Editorials
Fight against pollution
(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-01-29 07:54
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Compared with the economic growth target China sets every year or in its Five-Year Plan, its green goals of pollution control or energy efficiency have long proved much harder to achieve during most of the past three decades.
However, while the Chinese economy managed to beat its growth target by expanding 8.7 percent in a very difficult year, the country realized its sulfur-dioxide reduction goal for the 11th Five-Year Plan period (2006-10) by the end of last year, one full year ahead of schedule.
It was part of a goal set for 2006 that the Chinese government laid out to cut emissions of major pollutants, sulfur dioxide and chemical oxygen demand (COD) by 10 percent by this year.
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This is a happy surprise. It shows that economic growth and environmental protection can indeed advance together in China.
Many years of rapid economic expansion with heavy environmental costs have pointed questions at China's pursuit of sustainable development and whether it is viable given its accelerated course of urbanization and industrialization.
The initial success in cutting a major pollutant may still be not enough to end all skepticism about the country's green goals. But it does open up possibilities for the country to progress along a greener development path.
To reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide, China shut down more than 1,000 small coal mines in 2009. Such efforts should not only be strengthened but be expanded to help reduce other pollutants.
But what is more encouraging than the immediate efforts to further raise the target of pollution reduction for this year is the sober attitude of Chinese policymakers over the country's still grave environmental situation.
At an executive meeting of the State Council held on Wednesday, top Chinese policymakers urged enterprises and governments at all levels to continue stepping up efforts in pollution and emissions control.
Rapid economic growth was once deemed as the most important thing for improving the living standards of Chinese people. Yet, as China's per capita GDP (gross domestic product) keeps growing after breaching the threshold of $3,000, people's demand for cleaner growth and better environment increases more than ever.
The country's fight against pollution is far from over and should only be intensified as much as possible.
(China Daily 01/29/2010 page8)
