Environmental Protection in China in the Past 70 Years
37
Stage II (1978–1992): environmental protection as a fundamental national policy
In December 1978, at the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh CPC Central
Committee, it was decided that China would launch its reform and opening-up and
shift its focus to economic development. Economic reform soon started from the rural
areas and then moved on to urban areas. Many labor-intensive industries, including
some of the most polluting industries, were relocated from Japan, South Korea, Hong
Kong and Taiwan to coastal areas of the Chinese mainland. This led to further environmental degradation and pollution increased with economic growth in many places
across the country.
At the Second National Conference on Environmental Protection in 1983, the
Chinese government framed environmental protection as a fundamental national
strategy and announced its general policy for environmental protection, calling for
simultaneous planning for economic development, urban and rural development, and
environmental protection, simultaneous implementation of relevant plans, and coordination of solutions to economic, social and environmental problems. Environmental
protection thus moved from a marginal position in state governance to a central position. China began to pay more attention to pollution control. The establishment of
environmental protection as a basic national strategy laid a solid foundation for the
government’s efforts to strengthen environmental protection. This was in line with
the concept of sustainable development put forward by the international community
in the late 1980s. It was also suitable for China’s realities.
The environmental policy and legislation system and environmental governance
system began to take shape. In 1979, the Environmental Protection Law (Trial), the
basic environmental law in China, was officially promulgated. Japan enacted its first
basic environmental law in 1967, Sweden in 1969, the United States in 1970, the
United Kingdom in 1974, and France in 1976. During this period, China’s pollution
control system began to take shape. The Chinese government issued eight polices
concerning environmental protection targets, quantitative assessment of urban environmental improvement, pollution permits, centralized pollution control, pollution
remediation, environmental impact assessment, the “three simultaneous” system, and
the collection of pollution charges. It also set up dedicated environmental management institutions. In 1982, the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development and Environmental Protection was established under the central government and there was
an environmental protection bureau under the ministry. In the 10 years before that, a
temporary agency, the National Environmental Protection Office, performed environmental governance duties. In 1988, the Environmental Protection Bureau was separated from the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development and Environmental Protection, and became a vice-ministerial level agency directly under the State Council
under the name “State Environmental Protection Administration.” This reform has
laid the foundation for dedicated environmental governance in China. Later, the
national environmental governance authority was changed to State Environmental
Protection Administration, Ministry of Environmental Protection, and Ministry of
Ecology and Environment successively.
37
Stage II (1978–1992): environmental protection as a fundamental national policy
In December 1978, at the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh CPC Central
Committee, it was decided that China would launch its reform and opening-up and
shift its focus to economic development. Economic reform soon started from the rural
areas and then moved on to urban areas. Many labor-intensive industries, including
some of the most polluting industries, were relocated from Japan, South Korea, Hong
Kong and Taiwan to coastal areas of the Chinese mainland. This led to further environmental degradation and pollution increased with economic growth in many places
across the country.
At the Second National Conference on Environmental Protection in 1983, the
Chinese government framed environmental protection as a fundamental national
strategy and announced its general policy for environmental protection, calling for
simultaneous planning for economic development, urban and rural development, and
environmental protection, simultaneous implementation of relevant plans, and coordination of solutions to economic, social and environmental problems. Environmental
protection thus moved from a marginal position in state governance to a central position. China began to pay more attention to pollution control. The establishment of
environmental protection as a basic national strategy laid a solid foundation for the
government’s efforts to strengthen environmental protection. This was in line with
the concept of sustainable development put forward by the international community
in the late 1980s. It was also suitable for China’s realities.
The environmental policy and legislation system and environmental governance
system began to take shape. In 1979, the Environmental Protection Law (Trial), the
basic environmental law in China, was officially promulgated. Japan enacted its first
basic environmental law in 1967, Sweden in 1969, the United States in 1970, the
United Kingdom in 1974, and France in 1976. During this period, China’s pollution
control system began to take shape. The Chinese government issued eight polices
concerning environmental protection targets, quantitative assessment of urban environmental improvement, pollution permits, centralized pollution control, pollution
remediation, environmental impact assessment, the “three simultaneous” system, and
the collection of pollution charges. It also set up dedicated environmental management institutions. In 1982, the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development and Environmental Protection was established under the central government and there was
an environmental protection bureau under the ministry. In the 10 years before that, a
temporary agency, the National Environmental Protection Office, performed environmental governance duties. In 1988, the Environmental Protection Bureau was separated from the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development and Environmental Protection, and became a vice-ministerial level agency directly under the State Council
under the name “State Environmental Protection Administration.” This reform has
laid the foundation for dedicated environmental governance in China. Later, the
national environmental governance authority was changed to State Environmental
Protection Administration, Ministry of Environmental Protection, and Ministry of
Ecology and Environment successively.