Air pollution has many disastrous effects on society and thus needs to be curbed. Governments, scientists and environmentalists across the world are using or testing a variety of methods aimed at reducing pollution.

There are two main types of pollution control. The first is input control, which involves preventing a problem, or at least limiting the effects the process will have on the atmosphere and people. There are five major input control methods in air pollution management. People could try to restrict population growth, use less energy, improve energy efficiency, reduce waste and/or shift to non-polluting renewable forms of energy production. Also, automobile emissions can be reduced with highly beneficial results.

The other one is output control, which seeks to fix the problems caused by air pollution. This usually means cleaning up a polluted area.

Input controls are usually more effective than output controls. Also, the latter method is more expensive, making it less desirable to taxpayers and polluting industries.

Current air pollution control efforts in China are not highly effective. The country needs to drastically reduce the use of coal and strictly regulate urban traffic pollution in bigger cities.

So the Chinese government should hire environmental experts to devise new regulations and put them to work before pollution becomes a very serious health hazard.

A reader, on China Daily forum

Readers' comments are welcome. Please send your e-mail to [email protected] or [email protected] or to the individual columnists. China Daily reserves the right to edit all letters. Thank you.

(China Daily 09/04/2013 page9)