Environmental Protection
and Sustainable Development in China:
Review and Outlook
Yi Wang
Environmental protection in China formally started 40 years ago in the 1970s. On the
one hand, China has made remarkable strides in both development and environmental
protection; on the other hand, it is still under tremendous environmental pressure.
The country still has a long way to go before it can truly achieve green, low-carbon
and sustainable development. Domestic and international environment has changed
and China has much more to do to continuously promote the development of an
ecological civilization and home and abroad while maintaining high-quality social
and economic development.
It is important to be aware that environmental protection has entered a new stage in
China. First, as the income of Chinese citizens increases and the Chinese economy
transitions to a new normal, environmental awareness grows steadily and a new
technological revolution that drives green, smart, and inclusive growth is brewing
in China. These tremendous socioeconomic changes have laid the foundation for
the transformation of the relationship between the environment and development.
Second, after the Five-Sphere Integrated Plan was proposed in the report to the 18th
National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), ecological civilization
development in China entered the stage of top-level design and systematic advancement. With the introduction and implementation of a series of reform programs and
relevant policies, the pattern of green transformation and development started to take
shape. In any case, establishing a sound environmental governance system and laying
the institutional foundation for China’s efforts to promote green transformation and
development, solve major resource and environmental problems, and realize good
coordination between the government, enterprises, and social forces for governance
will be key to the development of ecological civilization and to China’s economic
and social development for a considerable period of time in the future.
Y. Wang (B)
Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, Beijing, China
Science and Technology Strategy Consulting Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing,
China
© China Environment Publishing Group Co., Ltd. 2021
J. Pan et al. (eds.), Beautiful China: 70 Years Since 1949 and 70 People’s Views
on Eco-civilization Construction, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-6742-5_5
57
and Sustainable Development in China:
Review and Outlook
Yi Wang
Environmental protection in China formally started 40 years ago in the 1970s. On the
one hand, China has made remarkable strides in both development and environmental
protection; on the other hand, it is still under tremendous environmental pressure.
The country still has a long way to go before it can truly achieve green, low-carbon
and sustainable development. Domestic and international environment has changed
and China has much more to do to continuously promote the development of an
ecological civilization and home and abroad while maintaining high-quality social
and economic development.
It is important to be aware that environmental protection has entered a new stage in
China. First, as the income of Chinese citizens increases and the Chinese economy
transitions to a new normal, environmental awareness grows steadily and a new
technological revolution that drives green, smart, and inclusive growth is brewing
in China. These tremendous socioeconomic changes have laid the foundation for
the transformation of the relationship between the environment and development.
Second, after the Five-Sphere Integrated Plan was proposed in the report to the 18th
National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), ecological civilization
development in China entered the stage of top-level design and systematic advancement. With the introduction and implementation of a series of reform programs and
relevant policies, the pattern of green transformation and development started to take
shape. In any case, establishing a sound environmental governance system and laying
the institutional foundation for China’s efforts to promote green transformation and
development, solve major resource and environmental problems, and realize good
coordination between the government, enterprises, and social forces for governance
will be key to the development of ecological civilization and to China’s economic
and social development for a considerable period of time in the future.
Y. Wang (B)
Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, Beijing, China
Science and Technology Strategy Consulting Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing,
China
© China Environment Publishing Group Co., Ltd. 2021
J. Pan et al. (eds.), Beautiful China: 70 Years Since 1949 and 70 People’s Views
on Eco-civilization Construction, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-6742-5_5
57