Depressing news for Beijingers in today’s Wall Street Journal: the air quality in China is officially getting worse again. After steadily improving for the last few years, the WSJ article says China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection acknowledged last month that China’s air pollution levels rose in the first quarter of 2010 for the first time since 2007. Yesterday came worse news: “The first half of 2010 had the worst air quality since 2005.”

It’s not news that Beijing’s pollution is a health concern. Fine particulates in the air have been linked to heart disease and cancer, but a recent study suggests there may be a link between the smoggy air we’re breathing and increased risk of obesity and diabetes.

How is China handling its pollution changes? How can we create sustainable solutions for clean water in rural villages? Does everyone deserve a chance at education? This week’s events will give us answers to all these dilemmas and more.

Since we last had a look at what was happening around town, Beijing hasn’t done much other than warm up, but web activity, or lack of it, has been making up for that.  Netizens have reacted to an overseas shooting, an internet blackout and some mischievous monks. Want more? How about an English-language headline from Western media that will leave you scratching your head.

Beijing may have quieted down a bit over the Tomb-Sweeping Festival – except for the jam-packed tourist locations – but the Chinese web didn’t at all. Anonymous left their mark on government sites even as Weibo comments came back early in the week.