China's New Effort to Environmental Protection

The Information Office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China promulgated the White Book of “China's Policies and Actions for Addressing Climate Change” on October 29, 2008 in Beijing. This White Book explains the impact of climate change on China and introduces China’s policies and actions addressing climate change, as well as the relevant mechanism establishment.

This 16,000-word White Book consists of ten parts, which include the Foreword, Climate Change and China's Situation, Impact of Climate Change on China, Strategies and Objectives for Addressing Climate Change, Policies and Actions to Decelerate Climate Change, Policies and Actions to Adapt to Climate Change, Enhancing Public Awareness in Addressing Climate Change, Enhancing International Cooperation on Climate Change, Institution and Mechanism Building for Coping with Climate Change, and the Conclusion.

China signed the “United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)” in 1992, and then in 2002, approved the “Kyoto Protocol” which was endorsed by 149 nations and regions in 1997. By June 2007, the “China National Plan for Coping with Climate Change” was released by China government.

Actually, the announcement of the White Book and other above-mentioned actions reflected just one aspect of the numerous steps taken by China in environmental protection in recent past years.

Things were different thirty years ago when China began its economic reformation and actualized its opening policy. In many areas, the enhancement of GDP figures increased at the expense of the environment and natural resources. The statistical data have shown that the expense of natural and energy resources for each one dollar output of GDP in China used to be five to eight times to that in leading industrialized countries such as the United States.

Fortunately, the Chinese government and also more and more enterprises, organizations, and individuals have become aware that destruction of forest and grassland, water pollution, air pollution, and degeneration of farmland obstruct persistent and steady economic development.

s27 Lee Ji Sook