Wow, the Beijing smog looks worse than Los Angeles was in the 1970s. At this time, after 30 years of stringent emissions controls applied to vehicles and industrial activity, the skies above Los Angeles are mostly blue. But it was a major undertaking by the state of California to put in place pollution controls, law enforcement, testing stations and fuel blends to reduce pollution. I know firsthand how bad this can be and feel badly for those who have to deal with smog like this.