In an effort to step up the war on smog, Beijing announced last week that it will boost funding for local governments that do well in reducing air pollution. According to regulations released last Tuesday, China’s cabinet will assign local governments to one of four categories, ranging from “substandard” to “excellent.” Those that do well in reining in emissions will receive more funds, while those that do poorly will get less and potentially face disciplinary action. The cabinet will also impose harsher penalties on officials who fake environmental data. In a further effort to meet emissions targets, last week the government also announced plans to take six million vehicles that do not meet emission standards off the road. For the full story, see http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/05/28/us-china-environment-idUKKBN0E80DG20140528 and http://www.theguardian.com/environment/chinas-choice/2014/may/27/china-scrap-millions-cars-reduce-air-pollution.