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M. Huang
3. Institutional reform for eco-civilization is the new drive of green development and ecological benefits
The 3rd plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee made accelerating
the establishment of eco-civilization institution a major strategic deployment to
deep the reform on all front. In 2015, the CPC Central Committee and the State
Council printed and distributed the Master Plan for Institutional Reform for Ecological Civilization, which determined the top-level design for the reform. The 19th
CPC National Congress made further deployments to accelerate the reform. Reform
is a vital source of power for our eco-civilization development. Since the 18th CPC
National Congress, China has launched a string of reform explorations, such as
implementing the functional zoning strategy at a faster pace, bettering the layout
of territorial space development, and implementing regional policies of classified
management. The Plan for Reforming State-owned Forestry Farms and Guiding
Opinions on Reforming State-owned Forestry Farms have been issued to strongly
push the reform of state-owned farms, and the plan for piloting the national park
system has been released and great efforts made to launch pilot projects, among
others. In August 2016, the CPC Central Committee decided to list Fujian, Jiangxi
and Guizhou as the first national experimental zones for eco-civilization. In the past
two years, the experimental zones have rolled out a series of reform trials in such areas
as establishing the eco-civilization responsibility system, improving the territorial
development protection system, intensifying ecological supervision and realizing the
value of ecological products, with the focus on innovation and provision of systems
and exploration for patterns. A batch of typical cases have emerged and imitable and
promotable experience has been generated. Practices have proven that the experiment on eco-civilization reform can give the nature protectors a keener sense of gain
and the people more ecological benefits.
4. Environmental protection responsibility and awareness become the new
clarion of joint ecological governance of the whole people
To make leading officials at all levels more aware of and responsible for protecting
and developing the eco-environment, China has taken faster steps of institutional
innovation and execution, determined to protect the eco-environment with the most
rigorous regulations and laws. The 3rd and 4th plenary session of the 18th CPC
Central Committee both proposed to put in place a lifetime accountability system
for eco-environmental damages. The Methods of Holding Party and Government
Leaders Accountable for Eco-environmental Damages (Trial) was also issued to
impose environmental restrictions on all leading officials by underscoring matched
authority and duty, equal responsibility in the Party and government, and accountability for both behaviors and consequences. China has improved the economic and
social development assessment and evaluation system to gradually abandon the traditional GDP-oriented assessment and highlight the ecological orientation by incorporating indicators that reflect the status of ecological progress, such as resource
consumption, environmental damages and ecological benefits. The central government has intensified environmental inspection of local areas. In 2017, a nationwide
M. Huang
3. Institutional reform for eco-civilization is the new drive of green development and ecological benefits
The 3rd plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee made accelerating
the establishment of eco-civilization institution a major strategic deployment to
deep the reform on all front. In 2015, the CPC Central Committee and the State
Council printed and distributed the Master Plan for Institutional Reform for Ecological Civilization, which determined the top-level design for the reform. The 19th
CPC National Congress made further deployments to accelerate the reform. Reform
is a vital source of power for our eco-civilization development. Since the 18th CPC
National Congress, China has launched a string of reform explorations, such as
implementing the functional zoning strategy at a faster pace, bettering the layout
of territorial space development, and implementing regional policies of classified
management. The Plan for Reforming State-owned Forestry Farms and Guiding
Opinions on Reforming State-owned Forestry Farms have been issued to strongly
push the reform of state-owned farms, and the plan for piloting the national park
system has been released and great efforts made to launch pilot projects, among
others. In August 2016, the CPC Central Committee decided to list Fujian, Jiangxi
and Guizhou as the first national experimental zones for eco-civilization. In the past
two years, the experimental zones have rolled out a series of reform trials in such areas
as establishing the eco-civilization responsibility system, improving the territorial
development protection system, intensifying ecological supervision and realizing the
value of ecological products, with the focus on innovation and provision of systems
and exploration for patterns. A batch of typical cases have emerged and imitable and
promotable experience has been generated. Practices have proven that the experiment on eco-civilization reform can give the nature protectors a keener sense of gain
and the people more ecological benefits.
4. Environmental protection responsibility and awareness become the new
clarion of joint ecological governance of the whole people
To make leading officials at all levels more aware of and responsible for protecting
and developing the eco-environment, China has taken faster steps of institutional
innovation and execution, determined to protect the eco-environment with the most
rigorous regulations and laws. The 3rd and 4th plenary session of the 18th CPC
Central Committee both proposed to put in place a lifetime accountability system
for eco-environmental damages. The Methods of Holding Party and Government
Leaders Accountable for Eco-environmental Damages (Trial) was also issued to
impose environmental restrictions on all leading officials by underscoring matched
authority and duty, equal responsibility in the Party and government, and accountability for both behaviors and consequences. China has improved the economic and
social development assessment and evaluation system to gradually abandon the traditional GDP-oriented assessment and highlight the ecological orientation by incorporating indicators that reflect the status of ecological progress, such as resource
consumption, environmental damages and ecological benefits. The central government has intensified environmental inspection of local areas. In 2017, a nationwide