A decade and a half after Thailand began a battle for better air quality, Bangkok has emerged as a role model for pollution-choked capitals in Asia, with considerably cleaner air than Beijing, Jakarta, New Delhi and Shanghai, according to Thomas Fuller of The New York Times. Improvements were realized after Thai officials demanded for oil companies to produce cleaner fuel, used higher taxes to phase out two-stroke motorcycles, converted taxis to run on clean-burning liquefied petroleum gas and imposed progressively stricter emissions controls based on European norms. Bangkok’s air, on average, now falls within the limit set by the United States Environmental Protection Agency of 50 micrograms per cubic meter, but is above the European Union limit of 40.The New York Times