94
J. Wan
Control and Two Standards”
1 system, the Major Pollutants Total Emission Control
Plan, the Plan for China’s Trans-Century Green Project, and the policy of equal
emphasis on pollution prevention and environmental protection. During 1996–2000,
the country made remarkable strides in environmental legislation in accordance with
The Ninth Five-Year Plan for Environmental Protection. The Chinese government
also revised the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Law, Water Pollution Prevention and Control Law, and Marine Environment Protection Law, and promulgated a
plethora of environmental protection laws and regulations, including Noise Pollution
Prevention and Control Law, Implementation Rules of the Water Pollution Prevention
and Control Law, and Regulations on the Environmental Management of Construction Projects. The amendment to the Criminal Law added provisions on the crime
of causing damage to the environment and the crime of dereliction of environmental
supervision duty, which was an important step in environmental legislation.
The 10th Five-Year Environmental Protection Plan (2001–2005) highlighted environmental protection in key areas, total pollution control, and major environmental
protection projects. In December 2001, with the approval of the State Council, the
State Environmental Protection Administration, the State Planning Commission, the
State Economic and Trade Commission, and the Ministry of Finance jointly issued
the 10th Five-Year National Environmental Protection Plan (hereinafter referred to
as the 10th Five-Year Plan), proposing to continue to focus on pollution prevention
and control in key areas identified during 1996–2000, including “Three Rivers, Three
Lakes, and Two Control Areas,” as well as Beijing, and the Bohai Sea, and to step up
water pollution control in the Three Gorges Reservoir and along the South-to-North
Water Transfer Project. The government also compiled and implemented the Plan for
the Decomposition of National Total Pollution Control Targets for Major Pollutants
during 2001–2005, which set out and broke down the control targets for six major
pollutants, designated water environment functional zones across the country and
completed ecological functional zoning for 31 provinces, autonomous regions and
municipalities. During 2001–2005, the People’s Congress of Guangdong Province
approved and implemented the Pearl River Delta Regional Environmental Protection Plan and the Integrated Environmental Protection Plan of Guangdong Province,
which marked a big step forward in China’s efforts for major regional environmental
protection plans.
The 11th Five-Year Plan period saw emphasis laid on implementation for the first
time. On November 22, 2007, the State Council issued the 11th Five-Year National
Environmental Protection Plan, which was the first five-year plan for environmental
protection issued by the State Council. The plan set the target of reducing sulfur
dioxide emissions and chemical oxygen demand by 10% from the 2005 levels by
2010. For the first time, the environmental targets were included as the binding
1 “One Control and Two Standards”: By the end of 2000, all provinces, autonomous regions, and
municipalities must control the discharge of major pollutants in their jurisdictions within the
total emission targets set by the state, and industrial pollution sources must meet the pollutant
discharge standards set by the central or local government. The air and surface water must meet the
environmental quality standards set by the country for this functional zone.
J. Wan
Control and Two Standards”
1 system, the Major Pollutants Total Emission Control
Plan, the Plan for China’s Trans-Century Green Project, and the policy of equal
emphasis on pollution prevention and environmental protection. During 1996–2000,
the country made remarkable strides in environmental legislation in accordance with
The Ninth Five-Year Plan for Environmental Protection. The Chinese government
also revised the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Law, Water Pollution Prevention and Control Law, and Marine Environment Protection Law, and promulgated a
plethora of environmental protection laws and regulations, including Noise Pollution
Prevention and Control Law, Implementation Rules of the Water Pollution Prevention
and Control Law, and Regulations on the Environmental Management of Construction Projects. The amendment to the Criminal Law added provisions on the crime
of causing damage to the environment and the crime of dereliction of environmental
supervision duty, which was an important step in environmental legislation.
The 10th Five-Year Environmental Protection Plan (2001–2005) highlighted environmental protection in key areas, total pollution control, and major environmental
protection projects. In December 2001, with the approval of the State Council, the
State Environmental Protection Administration, the State Planning Commission, the
State Economic and Trade Commission, and the Ministry of Finance jointly issued
the 10th Five-Year National Environmental Protection Plan (hereinafter referred to
as the 10th Five-Year Plan), proposing to continue to focus on pollution prevention
and control in key areas identified during 1996–2000, including “Three Rivers, Three
Lakes, and Two Control Areas,” as well as Beijing, and the Bohai Sea, and to step up
water pollution control in the Three Gorges Reservoir and along the South-to-North
Water Transfer Project. The government also compiled and implemented the Plan for
the Decomposition of National Total Pollution Control Targets for Major Pollutants
during 2001–2005, which set out and broke down the control targets for six major
pollutants, designated water environment functional zones across the country and
completed ecological functional zoning for 31 provinces, autonomous regions and
municipalities. During 2001–2005, the People’s Congress of Guangdong Province
approved and implemented the Pearl River Delta Regional Environmental Protection Plan and the Integrated Environmental Protection Plan of Guangdong Province,
which marked a big step forward in China’s efforts for major regional environmental
protection plans.
The 11th Five-Year Plan period saw emphasis laid on implementation for the first
time. On November 22, 2007, the State Council issued the 11th Five-Year National
Environmental Protection Plan, which was the first five-year plan for environmental
protection issued by the State Council. The plan set the target of reducing sulfur
dioxide emissions and chemical oxygen demand by 10% from the 2005 levels by
2010. For the first time, the environmental targets were included as the binding
1 “One Control and Two Standards”: By the end of 2000, all provinces, autonomous regions, and
municipalities must control the discharge of major pollutants in their jurisdictions within the
total emission targets set by the state, and industrial pollution sources must meet the pollutant
discharge standards set by the central or local government. The air and surface water must meet the
environmental quality standards set by the country for this functional zone.