Report notes environmental progress, outlines steps ahead

China will beef up policy support as it strives to improve environmental quality and forge ahead with its climate targets, according to this year's government work report.

Submitted to the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress for review on Saturday, the report noted "significant" environmental improvement in 2021 following efforts to strengthen protection and promote sustainable development.

"Thanks to further steps taken to prevent and control pollution, the discharge of major pollutants continued to fall and the average concentration of fine particulate matter dropped by 9.1 percent in cities at and above the prefecture level," it said.

The report highlighted the steps China has taken to respond to climate change in the past year, including installed capacity of renewable power exceeding one billion kilowatts, the unveiling of an action plan for peaking carbon emissions by 2030, and the launch of a carbon trading program.

The report vowed a series of measures to continue to improve the environment and promote green and low-carbon development.

"We will take coordinated steps to control atmospheric pollutants and treat them via coordination among regions," it said.

The government will improve policies that support environmental protection industries in conserving water and energy and recycling waste and used materials.

China will adopt a more region-specific approach to environmental management, launch greening programs in a well-considered manner, and coordinate the conservation of mountain, river, forest, farmland, lake, grassland and desert ecosystems, the report stated.

It also stressed the principle of "establishing the new before abolishing the old" during the transition of the country's energy system to low carbon status.

"We will work harder to make coal usage cleaner and more efficient, while reducing its use and replacing it with alternative energy sources in an ordered way," it said.

As China advances with construction of large-scale wind and photovoltaic power bases, it will boost the capacity of power grids to absorb electricity generated by renewable energy sources.

The report pledged to improve policy incentives for reducing pollution and carbon emissions and policy constraints on emissions, and promote faster development of green ways of working and living.