Battling to be green

In his Government Work Report to the opening session of the National People's Congress earlier this month, Premier Li Keqiang said China would declare war on pollution with the same determination it has strived to reduce poverty over the past decades.

Welcome news indeed, since honoring the basic human right to well-being should not be defined only in economic terms, a commentary in People's Daily said on Tuesday.

Today, as China continues its efforts to eliminate economic poverty, people are living in ecological poverty and lack the healthy environment and natural resources that are essential for their survival and development. The population affected by the country's poor environment exceeds the size of the population affected by economic poverty, although there is some overlap between the two groups.

The residents who have to cut back their outdoor activities because of the unhealthy levels of smog, for instance, fall into this category. These people, estimated to account for up to one-third of the urban population, are not necessarily struggling with financial hardship, but they can be categorized as the urban underprivileged because their well-being is harmed by the air pollution.

The war on pollution-and it is not just air pollution that needs to be addressed-is therefore a battle of great significance for people's livelihoods. It should be, and must be, at the top of the government's agenda. It is an invisible war the country cannot afford to lose.

The public can take some comfort from the initiatives outlined in the Government Work Report, as they can see battle is being waged. For example, the government will start by reducing PM2.5 and PM10 emissions and take strong measures to prevent and control pollution with the focus on the metropolises and smog-prone regions.

A total of 50,000 small coal-fired furnaces will be shut down this year and cleaning technologies, including desulfurization, denitrification and dust removal, will be introduced at coal-burning power plants.

China's battle against poverty has contributed a great deal to the world's anti-poverty efforts over the last decades. Likewise, the country's war on pollution and its bold emissions reduction targets will be a gain not only for the country but also for the world's anti-pollution cause.

(China Daily 03/12/2014 page9)