An energy-saving car exhibitde in shanghai. by Jiang Zhenxiong/CFP

“We cannot ignore what is outside our doors,” said Premier Wen Jiabao as he spoke at the opening ceremony of the Sixth National Environmental Protection Conference on April 17, 2006. “Outside, there is a heavy dust fall that has been hovering over the city for more than 10 days. Though climate is a factor, it is also reflective of our environmental affliction.”

More than 110,000 delegates in attendance at the main conference and at another 2,300 venues throughout the nation no doubt understood his expressed concern.

The night before the opening day of the meeting, a heavy dust fell, perhaps the widest such coverage since 2003 swept over China’s north. In the loess-colored city, the air was full of fine grains of sands, and the ground, houses, cars and trees were covered with yellowish dust.

Premier Wen continued to explain that in the last five years China had achieved most of its economic development targets, but failed to fulfill its environmental protection targets, mainly in two aspects: Volume of sulfur dioxide discharge and chemical oxygen demand (COD). In 2005, the discharge volume of sulfur dioxide was up 27 percent from 2000, and the COD only decreased 2 percent over the same period. The targets set were to cut each by 10 percent.

Non-governmental Organizations and volunteers are important elements in mass environmental protection campaigns. At present, the nation has more than 1,000 non-governmental environmental organizations.  by imaginechina

Sulfur dioxide, the major cause of air pollution, is particularly responsible for the acid rain. COD is defined as the quantity of a specified oxidant that reacts with a sample under controlled conditions. The quantity of oxidant consumed is expressed in terms of its oxygen equivalence in one litre of water. The greater the numerical value of COD, the heavier the extent of pollution in the water body.

Acid rain was first detected in the late 1970s in China. Since then China’s economy has undergone rapid and continuous growth. During the process, many environmental problems that have haunted developed countries in different phases of their 100-year-long industrialization have occurred in China simultaneously. These are: Air pollution, water environment pollution, garbage treatment, desertification, sand intrusion, soil erosion, droughts, floods and an affected biodiversity. Among these, air pollution proved to be the most critical. In 2005, China discharged a total of 25.49 million tons of sulfur dioxide, more than any other nation in the world.

The problem has long been a concern of government leaders as well as ordinary citizens. To effectively curb the continuous degeneration of the environment, the Chinese government has designated the issue a priority. From 1996 to 2004, the funds invested in combating pollution control hit 952.27 billion yuan, a sum equal to one percent of the GDP over the same period.

An energy-saving model house exhibited at a housing industry fair in Beijing in 2006.  by Chinafotopress

And an extensive array of laws concerning protection of the environment and conservation of nature have been established. These include prevention and control of water pollution, protection of the marine environment, prevention and control of air pollution, prevention and control of noise pollution, prevention and control of solid waste pollution, evaluation of environmental impact, and prevention and control of radioactive pollution, as well as laws closely related to environmental protection, such as those on water, clean production, renewable energy, agriculture, grassland and animal husbandry. By the end of 2005, more than 800 national environmental protection standards, and more than 30 local environmental protection standards had been put in place. For three consecutive years, the nation has launched special environmental protection campaigns to rectify enterprises that have discharged pollutants in violation of the law. It has dealt with more than 75,000 environmental law violation cases, and closed down 16,000 enterprises for discharging pollutants in violation of the law. More than 10,000 warnings have been issued to environment polluters, obliging them to remedy the problems under government supervision.

Strategies in terms of prevention and control of industrial pollution are undergoing a major change. They are changing from controlling the end result of pollution to controlling the source and the entire process. Measures include control of point sources to comprehensive control of river valleys and entire regions, and from simply addressing the pollution of an enterprise to adjusting the industrial structure, promoting clean production and developing a cyclical economy. Compared to 1995, in 2004 the volume of industrial waste water, industrial COD, industrial sulfur dioxide, industrial smoke and industrial dust discharged in generating one unit of GDP dropped by 58 percent, 72 percent, 42 percent, 55 percent and 39 percent, respectively. And energy consumption per 10,000 yuan-worth of GDP in 2004 declined by 45 percent from 1990, saving 700 million tons of standard coal in total.

The first pilot cyclical economy program is underway at 82 enterprises in key industries, fields and industrial parks throughout the nation. To establish a recycling system of renewable resources, a pilot scenario is being implemented in 24 cities, including Beijing and Shanghai. Six provinces and some 150 cities and counties are actively being developed into ecological models.

A glimpse of XiamenCity, one of the national environmental protection models in China. From 1997 to December 2005, 56 cities and four urban districts in China have won the title.  by Chinafotopress A model poses in a peach garden in Anhui Province. by Li Bin/CFP children use materials like newspaper, plastic bags and other discarded matertials to create clothing for ecothemed fashion shows. by Wu Huang/CFP

Measures undertaken by Beijing to control air pollution since 1998 include tighter controls of motor vehicle emissions. More than 300,000 old or dilapidated motor vehicles were removed and 2,800 public buses burning natural gas were introduced. In 2005, the national emission standard for the third phase (equivalent to the European Standard III) was adopted ahead of schedule. The city has enhanced its management and control over construction sites. Work supervising and checking road cleaning and dust control has been emphasized. More than 100 polluting enterprises were closed or forced to move. Through active and positive measures, the number of days per year that meets or above the Grade II Air Environment Quality Standard increased to 234 in 2005 from 100 in 1998. With the decline of the density of pollutants in the air, the air quality has distinctively improved.

By the end of 2004, the urban sewage treatment rate had reached 46 percent, domestic garbage innocuous disposal 46 percent, and clean energies had been used in 40 percent of the urban districts. At present, more than 100 cities (districts) are building themselves into environmental-protection models, among which 56 cities and five districts in municipalities directly under the Central Government have succeeded in meeting the required standards. These model cities enjoy 80 percent of the total number of days a year with air quality reaching or above Grade II. In the model cities sewage treatment rate is higher than 70 percent, the rate of innocuous disposal of house refuse is higher than 80 percent, and greenery coverage rate is higher than 35 percent.

In recent years, China has completed more than 800,000 rural drinking water projects, solving difficulties and insecurity in this regard for 67 million rural residents. Now there are more than 500 ecological agriculture demonstration cities and counties, and 43 national-level organic food production bases.

During the Tenth Five-Year Plan period, the government spent 3.5 billion yuan to popularize new ecological energies with marsh gas as the pivot. By the end of 2005, there were more than 17 million households using methane, and 137,000 methane pits for purifying domestic sewage and over 500 stalk-gas projects have been built. Meanwhile, the government has actively promoted the use of renewable solar, wind and geothermal energy sources.

Facing mounting pressure on resources and the environment, the Chinese government called for quickening the pace of building a resource-efficient, environmentally-friendly society, and promoting the harmonious development of man and nature. In the 11th Five-Year Program for Economic and Social Development (2006-2010), China has clearly set forth its main goals for environmental protection for the next five years: By 2010, while the national economy will maintain a relatively stable and fast growth, the environmental quality of key regions and cities will be improved, and the trend toward ecological deterioration will be brought under control. Energy consumption per unit of GDP will decline by 20 percent compared with the end of the Tenth Five-Year Plan period. The total amount of major pollutants discharged will be reduced by 10 percent, and forest coverage will be raised from 18.2 percent to 20 percent.

To better achieve these goals, the government is putting into effect many measures, for instance, establishing a new assessment system which will include examination of energy-saving and achievement of consumption-cutting targets.

Awareness among the population of environmental protection is rising. Water and electricity saving is conducted in many households. Garbage is classified and used batteries were collected in many communities. Shoppers have begun to use reusable cloth bags instead of plastic. Though owning a car still symbolizes wealth and position, many prefer commuting by bicycle, or simply on foot. “Saving” and “green” have merged to become a new trend in China.