Deadly smog is scaring top talent away from offices based in China. That should be of deep concern for Beijing.

China’s air quality readings were worse this July than they were last year, much to the dismay of the hundreds of millions of urbanites living in the choking toxic smog.

Starting Thursday, Beijing’s popular kebab street vendors won’t be allowed to grill their meats outside. This ban reflects growing desperation amongst the Party leadership to address the country’s increasingly serious air pollution problem.

China’s face mask industry grows rich as its air quality declines. But many of the masks are next to useless, says a consumer watchdog group. China must find other ways to save its citizens from the smog.

It’s that time of year again—when smog blankets China’s megacities in a toxic shroud as coal plants work overtime to heat Chinese homes. Beijing’s leadership is taking measures to address the problem in the short-term, but it needs to address the root of the problem.

China is officially setting targets to reduce air pollution across its provinces. The central government outlined the expectations, which vary by region, as part of its push to clear its smoggy skies. Unfortunately, this naming and shaming strategy is unlikely to work as intended. Local Chinese politicians have a strong incentive to encourage economic (and more often than not that means industrial) growth as a path for political advancement; there will still remain a desire to fudge the numbers.

The smog over Beijing was touted as a potential missile screen earlier this week, but more pressingly—and distressingly—it’s causing problems for airplanes attempting to land in China’s capital. To reduce flight delays, China’s civil aviation regulatory body will require pilots traveling in to the city on especially smoggy days be certified in instrument-only flight.

China’s omnipresent toxic smog isn’t all bad. It obscures potential missile targets, bolstering the country’s military defense, and it…helps affected citizens’ sense of humor? OK, you lost us. Both of those odd claims were championed by Chinese state-backed media on Monday, in what, if we’re being charitable, could be seen as some misguided attempt to make the best out of an untenable situation.