Its best bet will be to order the temporary closure of polluting industries across a wide swathe of northern China in the run-up to the games, as well as introducing draconian traffic-control measures in Beijing.

• 最切实的方法可能是命令覆盖中国北部广大范围的污染产业暂时关闭，同时在北京市内引入严格的交通管制。