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Y. Wang
10%. The Outline of the 12th Five-Year Plan put forth the obligatory targets of cutting
COD and ammonia nitrogen, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxide emissions by 8, 10, 8,
and 10%, respectively. Since the beginning of the 13th Five-Year Plan period, China
has enacted the new Environmental Protection Law, which is considered “the most
stringent in history” and implemented the Action Plan for Air Pollution Prevention
and Control, the Action Plan for Water Pollution Prevention and Control, and the
Action Plan for Soil Pollution Prevention and Control. As a result, the emissions
of some major pollutants have hit their peaks. In 2018, 338 cities in China saw
79.3% of days with good air quality, up 2.6% from 2015; the number of days with
heavy pollution accounted for 2.2%, down 1.0%. GHG emissions have decreased
dramatically. In 2018, carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP fell by 45.8% over
2005, meaning that the target of a 40% to 45% reduction by 2020 was met ahead of
schedule. Surface water quality has improved on the whole. In 2018, out of 1,935
river cross sections in the country, 71.0% met grade I-III water quality standards, up
3.2% compared with 2016, while the proportion of those with quality below grade
V was 6.7%, down 1.9%. Increased efforts in tackling pollution have improved the
environmental quality, paving the way for green transformation.
8. Reform of the green development system has been accelerated
The key to promoting green transformation lies in systems and institutions. Since
the 18th CPC National Congress, China has rolled out environmental policies with
unprecedented frequency and carried out the strictest supervision and law enforcement ever. It successively issued the Guidelines on Accelerating Ecological Civilization and the Integrated Reform Plan for Promoting Ecological Civilization and
formulated more than 40 reform plans regarding ecological progress, which constitute the basis of the ecological civilization system. Smooth progress has been made
in all reform tasks. Specifically, China has advanced the reform of the property
rights system for natural resource assets, improved the territorial space development
and protection system, launched the pilot programs for the spatial planning system
reform, strengthened the aggregate resource management and comprehensive conservation systems, pushed forward the system of paid use for natural resources and
ecological compensation system, increased efforts in the environmental governance
system reform, and basically established the ecological progress performance evaluation system and accountability systems. In particular, the national environmental
protection inspection system has been in place. According to the five-step approach
of supervision, assignment, tour of inspection, interview, and special inspection,
four batches of central environmental protection inspections have been carried out,
covering all thirty-one provincial-level regions. Special inspections in key regions,
fields, and industries have been carried out. Supervision and law enforcement has
been tightened; the policy of “co-responsibility of the Party and governmental officials” and the policy of “one post with dual responsibilities” have been effectively
implemented; the accountability system has been strengthened, violations have been
Y. Wang
10%. The Outline of the 12th Five-Year Plan put forth the obligatory targets of cutting
COD and ammonia nitrogen, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxide emissions by 8, 10, 8,
and 10%, respectively. Since the beginning of the 13th Five-Year Plan period, China
has enacted the new Environmental Protection Law, which is considered “the most
stringent in history” and implemented the Action Plan for Air Pollution Prevention
and Control, the Action Plan for Water Pollution Prevention and Control, and the
Action Plan for Soil Pollution Prevention and Control. As a result, the emissions
of some major pollutants have hit their peaks. In 2018, 338 cities in China saw
79.3% of days with good air quality, up 2.6% from 2015; the number of days with
heavy pollution accounted for 2.2%, down 1.0%. GHG emissions have decreased
dramatically. In 2018, carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP fell by 45.8% over
2005, meaning that the target of a 40% to 45% reduction by 2020 was met ahead of
schedule. Surface water quality has improved on the whole. In 2018, out of 1,935
river cross sections in the country, 71.0% met grade I-III water quality standards, up
3.2% compared with 2016, while the proportion of those with quality below grade
V was 6.7%, down 1.9%. Increased efforts in tackling pollution have improved the
environmental quality, paving the way for green transformation.
8. Reform of the green development system has been accelerated
The key to promoting green transformation lies in systems and institutions. Since
the 18th CPC National Congress, China has rolled out environmental policies with
unprecedented frequency and carried out the strictest supervision and law enforcement ever. It successively issued the Guidelines on Accelerating Ecological Civilization and the Integrated Reform Plan for Promoting Ecological Civilization and
formulated more than 40 reform plans regarding ecological progress, which constitute the basis of the ecological civilization system. Smooth progress has been made
in all reform tasks. Specifically, China has advanced the reform of the property
rights system for natural resource assets, improved the territorial space development
and protection system, launched the pilot programs for the spatial planning system
reform, strengthened the aggregate resource management and comprehensive conservation systems, pushed forward the system of paid use for natural resources and
ecological compensation system, increased efforts in the environmental governance
system reform, and basically established the ecological progress performance evaluation system and accountability systems. In particular, the national environmental
protection inspection system has been in place. According to the five-step approach
of supervision, assignment, tour of inspection, interview, and special inspection,
four batches of central environmental protection inspections have been carried out,
covering all thirty-one provincial-level regions. Special inspections in key regions,
fields, and industries have been carried out. Supervision and law enforcement has
been tightened; the policy of “co-responsibility of the Party and governmental officials” and the policy of “one post with dual responsibilities” have been effectively
implemented; the accountability system has been strengthened, violations have been