The China story: Winds of change for China's environment protection

Thirty years have passed in the history of China's environmental protection management, from the first national environmental protection conference in 1973 to the elevation of the Ministry of Environmental Protection(MEP)from an administration in 2008, putting it among the major 27 ministries and commissions in the Cabinet.

This change in status of the environmental agency within the government structure has reflected the heightened concerns attached by central leadership on the "green drive" at a time when China is facing a deteriorating environment arising from an unsustainable economic development mode.

The past three decades was marked by rapid economic growth and development at the expense of the environment. The rapid deterioration of the nation's environment and the depletion of its natural resources are threatening the health of millions of people and posing a serious threat to the sustainability of economic growth.