from levels several times higher than what is considered safe for humans.

Efforts are being made to wean the country off its coal dependency, through alternatives in hydropower, wind and solar power generation. But some of the world's largest coal reserves are in China and the reasons for using such a cheap energy resource is tempting at all levels. Count me as the latest victim to fall prey.

Still, I'm hoping that my newfound addiction to coal is a one-off, winter affair. Who knows, with spring just a few months away, I might rediscover the beauty of warm sunshine and clearer skies.