Environmental Planning in China (1949–Present)
97
During 1986–1995, China still lagged behind many countries in urbanization
and industrialization and environmental pollution in the country was mainly from
point sources. The focus of China’s environmental protection efforts then was on
the treatment of industrial wastewater, waste gas and residue, and the environmental
plans mainly focused on industrial pollution control. During 1996–2000, China began
its transformation towards sustainable development and set relevant targets in the
Tenth Five-Year Plan. During 2006–2010, the reduction of total discharge of major
pollutants became binding targets for development evaluation. The country began
to focus on solving outstanding environmental problems, reflecting the strategic
position of environmental protection in China. At the 18th National Congress of the
CPC, the Chinese government incorporated the building of an ecological civilization
into the Five-Sphere Integrated Plan for development of socialism with Chinese
characteristics. General Secretary Xi Jinping said: “Luci water and lush mountains
are valuable assets.” Environmental authorities at all levels followed Xi’s instruction
in environmental planning during 2011–2020.
Therefore, the goals, tasks, and policies of relevant plans reflected what China
has been through in regard to environmental protection, the outstanding problems to
be solved, and the main measures to be taken at this stage. China has gradually built
a national-provincial-city planning system and a comprehensive planning-special
planning system to ensure the fulfilment of its development goals and environmental
goals at all levels and in all fields.
Second, national environmental plans establish the fundamentals of environmental
protection in the country, which is the foundation for systematical environmental
protection.
The Chinese government has been working to keep its environmental protection
policies up to date, with emphasis shifting from conquering the nature to the control of
wastewater, exhaust gas, and solid waste, the development of ecological civilization,
the Five-Sphere Integrated Plan for modernization, the beautiful China campaign and
cooperation with other countries to build a clean and beautiful world. The dialectical
relationship between development and environmental protection has been continuously adjusted and balanced. The focus of planning is continuously adjusted based on
the most serious environmental issues and the planning authority’s understanding of
environmental protection at the time, and the purpose is to establish the fundamentals
of environmental protection appropriately.
Five-year comprehensive plans for environmental protection have played an
important role in guiding environmental protection efforts. A national environmental
protection plan makes national-level arrangements for ecological and environmental
protection, and the binding targets set out in the plan constitute mandatory requirements that must be adhered to. The target system includes various elements and
key tasks in each field and is designed to ensure that all tasks will be completed
in time. Priority is given to important tasks, and continuity and coherence of are
maintained over the long run. The Chinese government has been strengthening the
supervision and evaluation of the implementation of environmental protection plans.
97
During 1986–1995, China still lagged behind many countries in urbanization
and industrialization and environmental pollution in the country was mainly from
point sources. The focus of China’s environmental protection efforts then was on
the treatment of industrial wastewater, waste gas and residue, and the environmental
plans mainly focused on industrial pollution control. During 1996–2000, China began
its transformation towards sustainable development and set relevant targets in the
Tenth Five-Year Plan. During 2006–2010, the reduction of total discharge of major
pollutants became binding targets for development evaluation. The country began
to focus on solving outstanding environmental problems, reflecting the strategic
position of environmental protection in China. At the 18th National Congress of the
CPC, the Chinese government incorporated the building of an ecological civilization
into the Five-Sphere Integrated Plan for development of socialism with Chinese
characteristics. General Secretary Xi Jinping said: “Luci water and lush mountains
are valuable assets.” Environmental authorities at all levels followed Xi’s instruction
in environmental planning during 2011–2020.
Therefore, the goals, tasks, and policies of relevant plans reflected what China
has been through in regard to environmental protection, the outstanding problems to
be solved, and the main measures to be taken at this stage. China has gradually built
a national-provincial-city planning system and a comprehensive planning-special
planning system to ensure the fulfilment of its development goals and environmental
goals at all levels and in all fields.
Second, national environmental plans establish the fundamentals of environmental
protection in the country, which is the foundation for systematical environmental
protection.
The Chinese government has been working to keep its environmental protection
policies up to date, with emphasis shifting from conquering the nature to the control of
wastewater, exhaust gas, and solid waste, the development of ecological civilization,
the Five-Sphere Integrated Plan for modernization, the beautiful China campaign and
cooperation with other countries to build a clean and beautiful world. The dialectical
relationship between development and environmental protection has been continuously adjusted and balanced. The focus of planning is continuously adjusted based on
the most serious environmental issues and the planning authority’s understanding of
environmental protection at the time, and the purpose is to establish the fundamentals
of environmental protection appropriately.
Five-year comprehensive plans for environmental protection have played an
important role in guiding environmental protection efforts. A national environmental
protection plan makes national-level arrangements for ecological and environmental
protection, and the binding targets set out in the plan constitute mandatory requirements that must be adhered to. The target system includes various elements and
key tasks in each field and is designed to ensure that all tasks will be completed
in time. Priority is given to important tasks, and continuity and coherence of are
maintained over the long run. The Chinese government has been strengthening the
supervision and evaluation of the implementation of environmental protection plans.