Fining local governments for failing to meet emission reduction targets or other environmental goals is an effective measure for tackling airborne pollution, said Corrado Clini, an environmental official from Italy, during a visit to Beijing.

As smog has enveloped more than 1 million square kilometers of China for almost a week, Clini, director-general of the Department for Sustainable Development, Climate and Energy of the Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea, gave advice to the Chinese government based on pollution control experience in the European Union.

In December, Liaoning became the first province to charge city-level governments extra fees for causing airborne pollution.