Many people judge China for not doing enough against the rising air pollution and high smog levels in industrial areas yet not so many of them actually pay attention to what is happening back in their hometowns. Such, London has been named one of the Europe’s unhealthiest major cities, as the city struggles to fight diesel vehicles emissions. The SOOT free cities review has recently published an official ranking of 23 European cities and evaluated them in 9 different categories. The best and cleanest cities are Zurich, Copenhagen and Vienna, while London and Luxembourg have performed the worst among Europe. The reasoning behind such grading lies in“backward steps” that have been taken by the city in council such as increasing public transportation fees, scaling back plans for new hybrid buses and decreasing its congestion charging zones. Such measures have adversely affected the air quality and have led to an increased pollution. James Grugeon, chief executive of Environmental Protection UK says that "With less than a year to the Olympic Games, London is doing less to deal with its dangerous air pollution levels than other major European capitals. The government and the mayor of London can no longer ignore the biggest public health crisis since the great smog of 1952". Now one would ask what can be a good example of counter measures to align efficiently with smart city management? The answer is: Paris. Despite having high levels of air pollution, Paris city council moves forward and applies innovative methods to fight pollution. Increasing the number of cheap and green bike and car rental services helps to give citizens a bigger choice when it comes to transportation. Moreover, high parking fees also influence the desire to drive a car. Finally, having set the goal to achieve a diesel-free city by 2020 the council declares a war to car emissions and serves a longer-term prove of commitment not only to Paris residents but also to the global society. Such measures have not only proved efficient by moving Paris up the SOOT ranking but also showed the city council’s determination to improve the living conditions in Paris. Inna Oliinyk,  Apapacho    

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