Tackling pollution a difficult test governments must pass

THE SMOG that has shrouded Beijing in recent days shows the urgency of eliminating old automobiles and controlling the number of trucks on the capital's roads, Beijing Times said on Wednesday:

The Ministry of Environmental Protection conducted a special investigation into the causes of the current air pollution, and found that heavy diesel trucks and old automobiles were the main sources of the air-borne pollutants.

According to the ministry, about 300,000 automobiles from outside Beijing come into the city every day, and that among them more than one-third are heavy vehicles. The ministry's sample tests revealed that more than half of these heavy trucks do not meet the national emissions standards and the pollutants emitted by each heavy truck are equivalent to more than 200 cars on average.