vi
Foreword I
In the early days of the People’s Republic of China, there was a lot of work to
be done. In the summer of 1950, after the catastrophic floods in Anhui and Henan,
Comrade Mao Zedong said, “We must strengthen flood control along the Huai River.”
After that, China began to carry out water conservancy projects such as flood control,
irrigation, river dredging, and construction of canals in a well-planned and step-bystep manner. As a systems thinker and visionary leader who always kept the people’s
interest in mind, Comrade Mao Zedong believed that the country should take radical
measures to eliminate flood risk, prioritize water conservancy, flood control and
drought relief, and support flood diversion projects along the Yangtze River, Jingjiang
River, Yellow River, and Haihe River. In 1956, Comrade Mao Zedong issued a call
for actions to increase the forest area in China. At the same time, he pointed out that
afforestation was not something that could be achieved overnight, and it may take
a long time to reach the forest growth goal. In June 1972, the Chinese government
sent a delegation to attend the first UN Conference on the Human Environment
in Stockholm, attracting worldwide attention. In 1973, the State Council convened
the first national environmental protection conference in China, and reviewed and
approved the Provisions on the Protection and Improvement of the Environment
(Draft), listing environmental protection as one of the functions of governments at
all levels. This conference is deemed as the first milestone in the People’s Republic
of China’s environment protection history.
After China adopted the reform and opening-up policy, environment protection
legalization in the country began to pick up the pace. Comrade Deng Xiaoping clearly
emphasized the need to strengthen the rule of law in the socialist society and concentrate efforts to formulate a number of important laws, including the Forest Law,
the Grassland Law, the Environmental Protection Law, and other laws on forestry,
forestation, and environment protection. In February 1979, the Sixth Session of the
Standing Committee of the Fifth National People’s Congress passed the Forest Law
of the People’s Republic of China (Trial Implementation) and set March 12 each
year as the Arbor Day; in September, the 11th meeting of the Standing Committee
of the Fifth National People’s Congress passed China’s first basic law on environmental protection—Environmental Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China
(Trial Implementation). In December 1981, the Fourth Session of the Fifth National
People’s Congress passed the Resolution on Carrying out the National Voluntary Tree
Planting Campaign, which stipulated that planting trees is an obligation of Chinese
citizens. In 1983, China held the second National Environmental Protection Conference, officially making environmental protection a basic national policy. After that,
China formulated and promulgated more environmental protection laws and regulations, including the Water Pollution Prevention and Control Law, the Air Pollution
Prevention and Control Law, and the Water Law. In December 1989, the Environmental Protection Law was formally promulgated and became the basic law of environmental protection in China. By the early 1990s, China had formed a relatively
complete environmental protection legal system.
The 1990s saw the rise in global awareness of sustainable development and environmental protection legislation in China entering a new stage. In June 1992, at the
UN Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de Janeiro, the UN
Foreword I
In the early days of the People’s Republic of China, there was a lot of work to
be done. In the summer of 1950, after the catastrophic floods in Anhui and Henan,
Comrade Mao Zedong said, “We must strengthen flood control along the Huai River.”
After that, China began to carry out water conservancy projects such as flood control,
irrigation, river dredging, and construction of canals in a well-planned and step-bystep manner. As a systems thinker and visionary leader who always kept the people’s
interest in mind, Comrade Mao Zedong believed that the country should take radical
measures to eliminate flood risk, prioritize water conservancy, flood control and
drought relief, and support flood diversion projects along the Yangtze River, Jingjiang
River, Yellow River, and Haihe River. In 1956, Comrade Mao Zedong issued a call
for actions to increase the forest area in China. At the same time, he pointed out that
afforestation was not something that could be achieved overnight, and it may take
a long time to reach the forest growth goal. In June 1972, the Chinese government
sent a delegation to attend the first UN Conference on the Human Environment
in Stockholm, attracting worldwide attention. In 1973, the State Council convened
the first national environmental protection conference in China, and reviewed and
approved the Provisions on the Protection and Improvement of the Environment
(Draft), listing environmental protection as one of the functions of governments at
all levels. This conference is deemed as the first milestone in the People’s Republic
of China’s environment protection history.
After China adopted the reform and opening-up policy, environment protection
legalization in the country began to pick up the pace. Comrade Deng Xiaoping clearly
emphasized the need to strengthen the rule of law in the socialist society and concentrate efforts to formulate a number of important laws, including the Forest Law,
the Grassland Law, the Environmental Protection Law, and other laws on forestry,
forestation, and environment protection. In February 1979, the Sixth Session of the
Standing Committee of the Fifth National People’s Congress passed the Forest Law
of the People’s Republic of China (Trial Implementation) and set March 12 each
year as the Arbor Day; in September, the 11th meeting of the Standing Committee
of the Fifth National People’s Congress passed China’s first basic law on environmental protection—Environmental Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China
(Trial Implementation). In December 1981, the Fourth Session of the Fifth National
People’s Congress passed the Resolution on Carrying out the National Voluntary Tree
Planting Campaign, which stipulated that planting trees is an obligation of Chinese
citizens. In 1983, China held the second National Environmental Protection Conference, officially making environmental protection a basic national policy. After that,
China formulated and promulgated more environmental protection laws and regulations, including the Water Pollution Prevention and Control Law, the Air Pollution
Prevention and Control Law, and the Water Law. In December 1989, the Environmental Protection Law was formally promulgated and became the basic law of environmental protection in China. By the early 1990s, China had formed a relatively
complete environmental protection legal system.
The 1990s saw the rise in global awareness of sustainable development and environmental protection legislation in China entering a new stage. In June 1992, at the
UN Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de Janeiro, the UN