Make practical moves against air pollution, not empty promises

THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION has published the air quality rankings for 74 cities. A People's Daily opinion article reviewed the past promises made by several mayors to improve the air quality because their cities ranked bottom on previous lists, saying such vows have not been fulfilled:

Improving air quality is rather difficult because the pollutants in the air have accumulated over a long period of time and one cannot get rid of them within a day. The air quality of a city has much to do with its industrial structure, and geographical and climate conditions, which cannot be changed overnight.

Even if a city makes efforts to suspend factory production, that won't solve the problem because neighboring regions might not take similar measures.