Chokehold should be on big polluters

DURING THE LATEST ROUND OF INSPECTIONS by the central environmental protection authorities, the local governments in Beijing, and Puyang in Central China's Henan province were found to have shut down service providers ranging from supermarkets to breakfast restaurants that contribute little to airborne pollution, instead of tracking down the heavy polluters. West China Metropolis Daily commented on Monday:

One need not resort to professionals to figure out that small restaurants and clothes shops do not produce as much air pollution as large manufacturers do. The targeting of these small restaurants and retailers, in all likelihood, indicates an attempt to divert public attention from the real polluters or even give the dischargers of hazardous emissions carte blanche.

This is not to say small polluters should not be supervised. Every human activity, however trivial and small, can cause some pollution. But the effectiveness of anti-pollution efforts hinge on a targeted, focused approach, not rigid or ill-considered policies.