Changes in Environmental Policy in the Past 40 Years of Reform …
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responsible for coordinating across all relevant departments to ensure efficient implementation of environmental protection plans. Relevant departments were assigned
different responsibilities for environmental protection, and need to report regularly
at the meetings of the Environmental Protection Commission. This was where the
“yi gang liang ze” management approach originated.
In 1998, with the State Environmental Protection Administration established to
replace the Environmental Protection Commission of the State Council, the national
authority for environmental protection was upgraded to a higher level, but its power
for comprehensive coordination was weakened to some extent. Then, putting great
emphasis on environmental protection, the CPC Central Committee and the State
Council launched a high-level annual event, i.e. the Central Symposium on Population, Resources and Environment Work. The event was chaired by the General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and participants included ministers, provincial
party secretaries and governors, playing very important roles for some time.
We should continue with the environmental governance system that emphasizes
both incentives and restrictions and engage local governments in environmental
governance. With regard to restrictions, since 2006, the central government has been
carrying out supervision on the fulfillment of environmental protection responsibilities across the country primarily through mandatory energy conservation and
pollution reduction targets. After the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the central
government put forward the requirement that Party and government bodies should
share responsibilities for environmental protection and put in place the national environmental protection inspection system to oversee efforts to meet this requirement.
With regard to incentives, a typical example is the naming of national model cities
for environmental protection and eco-friendly provinces, cities and counties, the
former of which was proposed during the Ninth Five-Year Plan period (1996–2000).
In 1997, six cities including Zhangjiagang and Dalian were named national model
cities for environmental protection. Since then, nearly 100 cities have applied for
this title and efforts to win it boosted enthusiasm for environmental protection and
improved environmental protection capabilities and management of various cities.
It is a cost-efficient way to effectively promote sustainable development of cities.
In addition, the Chinese government also named eco-friendly provinces, cities and
counties.
Fourth, we should build a complete environmental protection legal system, clarify
the environmental responsibilities of the government, enterprises, and the public, and
establish a government governance system that is better aligned to China’s national
conditions.
Over the past 40 years, China successively revised and formulated basic laws such
as the Constitution, the General Principles of Civil Law, the Property Law, the Tort
Liability Law, and the Criminal Law. Some of these basic laws contain provisions
on environmental protection and sustainable resource management. For example,
the General Principles of Civil Law and the Property Law contain a wide-ranging
set of provisions on the ownership of natural resources and usufruct rights to natural
resources, the Tort Liability Law contains a special chapter on tort liability for damage
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responsible for coordinating across all relevant departments to ensure efficient implementation of environmental protection plans. Relevant departments were assigned
different responsibilities for environmental protection, and need to report regularly
at the meetings of the Environmental Protection Commission. This was where the
“yi gang liang ze” management approach originated.
In 1998, with the State Environmental Protection Administration established to
replace the Environmental Protection Commission of the State Council, the national
authority for environmental protection was upgraded to a higher level, but its power
for comprehensive coordination was weakened to some extent. Then, putting great
emphasis on environmental protection, the CPC Central Committee and the State
Council launched a high-level annual event, i.e. the Central Symposium on Population, Resources and Environment Work. The event was chaired by the General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and participants included ministers, provincial
party secretaries and governors, playing very important roles for some time.
We should continue with the environmental governance system that emphasizes
both incentives and restrictions and engage local governments in environmental
governance. With regard to restrictions, since 2006, the central government has been
carrying out supervision on the fulfillment of environmental protection responsibilities across the country primarily through mandatory energy conservation and
pollution reduction targets. After the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the central
government put forward the requirement that Party and government bodies should
share responsibilities for environmental protection and put in place the national environmental protection inspection system to oversee efforts to meet this requirement.
With regard to incentives, a typical example is the naming of national model cities
for environmental protection and eco-friendly provinces, cities and counties, the
former of which was proposed during the Ninth Five-Year Plan period (1996–2000).
In 1997, six cities including Zhangjiagang and Dalian were named national model
cities for environmental protection. Since then, nearly 100 cities have applied for
this title and efforts to win it boosted enthusiasm for environmental protection and
improved environmental protection capabilities and management of various cities.
It is a cost-efficient way to effectively promote sustainable development of cities.
In addition, the Chinese government also named eco-friendly provinces, cities and
counties.
Fourth, we should build a complete environmental protection legal system, clarify
the environmental responsibilities of the government, enterprises, and the public, and
establish a government governance system that is better aligned to China’s national
conditions.
Over the past 40 years, China successively revised and formulated basic laws such
as the Constitution, the General Principles of Civil Law, the Property Law, the Tort
Liability Law, and the Criminal Law. Some of these basic laws contain provisions
on environmental protection and sustainable resource management. For example,
the General Principles of Civil Law and the Property Law contain a wide-ranging
set of provisions on the ownership of natural resources and usufruct rights to natural
resources, the Tort Liability Law contains a special chapter on tort liability for damage