IX. Environmental Science and Technology, Industry and Public
Participation
China attaches great importance to and consistently seeks to enhance the
support capability of science and technology for environmental protection,
actively promotes the industrialization of environmental protection, and has
adopted various measures to encourage public participation in this regard.
-- Environmental protection scientific research. During the Tenth Five-Year
Plan period, the State has organized and conducted the national key "water
pollution control technology and treatment project," carried out research and
development of such model programs as lake pollution control and ecological
recovery, quality improvement of urban water environment, drinking water
security safeguard and newly developed waste-water treatment project, thus
providing practical technological plans and supportive technological systems for
water pollution prevention and control. A batch of environmental monitoring
technologies and equipment has been developed, and many applied. The research
and development of such pilot programs as motor-vehicle emission purification,
desulphurization of gas discharged by coal-fueled boilers, disposal of solid
wastes, clean production of key sectors and other key technologies have been
conducted, and a group of high and new technologies and equipment have been
developed with independent intellectual property rights. The "research on
countermeasures against significant environmental issues and relevant key
supportive technologies" has been listed in the State's key scientific and
technological plans; research is under way regarding environmental protection
strategy and technological policy, the theory of cyclical economy and ecological
industrial technology, chemicals control technology, and polluted site recovery
technology, and a green GDP accounting framework has roughly taken shape. The
government has carried out research on comprehensive ecological system
assessment, ecological functional zoning, and the recovery and reconstruction of
the frail ecological zones in the western part of the country, thus shaping up a
variety of treatment technology patterns and a mechanism for large-scale
demonstration and popularization in those zones. The country has also completed
its survey of alien invasive species, and set up a biodiversity database. It has
formulated the State Environment and Health Action Plan, and conducted surveys
on environment and health in key areas. It has actively conducted research on
global environmental changes, and worked out the State Assessment Report on
Climate Changes, which provides a scientific basis for the State to formulate
policies to cope with global environmental changes and participate in the
negotiation on relevant international conventions.
-- Environmental
protection industry. After years of practice, China has formed an industrial
system of environmental protection with a basically complete category and
certain economic scale, and made considerable progress in the production of
environmentally-friendly products and related services, as well as comprehensive
utilization of resources and clean technology products. By the end of 2004,
China had 11,623 enterprises, each with an annual sales income of more than 2
million yuan, from the environmental protection industry, employing a total of
1.595 million workers. The entire industry generated 457.21 billion yuan in
revenue and 39.39 billion yuan in profits.
-- Public participation. The Chinese government has endeavored to boost
public participation in environmental protection. The Environmental Impact
Assessment Law requires public participation in the work, and demands appraisal
meetings or hearings be held or other forms be taken for any plan or
construction project that may cause an unfavorable impact on the environment to
collect the opinions of the relevant authorities, experts and the public on the
EIA report. In February 2006, the environmental authorities released the
Provisional Measures for Public Participation in Environmental Impact
Assessment, which clearly stipulates the scope, procedure and form of
organization regarding public participation. Non-governmental organizations and
volunteers are an important force in public participation. There are now more
than 1,000 such organizations in China.
-- Publicity and education. To
strengthen the publicity and education of environmental protection, the State
has formulated the National Action Program for Environmental Publicity and
Education (1996-2010) and the 2001-2005 National Program for Environmental
Publicity and Education Work. The Fourth Five-Year Plan of Legislation
Publicity, commencing in 2001, has made the publicity and education concerning
laws and regulations on environmental protection a major part of the national
legislation publicity and education drive, and included the publicity of those
laws and regulations in the annual legislation publicity plan. Every June 5,
World Environment Day, various activities are held across the country,
publicizing protection of the environment. Neighborhoods, schools and families
are encouraged to make themselves environmentally-friendly. So far, the drive
has gathered the support of 2,348 neighborhoods and 25,000 primary and middle
schools, secondary vocational schools and kindergartens, and 100 model families
have been elected. Special programs tailored for young boys and girls, such as
"Mother River Protection Operation," "Green Promise," "Environmental Action
Every Day" and "Ecological Monitor," are launched to give them moral education
in eco-environment and make them more aware of the importance of environmental
protection. The Green China Forum and the China Environment Culture Festival and
other similar activities are held to provide knowledge about the environment to
the public and guide their discussions and participation in building a green
home.
-- Making information on the environment known to the public. By
the end of 2005, all cities at the prefecture level or above had realized
automatic monitoring and daily report of air quality. The quality of water is
monitored in key river valleys, and monthly reports of the water quality in ten
major river valleys and weekly reports of automatic monitoring results are
released. Monitoring of the water quality of the eastern section of the
South-North Water Diversion Project is conducted regularly. The 113 cities under
special environmental protection are now making monthly reports of the quality
of the source of centralized drinking water supply. A system of quarterly
analysis of environmental quality has been put in place to timely release
relevant information. Regular or occasional news conferences are held by
governments and environmental authorities at various levels to report on
environmental conditions, major policies and measures, unexpected incidents and
violation of laws and regulations as a way to guarantee the public's right to
information on environmental protection and promote their participation in the
work.
-- Protection of the environmental rights of the public. By the end
of 2005, the four municipalities directly under the Central Government, 312
prefecture-level cities, 374 county-level cities and 677 counties had opened
hotlines for environmental pollution reports, covering 69.4 percent of the
administrative divisions above the county level. Since 2003, the environmental
authorities at various levels have received 1.148 million complaints on
environmental pollution through the hotlines, 97 percent of which have been
dealt with, and 80 percent of the people making such complaints in major cities
are satisfied with the results. Along with the public's increasing awareness of
the importance of protecting the environment and demand for a better
environment, the number of complaints lodged by letter or interview about
infringements on the people's environment-related rights keeps increasing. From
2001 to 2005, the environmental authorities across the country received more
than 2.53 million letters, 430,000 visits by 597,000 petitioners, accepted and
handled 673 proposals from NPC deputies and 521 motions from members of the
CPPCC National Committee.
