China's Effort to fight Environmental Pollution
China has been making attempts to form regulations and implement policies to curb the negative impact on the environment caused by industrial wave. Some of the attempts have been unsuccessful. Importantly the measure that government is taking is highly insufficient relative to the size of economic growth.
State Environmental Protection Administration
(SEPA)
SEPA was formed as a national entity to disseminate national environmental
policy and regulations, collect data and provide technological advice
on both national and international environmental issues. China has
adopted a model of "Cleaner Production" and has also made
several other attempts to reduce air pollution. But overall success
in curbing the air pollution has not been attained.
National Strategy for Solid Waste Management
China has formed a national strategy for solid waste management which
involves combining of resource recovery, incineration and landfill
which comply with the international standards. It aims at reducing
waste, recycling, decomposing and incinerating. Scientific researches
at international level are being carried out to address the problem
of solid waste.
Innovative transportation system
In 1999 municipal government ordered city vehicles to convert to
liquefied petroleum gas and natural gas to reduce air pollution in
Beijing. By 2002, Beijing had 1630 vehicles using natural gas which
is the largest fleet of natural gas buses in the world. Subway and
light rail systems also are being expanded in Beijing.
Effort to reduce coal consumption and reduce greenhouse gases
China has accelerated the development of natural gas and coal bed
methane infrastructure to increase the number of combined heat and
power plants, adding approximately 3,000 megawatts (MW) of hydropower
annually.
China is attempting to implement strategies for energy efficiency and conservation, clean energy supply and reforestation. These results in reduction of energy costs and reduce local pollution, while reducing carbon emissions.
Government is trying to increase energy efficiency by reducing coal and petroleum subsidies. Government has been promoting less energy intensive services and higher value-added products and also encouraged the import of energy intensive products.
Government has introduced a tax on high-sulfur coals are also aiming to phase out coal from the city center have established 40 "coal-free zones," in Beijing. Government is also planning to construct natural gas pipelines. Similar efforts are taking place in other major Chinese cities. A system of emissions trading for sulfur dioxide, similar to that used in the United States, is being tested in some cites with pilot projects, and may eventually be applied nationwide.
Renewable Energy
China is hoping to carry out multi-million dollar renewable energy
strategy with assistance from United Nations and the United States
to combat pollution. Chinese government is planning to harness
wind energy concentrated in the northern and western regions of
China, and the coastal areas.
Government is also aiming to utilize solar energy which can cover
small-scale uses of energy.
Hydropower will be China's dominating renewable energy in the next
decade, particularly with completion of the 18.2-gigawatt Three Gorges
Dam project in 2009.
By 2025, the share of nuclear power used for China's electricity
generation is expected to increase to 4% from present little over
than 1%.
Future Endeavors
China's future priority will be to treat wastewater, prevent air
pollution and improve environmental monitoring systems. There are
a number of policies that the State Environmental Protection Administration
is considering. Adopting the "polluter pays" principle
and allowing for accumulation of funds for pollution abatement
are currently policies being enacted. Future Chinese environmental
initiatives may also include formulating a tax structure beneficial
to environmental protection, and granting preferential loans and
subsidies to enterprises that construct and operate pollution treatment
facilities or produce environmentally friendly products.
