1.Environmental Protection in China
As China accelerated its pace of reform and opening-up in recent years, there have been a considerable increase in the overall national strength, which has promoted development of environmental protection. As a result of a series of effective environmental protection measures taken by the economy (11.8% average growth rate in GNP last year). The discharge volume of industrial waste water per ten thou sand RMB Yuan of industrial output value and the amount of generated solid waste have both been on the decrease. In 1991, the purification rate for waste gas gene rated during production was 64.7%, 2.7% higher than the previous year; the processing rate of industrial waste water was 63.5%, with the rate of standardized discharge remaining the same as the previous year; and the integrated utilization of solid industrial waste reached 220 million tons, a 29.9% increase over 1990. Initial results have been achieved in the comprehensive control and management of the environment in cities. In some major cities, while the coal consumption has increased considerably, the dust in the atmosphere has markedly decreased and the amount of floating particles was reduced. There has been improvement in the water in some cities, and the water quality of major streams and rivers is basically fine, A forestation in plains and coastal areas have improved fairly rapidly. Through the shelter-belt network project in northern, northeastern and northwestern China, 1.01 million hectares of forest was planted in 1991,bringing the total to 9.4 million hectares and forming a "5000 kilometer green great wall". In 1991,5.67 million hectares of land was affronted, 0.14 the country reached 13.63%. There has been considerable growth in green areas in cities. In 1991, the average public green area per person in cities in the country was 4.1m2,and the green coverage in central city areas was 20.1%, The number of natural preserves in China reached 708 in 1991,covering a total area of 56 million hectares, and natural land preserves covered 5.6% of the total territory of the country.
While speeding up economic development, with environmental protection as a basic state policy, China engages in simultaneous planning, implementation and development of economic development, implements a strategic policy of unified economic, social and environmental benefits, incorporates environmental protection into the development plan for the national economy and social development and long-term planning, three major environmental protection policies strengthening environmental management, putting prevention first and making the polluting party responsible for bringing a polluted area under control and the developing party responsible for protection. The 8th National People's Congress set up an environmental commas on and issued timely laws and regulations concerning environmental protection ha s been established and improved at the central and local government level and an environmental protection management network covering the central government through the provinces, municipalities and counties is taking shape. The enforcement of supervision and control by law, to a certain extent, has compensated for the shortage in funds. A system has also been formulated for environmental research and monitoring. For the environmental protection industry nationwide, there are more than 160 environmental research institutes and 2,269 environmental monitoring stations in provinces, cities and counties. The formal establishment of the national environment monitoring network, including monitoring stations set up the relevant ministries under the State Council in 1993, has fortified the environmental monitoring system.
Active working for cooperation and exchanges in international environmental protection, CCICED was founded in Beijing, April, 1992. Premier leaping led the Chinese d elevation participating in the UN Conference on environment and Development in June, 1992, and took the lead in signing the two international conventions on behalf of the Chinese government. Not long after the UN Conference on Environment and Development, the Central Committee of the "Report on the Participation at the UN C conference on Environment and Development and the Related Policies" submitted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Environmental Protection Agency. Environmental protection with Chinese characteristics has been gradually formulated in China.
Ⅱ.Environment
Although progress has been made in environmental protection in China and experience has still deteriorating; the task of pollution control is tedious and short of funds; the energy structure with coal as the mainstay cannot be changed easily; resources are wasted as a result of irrational pricing; and science and technology in China is still backward, forming a bleak picture. New environmental problem s have appeared with the acceleration of economic development:
—How can we appropriately adjust the relationship between the environment and development while speeding up the pace of economic development?
—How can we learn from the experience of advanced countries to "rely on the market for economic development and on the government for environmental control" and how can we change the function of the government from administrative interference to planning, guiding, coordinating and providing services?
—How can we apply the law of value and the relationship between supply and demand to optimize resource allocation and how can we promote environmental protection by economic and legal means?
—Some policies and measures generated on the basis of a planned economy need to be adjusted. The national economy is, to a certain extent, still in a stage of extensive development characterized by large investment and high consumption lot of resources are wasted and the cost for control is high.
—With the rapid development of the economy, there is a sharp increase in the demand for resources and a growing pressure on the environment while the capital needed and control means for improving the environment lag far behind. Generally speaking, our pollution prevention ability and control still lags behind the growth of pollution.
—Though the number of township enterprises is increasing rapidly, there are not yet strict an deflective methods and measures to control the pollution caused by them. The ecological deterioration is still spreading throughout the country.
—Work in science and technology needs to be further strengthened. Owing to the relative backwardness of science and technology in China and the overall level of industrial technology, energy consumption and material consumption are too high in industrial production. The pollution's too heavy, efficiency to low, and the task of technical upgrading for old enterprises too great. The technologies for pollution control and environmental purification needs to be updated.
Ⅲ.The Objectives and Measures of China's Environmental Protection Plan by up to Year 2000
Consistent with social and economic devilment, China's objectives in the environ mental protection plan up to the year 2000 are: basically bringing under control environmental pollution; improving the quality of the environment in major cities; slowing down the deterioration of the ecology; gradually achieving coordinated development of the environment and the economy and society; and laying a foundation for achieving and maintaining abode cycle ecosystem in China and bringing to life the of distant vista of clean, beautiful and quiet cities. This objective is not high enough and still lags behind the requirements of the people in terms of the quality of the environment. However, around 200 billion RMB yuan will have to be invested in pollution control alone in order to achieve the above-mentioned goal. It would be economically unfeasible if the objectives were higher. To realize the planned objectives in environmental protection by the year 2000 will firs t of all require constant adherence to and improvement of the comprehensive policies and measures in force already and improve all aspects of environmental management. We will also need to stipulate and implement a series of necessary technical and economic policies conducive to coordinated development of the economy and the environment. We will solve environmental problems in the process of development.
For a long time to come, we will conscientiously carry out and adopt 10 stipulate d policies and measures. These are: following a strategy of sustainable development; adopting effective measures to prevent industrial pollution; attaining comprehensive control of urban environments and bringing under control the "four hazards" in cities; increasing the effectiveness of energy utilization and improving the energy structure; popularizing Eco-agriculture, continuing to plant trees and conscientiously strengthening the protection of biodiversity; enthusiastically promoting the advancement of science and technology and improving research in environmental sciences, and actively developing the environmental protection industry; protecting the environment through economic means; strengthening environmental education and continuously raising the environmental awareness of the country with reference to the gist of the UN Conference on Environment and Development, which, after overbalancing ,will be incorporated into the last three years of the Eight Five-Year Plan period and appendices of the Ninth Five-Year Plan.
The main thrust of environmental protection in China in 1993 is to continued emendation of the 10 policies of the UN Conference on Environment and Development; work to insure proper implementation of the stipulated guidelines, policies, laws and regulations. standards and systems; and promote coordinated development of the environment and the economy, all while keeping economic development at the core of all endeavors. The following are the major tasks: implement the 10 policies and participate in the comprehensive decision-making; move toward comprehensive control of urban environments and strengthen monitoring to meet fixed limits; adopt effective measures to prevent industrial pollution; strengthen enforcement of environmental laws and supervision and management; work to protect the environment through economic means; conduct research for clean production and accelerate the pace of transferring scientific and technological achievements into pollution-prevention capability; stipulate deadlines and actively develop the environmental protection industry; adopt various forms of publicity and education; carry out institutional restructuring and provide training for the staffs; improve the work in natural preserves; continue research in international environmental protection and cooperate in work in the environment and development, and introduce funds and technologies from abroad through various channels.
The next 10 years will be a critical period in working to reach China's strategic goal of modernization, and in elevation environmental protection onto a new level. Catering to both immediate and long-term interests, regional and overall interests achieving coordinated and sustainable development of both the environment and the economy will directly affect the realization of China's objectives is the modernization drive.