Changes in Environmental Policy in the Past 40 Years of Reform …
7
to implement six key ecological projects, including the one that turns farmland back
into forests.
Another important event during this period was the United Nations Conference
on Environment and Development held in Brazil in 1992. At the conference, the
concept of sustainable development was put forth and Agenda 21 was adopted. After
participating in the conference, China, as a developing country, compiled its own
Agenda 21: White Paper on China’s Population, Environment and Development in
the 21st Century and formulated its own sustainable development goals in 1994.
Then, in 1998, the State Environmental Protection Agency was promoted to the
ministerial level, the functions of the former Environmental Protection Commission
of the State Council and the pollution prevention responsibilities of the Ministry
of Electric Power Industry and other relevant authorities were transferred to the
upgraded State Environmental Protection Administration.
The third period in China’s history of environment protection was 1999–2008.
During this period, Chinese environment protection authorities mainly focused on
curbing the rapid growth of gross discharge of major pollutants, promoting the development of a circular economy, building a resource-efficient and environment-friendly
society and establishing the Ministry of Environmental Protection.
China acceded to the WTO in December 2001, followed by rapid social and
economic development and continuous growth of the chemical, energy, steel and
other heavy industries. China leapt to the top of the world in terms of production
capacity and output of these industries. The consumption of resources and energy
rose rapidly, and the gross discharge of major pollutants also increased significantly. Among the main objectives set in the Tenth Five-Year Plan of China, the
total sulfur dioxide emission control target was raised. The Chinese government
realized the necessity to step up efforts to improve energy efficiency and reduce the
gross discharge of pollutants. During 2006–2010, the Chinese government developed
national targets for the reduction of major pollutant discharge and energy consumption per unit of GDP and included them in the Eleventh Five-Year Plan. The national
targets were then broken down to form targets for each province, autonomous region
and municipality.
The number of environmental facilities and power plant desulfurization facilities
built during 2006–2010 in China exceeded the total number of such facilities built in
the country since founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. Two policies
played a key role in promoting the construction of these facilities. One is the strict
implementation of energy conservation and emission reduction targets, which led to
the construction of major local environmental projects; the other is the integration
of environmental considerations into economic policies, an example of which is the
policy concerning electricity price and the desulfurization coal-fired power plants,
which led to the construction frenzy of desulfurization projects and prompted China
to build the world’s largest clean coal power system.
China also made new progress in environmental legislation and law enforcement
during this period. To further improve the country’s environment, the Chinese government revised the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Law, the Water Pollution
Prevention and Control Law, the Solid Waste Pollution Prevention and Control Law,
7
to implement six key ecological projects, including the one that turns farmland back
into forests.
Another important event during this period was the United Nations Conference
on Environment and Development held in Brazil in 1992. At the conference, the
concept of sustainable development was put forth and Agenda 21 was adopted. After
participating in the conference, China, as a developing country, compiled its own
Agenda 21: White Paper on China’s Population, Environment and Development in
the 21st Century and formulated its own sustainable development goals in 1994.
Then, in 1998, the State Environmental Protection Agency was promoted to the
ministerial level, the functions of the former Environmental Protection Commission
of the State Council and the pollution prevention responsibilities of the Ministry
of Electric Power Industry and other relevant authorities were transferred to the
upgraded State Environmental Protection Administration.
The third period in China’s history of environment protection was 1999–2008.
During this period, Chinese environment protection authorities mainly focused on
curbing the rapid growth of gross discharge of major pollutants, promoting the development of a circular economy, building a resource-efficient and environment-friendly
society and establishing the Ministry of Environmental Protection.
China acceded to the WTO in December 2001, followed by rapid social and
economic development and continuous growth of the chemical, energy, steel and
other heavy industries. China leapt to the top of the world in terms of production
capacity and output of these industries. The consumption of resources and energy
rose rapidly, and the gross discharge of major pollutants also increased significantly. Among the main objectives set in the Tenth Five-Year Plan of China, the
total sulfur dioxide emission control target was raised. The Chinese government
realized the necessity to step up efforts to improve energy efficiency and reduce the
gross discharge of pollutants. During 2006–2010, the Chinese government developed
national targets for the reduction of major pollutant discharge and energy consumption per unit of GDP and included them in the Eleventh Five-Year Plan. The national
targets were then broken down to form targets for each province, autonomous region
and municipality.
The number of environmental facilities and power plant desulfurization facilities
built during 2006–2010 in China exceeded the total number of such facilities built in
the country since founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. Two policies
played a key role in promoting the construction of these facilities. One is the strict
implementation of energy conservation and emission reduction targets, which led to
the construction of major local environmental projects; the other is the integration
of environmental considerations into economic policies, an example of which is the
policy concerning electricity price and the desulfurization coal-fired power plants,
which led to the construction frenzy of desulfurization projects and prompted China
to build the world’s largest clean coal power system.
China also made new progress in environmental legislation and law enforcement
during this period. To further improve the country’s environment, the Chinese government revised the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Law, the Water Pollution
Prevention and Control Law, the Solid Waste Pollution Prevention and Control Law,