Pollution control involves all

The severest ever smog that has shrouded most of North China and some parts of East China since Thursday is expected to last a week; an unwelcome reminder of the scale of the task the country faces in tackling all kinds of pollution.

Despite the 10-article rules for air pollution control the State Council released in June, it is not possible for the efforts to combat pollution to realize an immediate turn for the better given the air pollution we suffer today is the result of many years of industrial development without ever paying enough attention to pollution control.

And there is also some dragging of feet, as the elimination of such pollution emitters as cement and steel plants would put a big dent in many local governments' revenues, and upgrading industrial facilities to control pollution requires extra input, which is usually the last thing local governments want to do.