Smog has become a nationwide scourge, as it has shrouded more than 100 cities all over the country in the past couple of days.

Do we still think that it has nothing to do with us, when people can hardly see each other when they are standing within five meters of one another in some eastern cities? Do we still consider environmental protection something far removed from us when we have to wear a mask so we don't develop respiratory problems?

Despite the repeated rhetoric about the importance governments at all levels need to attach to environmental protection, the impact of pollution of all kinds, including air pollution, has never gained the upper hand on economic growth.