But the daily grind of life with its immediate worries has pulled many people away from this worry. Everyone knows that breathing polluted air is harmful, but it is not an immediately visible danger, the disease does not strike immediately so no one is afraid. Most people consider it someone else's business, the scientists' business, the government's responsibility, and has nothing to do with them.
It's time to change our thinking, to see that each of us has a responsibility to clean the air we breathe every day.
Of course, the first responsibility for serious air pollution lies with the government. Factories in industrial zones, production facilities, and craft villages that violate environmental protection regulations and discharge waste beyond permitted levels still exist; many construction projects violate environmental protection regulations, and vehicles carrying sand, gravel, and soil circulate on the road, bringing mud and dust everywhere, all due to lax management.
Long-term polluted rivers, streams, and lakes give off a foul odor, releasing many dangerous substances into the air, making pollution worse. That is the government’s responsibility. If all rivers and lakes are restored and nature is restored, Hanoi’s sky will be clearer. If factories and production facilities that cause pollution are strictly dealt with, the air will be cleaner.
But each individual and citizen of the capital participating in the responsibility of cleaning the environment will bring about real change. Each person reducing travel by car, motorbike, switching to public transport, bicycle, will reduce the amount of emissions from vehicles. Each person is conscious of not littering, but bending down to pick up trash, will contribute to making the atmosphere less polluted.
However, to make people choose public transport, the government must build a convenient public transport system that uses clean fuel. If they want people not to litter, they must apply legal regulations to punish them; propaganda alone will not be effective.
Everyone sees that polluted air will endanger the health of themselves, their families, and their children, so they must take responsibility to protect the environment. How to join hands, in short, is to practice a civilized lifestyle.
