The Environment–Our Most Precious Asset

Chinas surging economic development has reduced its per capita arable land and fresh water to levels far lower than the world average. Meanwhile the countrys reliance on external strategic resources， such as oil and natural gas， is growing， and per unit GDP energy consumption is double the world average. The Chinese government has shown deep concern at the extent to which the eco-environment has been sacrificed to economic growth. Since taking office three years ago it has executed top-level design and carried out general deployments. Last May， the government released the Guidelines on Promoting Ecological Progress and its implementation. Several government departments spent two years on drafting this framework document. The document includes both the targets and procedures that will lead China along its path of sustainable development.

The document speaks throughout of “green hills and clear waters” and a “permanently blue sky， green hills and clear waters” as general requirements of socio-economic development， achieved through the fundamental approach of “green， cyclic and low-carbon development.” It moreover includes such indexes as resource consumption， environmental damage， and ecological benefits in a comprehensive assessment of socio-economic development， thus substantially strengthening these indicators.

The greenization production mode is integral to resolving the contradiction between environmental protection and economic development. It demands an accelerated closedown of outdated production capacities and the building of a high-tech， low resource consumption， non-pollutant industrial structure. It also entails encouraging new growth points， particularly the development of new-energy vehicles.

Meanwhile， there can be no slackening of nature conservation and ecosystem restoration. Returning farmland to forestry， grassland and wetland， natural forest protection projects， and restoration of mining sites are imperative. The government will also step up its comprehensive improvement of land and rivers.

The government has combined the green concept with legal construction， institutional improvements， and reforms to institutional mechanisms. Green development will be transposed into new comprehensive national strength and international competitive advantages. A strict system and stringent laws will specify and constrain levels of exploitation， utilization and protection of natural resources and the ecological environment， so guaranteeing ecological construction. The government will continue to promote rural environmental management； it will transform administrative fees into environmental protection taxes and set up an ecological compensation mechanism. To achieve cost and benefit sharing it will carry out transfer payments to key ecological areas， and expand the horizontal ecological compensation mechanism between the upstream and downstream watershed landscape. It will also promote energy conservation and emissions reduction through the market mechanism. Legislation on environmental protection tax is now in progress.endprint

The community has reached consensus on the importance of the ecological development concept of respect for， living in harmony with and protecting nature amid a healthy ecological environment. The document states that the government， enterprises and individuals are equally important builders of ecological progress. It is up to them to promote the green lifestyle and form an economical， low-carbon， healthy lifestyle and consumption model.

Since July 2014， 14 big cities， including Beijing， Shanghai， Guangzhou， and Shenzhen， have conducted experimental delimitations on urban development boundaries. So far， the experiment has been successful and proved a valuable source of experience. With resource and environmental bearing capacity as its basis， the experiment gives priority to conservation， optimizing the pattern of urban spatial development and interfacing with current planning. It is expected to spread such achievements to more than 600 cities nationwide， so enhancing the ecological benefits of urban construction.

In short， China will place top priority on environmental protection in the process of its reforms and development， and mobilize society as a whole to ensure our green ecological safety.endprint