WHENBeijinghasadaywithpristineblueskies,ittrendsimmediatelyonWechat(China鈥檚premiersocialmediaapp).Therareoccurrenceof鈥淏eijingBlue鈥漚ndmediachatteraboutsuchrareweatherisindicativeoftheChinesecapital鈥檚ongoingbattlewithpollutedairandissymbolicoftheseverepressurethecountryfacesinthefieldofenvironmentalprotection.
ThegoodnewsisthatenvironmentalprotectionhasbeenprioritizedbyChina鈥檚leadership.InMay2018,GeneralSecretaryoftheCentralCommitteeoftheCommunistPartyofChina(CPC)XiJinpingdeliveredaspeechattheEighthNationalMeetingonEnvironmentalProtectioninBeijing.XistressedthatecologicalprogressisoffundamentalimportanceforthesustainabledevelopmentoftheChinesenation.Itisamajorachievementintheprogressofhumanityandtheinevitablerequirementfortheharmoniousdevelopmentofhumanityandnature.EcologicalprogressisalsoamajorpoliticalissueconcerningthemissionoftheCPCandasocialissueintermsofthepeople鈥檚wellbeing.
ForgingAhead
GeneralSecretaryXinotedatthemeetingthattheecologicalprogresshasenteredacriticalperiodinwhichmorequalityecologicalinitiativesareinurgentneedtomeetpeople鈥檚ever-growingdemandsforabetterenvironment.鈥淚tisalsoaperiodwhenChinaiscapableofaddressingprominentecologicalandenvironmentalissues,鈥漢esaid.
Thepromotionofecologicalprogresshastwoaspects.Fromthetechnologicalaspect,itisaboutthetargetsofpollutioncontrol,resourceconservation,andecologicalprotection.Thetargetofpollutioncontrolistorestoretheclearskies,cleanwater,andtoxin-freesoil.Thetargetofresourceconservationistoensurethesustainablesupplyanduseofnaturalresources.Andthetargetofecologicalprotectionistorealizethesymbiosisandprosperityofbiodiversity,theecosystem,andhumanity.Fromalegalperspectivethisprocessmustberesultsdrivenoritwillbedeemedafailure.
AssocialismwithChinesecharacteristicshasenteredanewera,theenvironmentisconfrontedwithmultiplepressures,suchasthedualstressesofreducingboththeincrementandstockofpollutants,therigidpressurepresentedbyeconomicdevelopment,povertyalleviation,andenvironmentalprotection,andthesocialpressureofeconomicrestructuringandtheimprovementoftheruleoflawinenvironmentalprotection.Inthefaceofthesedauntingchallenges,thereisnooptionbuttoforgeahead.Withclearobjectivesofpromotingecologicalprogress,thearduoustaskofsupplysidestructuralreformprovidingqualityecologicalgoods,andincreasinglyprominentdemandsforanimprovedenvironmentshouldinvolveallpartiesworkingtogethertoachievetangibleresults.After40yearsofopening-up,Chinaisfinanciallyandtechnologicallycapableofaddressingenvironmentalissuesinacomprehensivemanner.
Asadevelopingcountry,China鈥檚economyrankedsecondintheworldin2017,butitsGDPpercapitawasstillbelowtheworldaverage,lessthanonesixthoftheU.S.levelandonefifthoftheEuropeanlevel.Meanwhile,itsenergyconsumptionandcarbondioxideemissionpercapitasurpassedthatofsomeEuropeancountries.Thecountry鈥檚urbanizationratejumpedfrom18percentin1978to58.6percentin2017,anannualrateofmorethanonepercentagepoint.Butthecurrentlevelisstill20percentagepointslowerthanthatindevelopedcountries.Intermsoftheindustrialstructure,theproportionofthetertiaryindustrytotheGDPexceededthatofthesecondaryindustryforthefirsttimein2014,buttheaddedvalueofthesecondaryindustrystillaccountedfor40percentoftheGDP.ThefigureofdevelopednationsliketheU.S.isaround20percent,meaningthatChina鈥檚GDPgrowthconsumesmoreenergyanddischargesmorepollutants.JudgingfromthehypothesisoftheenvironmentalKuznetscurve,therelationshipofChina鈥檚environmentalqualityandeconomicdevelopmentisonapositionapproachingthepeakoftheinvertedUcurve,showingtheenvironmentaldegradationisgettingworse,whiletheeconomyisontherise.Suchapositiondoesn鈥檛meanwearecontenttolettheenvironmentdegrade.Itisanappropriatetimetoaddresstheissueinaholisticway.Wehavetohandlethepressureandforgeaheadtoavoidrepeatingthemistakesofdevelopednationsandtoaccelerateeffortsinimprovingtheenvironment.ASinopecpetrolstationintheXiangjiangRiverofChangsha,HunanProvince,carryingoutroutinemaintenance.RemarkableAchievements
Thekeytoawell-functioningecosystemliesinsupply-sidestructuralreform.First,thepriorityshouldbetransferredfromquantitytoquality.Asforenvironmentalprotection,weusedtolimitthetotalamountofemissionsandtheobjectivewastocontroltheemis-sionwithinacertainrange.Theresultwasthatwhilethefigureswerewithintherequiredrange,peoplestillsufferedfrompollutedair.Whatmatterstopeopleisthequalityofacleanenvironment,notthequantityorprocessofensuringthecleanenvironment.Second,theruleoflawshouldbeimplementedtoensurethatthosewhopollutetheenvironmentarepunished.Third,thereformshouldbemarket-oriented.Thegovernmentshouldplayitsdueroleinatransparentandmarket-orientedmannertoensureacleanenvironment.Fourth,technologicalinnovationshouldbeencouraged.Fifth,anevaluationsystemshouldbeputinplace.Thosewhopollutetheenvironmentshouldbepunished,whileincentivesshouldbegiventothosewhoimprovetheenvironment.
China鈥檚economyhasenteredthenew-normalphase,thefocusofwhichhasshiftedfromquantitytoquality.Infact,thisposesahigherrequirementontheprotectionoftheenvironment.Since2012,Chinahasplacedenvironmentalpollutionasanimperativeissuetoaddress,androlledoutmeasurestohandleair,water,andsoilpollution.Significantprogresshasbeenmade.Forexample,in2017,theaveragePM2.5readinginthePearlRiverDeltaregionwasreducedto35microgramspercubicmeter,theleveloftheYangtzeRiverDeltaurbanagglomerationdecreasedtobelow45,andthefigureinBeijingdroppedto58from89.5in2013.
Fruitfulresultshavealsobeenachievedinpreventingandcontrollingwaterpollutionandsoilpollutionbyheavymetals.Since2013,China鈥檚coalconsumptionhasdeclined,andtheinstalledcapacityandpowergeneratingcapacityofrenewableenergieshavebeenamongthelargestintheworld.ChinahasbuilttheThree-River-SourceNationalPark,thePandaNationalParkandtheNationalParkforAmurTigerandAmurLeopard.Astheglobalwetlandsandforestareasaredeclining,thefiguresinChinaareincreasingrapidly.
Chinahasaccumulatedexperienceinpromotingecologicalprogress,suchasmeasurestocurbairpollution,thesystemofriverandlakesupervisorstomanagethewatersinacomprehensivemanner,andasystemofevaluationandassessmentofecologicalconservation.Clear,cleanwaterandforestedmountainsareinvaluableassetsandthefoundationofgreendevelopment.
InternationalCooperation
Inthe21stcentury,China鈥檚industrializationisacceleratingasitprovidesgoodbutcheapproductstotheworldmarketatthecostofenvironmentalpollutionintheprocessofglobalization.Meanwhile,Chinahasfundamentallyshakenoffpoverty,improveditseconomy,andpushedforwardurbanization.Inprinciple,itfollowedthepathofadvancedcountriesthatprioritizedeconomicdevelopmentovertheenvironment,andtookatolerantattitudetowardenvironmentalpollutionorecologicaldestruction.Inaddition,itdidn鈥檛formulatestrictrulesandregulationsofpollutioncontrolonforeigninvestors.Asaresult,environmentaldegradationisworsening.
Thequalityandcheapmade-in-ChinaproductshavingbeenexportedtothewholeworldwereproducedatthehighcostofChina鈥檚environment.Tocompoundtheproblem,somedevelopedcountrieshavedumpedtheirgarbageasrecyclablewasteinChina.Fromthisperspective,Chinahasbeencontributingtoacleanerworld.
Chinahas,however,realizedthatprotectingitsenvironmentwasnotonlybeneficialforitself,butfortheentireworldasearlyas10yearsago.Thecountryvigor-ouslyadvancedecologicalprogress,controlledthetotalamountofemissionsandintroducedstrictemissionstandards.Italsomadeeffortstodeveloptherecyclableeconomytoconserveenergy,restoreecology,andprotectbiodiversity.Injust10years,theemissionstandardforvehicleshasbeenimprovedfromEuropeanIItoV.In2017,ChinaadoptedthenationalVIemissionstandardwhichiseventighterthantheEuropeanV.Thecountry鈥檚greenhousegasemissionshavealsobeendecliningsince2014.Theinstalledcapacityofrenewableenergyhassurpassedallothercountriesin10years.
DuetoChina鈥檚coal-basedenergyconsumptionstructureandthechillyweatherinnorthChina,smogisstillprevalent,especiallyinwinter,despitethecountryadoptingthecutting-edgetechnologyofcoal-firedpowergeneration.Ecologicalconservationprojectsofshelterbeltinnorth,northwestandnortheastChina,grainforgreen(aprogramdesignedtomitigateandpreventfloodingandsoilerosion),andthe800-square-kmman-madewoodlandofSaihanbahavesuccessfullyaddressedtheissueofsandstorms.However,anewenvironmentalpainofsmogfollowed.AsChinabecamethesecondlargesteconomy,itisattractingmoreworldattention.ItistruethatChina鈥檚environmentalqualitywasworseningduetoitsurbanizationandindustrialization,butitisequallytruethattheenvironmentisconstantlyimproving.SomeforeignmediafocusonBeijing鈥檚badaircondition,whichhasactuallyspurredChinatotakeboldermeasuresinaddressingtheissue.
TheinternationalcommunityshouldlookatChina鈥檚environmentalpollutioninanimpartialanddynamicmanner.In2013,theaveragereadingofPM2.5inBeijingwas89.5microgramspercubicmeter.Afterfouryearsofremediation,thefigurereducedto58in2017.Despitethisstillbeingahighfigure,itshowsremarkableimprovement.Tobuildaninternationalimageasaresponsiblepower,itrequiresChina鈥檚owneffortsaswellasunderstandingandunbiasedrecognitionbytheinternationalcommunity.Globalcooperationandmutualunderstandingwillhelppreventandcontrolenvironmentalpollutionacrosstheworld.
TheauthorisDirectoroftheInstituteforUrbanandEnvironmentalStudieswithChineseAcademyofSocialSciences.
ItistruethatChina鈥檚environmentalqualitywasworseningduetoitsurbanizationandindustrialization,butitisequallytruethattheenvironmentisconstantlyimproving.