The Report on China's Modernization 2007 said new ministries for the environment, energy resources and regional development should be set up to boost construction of a more environmentally-friendly country.

The advice is just one of ten proposals in the report for boosting ecologically-sustainable development in China by 2050. It was compiled by the China Center for Modernization Research and released on Saturday.

The experts who wrote the report said the government should shoulder most of the responsibility for protecting the environment because it concerns the whole of society.

The report proposed the new environment ministry be tasked with overseeing the climate, air and water quality, forestry, ecological protection and industrial pollution. It should also be responsible for creating a healthy living environment for everyone.

Under the report, the new ministry of energy resources would be responsible for balancing the need for national energy security with ecological protection. The new regional development administration would be responsible for ensuring all development is carried out in an environmentally-friendly manner in China's regions.

Experts previously advised the government to set up a ministry for energy resources in 2005 and an administration for regional development in 2004, but the proposals did not mention the environment.

The other proposals in the 2007 report include mapping ecological modernization in China, curbing new projects that create pollution, and continuing the work to reduce pollution and upgrade the technology in traditional industries. Forests should be afforded better protection and the construction work in urban and rural areas should be more environmentally-friendly. The government should develop sustainable industries and recycling, establish an environmental risk rating system and encourage more projects to protect the environment. Finally, it should create national strategies to ensure energy resources security and the safety of the environment.