'Green' awareness levels drop in Beijing

The level of environmental awareness among Beijing residents has fallen for the third consecutive year, a new survey shows.

Despite the frequent environmental protection debates and scandals, especially over water and air quality, environmental awareness of Beijing residents - not only general knowledge of environment issues but participation in them - failed to grow last year, according to a survey by the education center under the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau released on Thursday.

Local residents' environmental awareness in 2012 was 71.6 points out of a possible 100, compared to 72.2 points in 2011, 74.2 points in 2010 and 75.9 points in 2009.