China on Way of Eco-construction

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, November 06, 2002

China on Way of Eco-construction

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Cities on eco-models, agriculture eco-farming, decor eco-friendly products, TV atmospheric advances, eco-cost to RMB$580bn in recent five years, near US$ 400m from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) made China biggest recipient of eco-grants ... these are all in the way registering China's eco-advances in past five years:

But "food grain and vegetables had been what we cared in the 1950s, clothing and irrigation by the 1960s, water quality deteriorated in the 1970s, fish and shrimps made endangered species from the 1980s". This was the doggerel that had been widespread among people on the banks of the Huaihe River by the 1990s, pointing to a nationwide degenerated eco-system then plaguing China. In the face of such a deteriorated eco-environment, the third-generation leadership of the Chinese Communist Party with Comrade Jiang Zemin at the core rose to the call of the time directing China's eco-construction, making eco-construction and environment protection a basic national strategic policy backing up China's eco-construction and sustainable development.

So far, China has altogether issued 6 laws ruling on protection of environment, 13 decrees for keeping and protection of natural resources and 34 rules and regulations directing protection of eco-systems and environment protection. With these are also over 90 rules and regulations by central institutions and over 1020 rules and regulations by related local authoritative departments for environment protection and eco-construction in various places throughout China.

Water turns clear, sky made blue

The year 1995 saw China embarking on a battle harnessing the Huaihe River against pollution. Back in the 9th Five-year Plan years 1996-2000, in China there had been closed down over 84,000 enterprises for bringing pollution. Of 238,000 polluting industrial enterprises, over 90 percent have by their discharges measured up to national standards set by the state. When an 80 percent GDP growth was recorded in 2000, the total discharge of pollutants across China showed nearly a 50 percent less than 1995. Sulfur dioxide and smoke discharge had been 15-20 percent less than the 8th Five-year Plan years 1990-1995.

This had been all the more so of the country's major undertakings for straightening out eco-construction and environment protection problems in China. In sulfur dioxide and acid rain-control areas, 175 cities had worked out plans for a greatly cut and occurrences of acid rain. In Beijing, the work straightening out atmospheric problems has entered the 7th period and this has blessed people in the city with a year-on-year improved weather and more fine clear days in life. Protective measures for doing away with pollution in the Three Gorges Reservoir area are also included.

Indispensable is the full staying force of large investment made by the state. Time had reported a 0.7 percent GDP growth of investment by China during the 7th Five-year Plan years to a 0.8 percent in the 9th Five-year Plan years. The percentage had come to take a 1 percent GDP to 360 billion yuan. Over the years 1998 - 2002, China has made a 580 billion yuan input on environment protection and eco-construction, then 1.29 percent of China's GDP or 1.8 times over past 47 years' total input from 1950 to 1997.

Take care of both own and othersM

The said series of changes brought about, on top of great importance the Chinese government has attached to eco-construction and environment protection, are inseparable from an active part the Chinese government has played and international exchanges of environment diplomatic activities carried out. China has proposed for the launching of "China's Environment & Development International Cooperation Committee", a consulting body operating at the government level formed of 40-odd important figures and experts from home and abroad. Over the past decade and more years since its founding, the Committee has put forward many constructive ideas to the benefit of China, known to the world as a model for developing international cooperation.

China's eco-construction and environment protection are of no small consequence on the world people, world eco-construction and the Chinese land being a large country as it has been known by its size. Since the 1970s China has all along made a continuous effort taking part in international environment diplomatic activities and has played a constructive role in world eco-construction and environment protection.

October 16, the Global Environment Facility held its second session in Beijing, which had assembled over 1300 figures from various parts of the world.

As a fund setup for international environment protection, the Global Environment Facility has made the biggest investor helping various countries with efforts for world eco-construction. As a member state to GEF, China has all along kept a close cooperative relationship with it. China has been among those countries making contributions to GEF and has made incessant effort for a due role to be played by Global Environment Fund. By June 2002, with help from the Fund, China has preparations made, launched and completed over 50 projects helping the country's eco-construction. To date, China has obtained grants near US$4 billion, as the largest recipient of eco-grants from Global Environment Fund.

Besides, various civil environment protection organizations throughout the world, such as the World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF), the International Fund For Animal Welfare (IFAW) had developed cooperation with concerned Chinese departments and civil organizations and has had positive achievements made.

Do every bit helping eco-construction

From town to country in China there has been seen a general heightening of people's awareness for environment protection and eco-construction. Statistics released not long ago from a social survey conducted tell that 98 percent of people in China are concerned with the country's eco-construction and environment protection and most of them have taken an active part in activities for environment protection. According to the views of 48 respondents, the ordinary run of people will play the biggest role in China's eco-construction, a role that must be far greater than by governments, enterprises and non-government institutions at various levels in China.

Environment protection and eco-construction have obviously assumed greater momentum on a scale embracing the whole Chinese nation. With an increased number of people joining in, plastic bags have become rejects and an item of classified waste while cloth bags are voluntarily used. Grown to the Chinese land are green trees and grass by people of their own in order to get away with all outbreaks of sandstorms from the Chinese land as they have been made known. It is believed that every big effort made by every individual will help China draw closer to a wide happy "Green Eco-road" ahead.

By People's Daily Online

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