With the approval of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, China Environment News announced the top ten environmental news stories in China and internationally in 2009 at a press release in Beijing on January 15. Zhang Huixi, Vice Chairman of CPPCC and Pan Yue, Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection, attended the news conference. In his speech, Pan Yue pointed out that China’s responses to the financial crisis and climate change represent important opportunities to speed up the development of an ecological society. Environmental protection departments should undertake the historical mission to speed up the strategic adjustment of the economic structure and the transformation of development modes, making contribution to the implementation of the Scientific Outlook of Development and promote the construction of ecological society .
The top ten domestic environmental news stories of 2009 are: President Hu Jintao put forward the four opinions in response to climate change and China announced its emission reduction targets; the total discharge of the main pollutants dropped, and targets for the reduction of sulfur dioxide emissions may be attained in advance; Li Keqiang emphasized that environmental protection is one of the major issues concerning the livelihood of the people, and the MEP launched a report hotline for environmental protection; the Circular Economy Promotion Law of the People’s Republic of China came into effect and the development of green low-carbon industries started to become a major trend; central government environmental protection funds of RMB 10 billion are invested in rural areas to benefit 9 million people, and the MEP held a meeting to promote environmental governance through incentives; the Rule of Environment Impact Assessment in Planning came into effect, signaling that the participation of environmental protection in comprehensive development decision making entered a new phase; the state launched interim methods to appraise local governments, thereby promoting the implementation of the planning of water pollution prevention in key drainage areas; the state prepared comprehensive planning to prevent the frequent occurrence of heavy metal pollution; Jinsha River hydroelectric development projects are suspended and projects of the two major electric groups to undergo environmental impact assessments are subjected to restricted approval; local courts adopt the crime of releasing dangerous substances to crackdown on environmental crime.
The top ten international environmental news stories of 2009 are: the Copenhagen Agreement was concluded after tough negotiations, signaling an important step forward in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions; the UN launches the Global Green New Deal Policy Brief, developing a low-carbon economy becomes a key point in competition; China, Japan and Korea issue a joint statement on sustainable development calling for increased cooperation in the domain of green economies; Conference of the parties to the POPs Convention come to an agreement to ban an additional nine toxic chemicals; the International Renewable Energy Agency is established and 75 countries jointly sign a treaty; 17 countries sign and undertake to publish 86 pollutants; the World Lake Conference focuses on lake protection and the concept of “Letting Rivers and Lakes Recover” spreads around the world; The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources releases a report stating the number of extinct species globally is continuing to increase; El Nino results in serious droughts in Mexico and Indonesia; The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announces that greenhouse gases are harmful to public health, and will greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with the Clean Air Act.
During his speech, Pan Yue stated that the international financial crisis and global climate change have been deeply reflected in the top ten environmental news stories internationally and in China. These two crises demonstrate the deep conflicts that exist between human beings and nature as we engage in modes of unrefined growth and luxury consumption. But these crises have also created opportunities for the replacement of industrial civilization by ecological civilization. This will eventually have profound impacts on China’s economic and social growth. The strategy of developing an ecological civilization proposed in the 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China points out the direction and objective by which we will combat the international financial crisis and global climate change. Namely, this is to speed up the strategic adjustment of the economic structure and the transformation of growth modes, advocate resource-saving and environment-friendly modes of production and living, and finally establish a harmonious social system and mode of civilization. The ethical value of ecological civilization shall be embodied by the development outlook and achievement outlook of the government, the operation model of the social system and the view of living held by individuals.
Pan Yue pointed out that we should unswervingly implement the Scientific Outlook on Development. The Scientific Outlook on Development highlights comprehensive, coordinated and sustainable development, and require that a balance is found between humans and nature. It requires us to persist with ecological and environmental protection during the process of seeking development, and insist on the principle of environmental priority while making comprehensive decisions on economic and social growth. In regard to the social system, the ethical value of ecological civilization should be the core value of society. Positive interactions with the public shall enable the public to realize the significance of ecological protection to human survival, social development and ethnic culture; to realize the organic relationship between ecological protection and fairness, justice and civilization. Since last year, the major challenges of the financial crisis and global warming have made us realize that the “high-carbon mode” will seriously restrict our future development. If we are to move away from the mode of outputting low-end resources and labor in the international economy and assume a competitive stance for the future, we should regard the development of the “low-carbon economy” as the breakthrough point in the development of ecological civilization.
Finally, Pan Yue emphasized that the development of ecological civilization is the historic mission of environmental protection departments, the joint responsibility of the public, as well as the inevitable choice for China to realize rational development and sustainable development. The environmental protection departments should rise to the task, seize the important opportunities seen at present, and make contributions in implementing the Scientific Outlook on Development and promoting the development of ecological civilization by speeding up the strategic adjustment of the economic structure and the transformation of development modes.
Mao Rubai, Director of the Environment Resources Committee of the 10th National People’s Congress and Jiang Zehui, Deputy Director of the Human Resources Committee of the CPPCC also attended the event. (Source: Official website of the MEP)