Battling to be green

In his Government Work Report to the opening session of the National People's Congress earlier this month, Premier Li Keqiang said China would declare war on pollution with the same determination it has strived to reduce poverty over the past decades.

Welcome news indeed, since honoring the basic human right to well-being should not be defined only in economic terms, a commentary in People's Daily said on Tuesday.

Today, as China continues its efforts to eliminate economic poverty, people are living in ecological poverty and lack the healthy environment and natural resources that are essential for their survival and development. The population affected by the country's poor environment exceeds the size of the population affected by economic poverty, although there is some overlap between the two groups.