The smoggy weather that Beijing and neighboring Hebei province and Tianjin are witnessing has prompted the three local governments to work out measures to reduce its impact on the environment and people's health.

Beijing, in particular, has taken even harsher measures, including rapidly upgrading the quality of local oil, closing down some polluting enterprises and placing stricter controls on the number of additional vehicles over the coming years.

The awareness that geographical proximity demands coordinated action to achieve the desired results has also prompted the three local governments to agree on the establishment of a joint policy mechanism to tackle the environmental threat.