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H. Xu
population, economy, and environmental elements. Only by using the thinking and
tools of spatial governance and giving an insight into its spatial differentiation and
temporal dynamics can we effectively forestall environmental risks. Territorial space
planning in a new era will gradually morph into a complete, unified planning system,
or a comprehensive management system based on a spatial perspective that plays a
vital role in solving problems faced by the ecological environment and preventing
environmental risks. As a part of the ecological civilization system, it is of great
significance to advance China’s ecological civilization.
1 The Current Situation of Environmental Risk Prevention
With rapid economic development and accelerated urbanization process, China is
facing formidable environmental risks, with a large number of environmental emergencies and risks related to public health and ecological safety, which are posing a
major threat to the smooth progress of its national economy, healthy development
of society, and environmental protection. For one thing, environmental emergencies
frequently occur in China. Statistics show that, from 2010 to 2017, a total of 3,627
environmental emergencies happened—for instance, the incident of heavy metal
pollution from Zijin Mining Group in Fujian; the blood lead incident in Taizhou,
Zhejiang; the cadmium pollution incident along the Longjiang River in Guangxi;
and the tap water contamination incident in Lanzhou. Moreover, the explosion of
a hazardous chemical warehouse in Binhai New Area, Tianjin in 2015 is another
proof that China still faces frightful risks of frequent, sudden pollution incidents. For
another, regional and cumulative environmental risks are looming. In recent years,
thanks to increased public awareness of environmental protection and enhanced
enforcement and supervision of relevant laws, many pollution incidents have been
disclosed, such as the ones that took place in the Tengger Desert, the Qilihai wetland,
Tianjin, and the Qilian Mountains. These are a living proof that China is facing
tremendous risks when it comes to environmental protection, and can no longer ignore
regional and cumulative environmental problems resulted from blind development.
From the 13th Five-Year Plan period onwards, China will remain in a shift stage
in economic growth rate, a painful period of structural adjustment, and a phase of
industrialization, urbanization, continued utilization of natural resources, and social
transformation—a time of stalemate between social and economic development and
conservation of the increasingly complicated ecological environment.
Over the past decade, China has been improving its environmental risk prevention
and management system, and has made great efforts to assess environmental risks,
manage environmental emergency plans, and conduct environmental risk inspection
and classification in key industries. At the national level, environmental risk prevention has received particularly high attention, but it is generally managed in an eventdriven model with a big gap between the actual “need” of forestalling risks and the
effective “supply” of related policies and measures. It is very hard to use the current
environmental management system and measures to fully reduce the structural and
H. Xu
population, economy, and environmental elements. Only by using the thinking and
tools of spatial governance and giving an insight into its spatial differentiation and
temporal dynamics can we effectively forestall environmental risks. Territorial space
planning in a new era will gradually morph into a complete, unified planning system,
or a comprehensive management system based on a spatial perspective that plays a
vital role in solving problems faced by the ecological environment and preventing
environmental risks. As a part of the ecological civilization system, it is of great
significance to advance China’s ecological civilization.
1 The Current Situation of Environmental Risk Prevention
With rapid economic development and accelerated urbanization process, China is
facing formidable environmental risks, with a large number of environmental emergencies and risks related to public health and ecological safety, which are posing a
major threat to the smooth progress of its national economy, healthy development
of society, and environmental protection. For one thing, environmental emergencies
frequently occur in China. Statistics show that, from 2010 to 2017, a total of 3,627
environmental emergencies happened—for instance, the incident of heavy metal
pollution from Zijin Mining Group in Fujian; the blood lead incident in Taizhou,
Zhejiang; the cadmium pollution incident along the Longjiang River in Guangxi;
and the tap water contamination incident in Lanzhou. Moreover, the explosion of
a hazardous chemical warehouse in Binhai New Area, Tianjin in 2015 is another
proof that China still faces frightful risks of frequent, sudden pollution incidents. For
another, regional and cumulative environmental risks are looming. In recent years,
thanks to increased public awareness of environmental protection and enhanced
enforcement and supervision of relevant laws, many pollution incidents have been
disclosed, such as the ones that took place in the Tengger Desert, the Qilihai wetland,
Tianjin, and the Qilian Mountains. These are a living proof that China is facing
tremendous risks when it comes to environmental protection, and can no longer ignore
regional and cumulative environmental problems resulted from blind development.
From the 13th Five-Year Plan period onwards, China will remain in a shift stage
in economic growth rate, a painful period of structural adjustment, and a phase of
industrialization, urbanization, continued utilization of natural resources, and social
transformation—a time of stalemate between social and economic development and
conservation of the increasingly complicated ecological environment.
Over the past decade, China has been improving its environmental risk prevention
and management system, and has made great efforts to assess environmental risks,
manage environmental emergency plans, and conduct environmental risk inspection
and classification in key industries. At the national level, environmental risk prevention has received particularly high attention, but it is generally managed in an eventdriven model with a big gap between the actual “need” of forestalling risks and the
effective “supply” of related policies and measures. It is very hard to use the current
environmental management system and measures to fully reduce the structural and