The 2010 National Conference on Environmental Protection was held in Beijing on Jan. 25-26, 2010. Minister of Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) Zhou Shengxian attended the conference and delivered a speech with a theme on “Fighting a crucial battle and planning a new development to explore new path for environmental protection in China.” He called on departments concerned to integrate environmental protection into transformation of economic development pattern, strategic adjustment of economic structure and improvement of people’s well-being. He stressed the key tasks of addressing protruding environmental issues threatening public health and sustainable development, fully meeting the reduction target for the 11th Five-Year Plan, striving for promoting the environmental protection cause in exploring the new path for environmental protection as well as making greater contributions to building conservation culture and advancing harmonious and sustainable development of society and economy.
Zhou Shengxian identified the major tasks that MEP will devote to in the coming year. First, to seriously carry out the decisions and arrangements by Central authorities and seize the opportunities to promote the development of the environmental protection cause; second, to make persistent efforts and strive for greater achievements while hitting the emission reduction targets; third, to set stricter environmental conditions for accessing to industries and promote the change of development modes and economic restructuring; fourth, to adhere to the principle of protecting the environment for the people and focus on solving prominent environmental problems threatening public health such as heavy metal pollution; fifth, to introduce strict assessment and accountability systems and thoroughly promote pollution control in key river basins and regions; sixth, to implement the policy of providing financial rewards as incentives for pollution treatment and strengthen the environmental protection and ecological conservation in rural areas; seventh, to safeguard environmental security, and enhance the supervision on law enforcement and emergency response management; eighth, aiming at the main targets, do better in such fields as policies, laws, science and technology, monitoring, publicity and education as well as international cooperation; ninth, to make good use of the achievements made to promote the development of the 12th Five-Year Plan on environmental protection in every way.
