Safeguarding environment
 Updated: 2004-05-10 08:38

Local governments must fulfil their responsibility to protect the environment while developing economy, according to an article in the Legal Daily. An excerpt follows:

According to a recent report, Yangqiao village of Yancheng, a city in East China's Jiangsu Province, finally traced the source of unusually high cancer rates in the village to pollution from neighbouring pesticide and chemical factories.

It is not the first such case. Guangfeng village of Wuxi, a city in the same province, and Chengmai County in South China's Hainan Province both witnessed sharp increases in cancer cases after chemical factories were established in the area.

One of the most important lessons drawn from the experiences of developed countries is that the environment is a frequent victim to economic growth. We should have been aware of its harmful aftermath.

However, some local officials are still ardent about establishing polluting factories in their effort to pursue instant economic return and beef up their own performance evaluation. Meanwhile, the villages suffering from pollution are irreparably injured by such practices.

Admittedly, some industries cause damage to the environment or people living around them because of their unique characteristics. This may be an inevitable price of industrialization.

But governments at all levels, as representatives of the public interest, must consider local development in the long term, maintaining a balanced growth between the economy and the environment.

They should keep a close watch on projects that are potentially harmful to local health and environment and make an overall plan about these projects.

The governments should impose scientific evaluation, strict supervision and regular check-ups on the environmental impact of these projects. They should also try to limit pollution by introducing environmental standards.

The Third Plenum of the 16th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China stressed the idea of maintaining a balanced development between the economy and society and between humans and nature. It is a signal of China's policy shift from only targeting economic progress to maintaining a harmonious balance between economy and society.

We hope this can be the aim of all levels of governments in evaluating their officials. Governments should seize the opportunity to strike a harmony between environmental protection and economic growth.

(China Daily)

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