Environment accountability

A man wears a face mask while walking on the Bund in front of the financial district of Pudong during a hazy day in downtown Shanghai in this December 6, 2013. [Photo/Agencies]

Chinese officials will be held responsible over their lifetime for the damage caused to environment during their terms in office, a central leading group in charge of the country's overall reforms said at a recent meeting.

Officials responsible for ecological damage will be held accountable whether they have moved to other posts, been promoted, or retired, it vowed.

The establishment of such a lifelong accountability system for the environment is indeed necessary, given that few officials have been directly punished for the environmental destruction their decisions caused under the pretext of economic development over the past decades.

Under the GDP-prioritized development model, some officials have pursued fast development at the price of the land, water and other natural resources. For better-looking political performances, some officials have also chosen to launch some image-building projects while ignoring their negative effects on the local environment, some of which have proved disastrous to the local ecosystems.

Some environmentally destructive activities are done knowingly and some because of a lack of awareness about the need to protect the environment. Officials transferred to other posts or promoted with environmental damages left behind has also, even if unconsciously, encouraged their successors to follow suit.

Only the establishment of a lifelong accountability system will help nurture a lasting sense of responsibility among officials.

The introduction of such a system will send a message that any officials cannot turn a blind eye to environmental issues.

Although concrete details have not yet been worked out, the latest decision is encouraging and should be welcomed. Its implementation will help prompt officials to change their established GDP-oriented performance outlook, cultivate their environmental awareness and increase efforts for environmental protection.

The above is an abridgement of a China Youth Daily article published on Friday.