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As World Environment Day reminds global citizens of the “Time for Nature,” China keeps its eyes fixed on its green targets this year amid solid steps along the path of environment-friendly development.
Considering lucid waters and lush mountains as invaluable assets, the country has made great strides in tackling pollution in recent years, with most of the ecological and environmental protection goals set for the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020) accomplished in a smooth manner.
This year also marks China's final push in finishing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and general improvement in the environment is listed among the "three tough battles" that must be won.
GREEN GOALS MET
Huang Runqiu, head of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE), said that seven of the nine binding targets set for evaluating the protection work in the 13th Five-Year Plan had been achieved by the end of 2019, including the control of emissions of major pollutants.
Huang's words were backed by solid data. A report issued Tuesday by the MEE showed that the country has seen a steadily improving environment and people are enjoying bluer skies and cleaner water.
Air quality in 337 cities at and above the prefecture level was recorded as being good on an average of 82 percent of days last year, according to the report.
The country's carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP, another important environmental indicator, fell 4.1 percent in 2019 from the previous year, meeting its annual target.
Tuesday's report also showed that surface-water quality mostly continued to improve. Some 74.9 percent of surface water monitored by the ministry was graded as having good quality last year, up 3.9 percentage points from 2018.
GREEN COMMITMENTS AHEAD
The pressure to push ahead with anti-pollution work, however, still remains, as firms and factories have quickened pace to resume business activities and expedited investment projects after the novel coronavirus disrupted the economy.
Despite virus-induced challenges, the country has been resolute in protecting its environment, pledging to strictly implement requirements regarding environmental supervision and permit issuance.
In another sign of materializing its green commitments, funds earmarked by the central government in 2020 to support ecological and environmental protection saw a year-on-year increase, even with the country facing a tighter budget this year.
China has also been moving closer to halting all imports of solid waste by the end of 2020. As the ban on solid-waste imports started to be implemented, the amount of solid waste entering the country dropped, with 2.49 million tonnes recorded in the first four months of this year, down by a massive 47.3 percent from one year earlier.
In addition, the eco-friendly practice of garbage sorting has so far been adopted in over 70 percent of housing estates in 18 cities, including Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said.
While striving to wrap up 2020 with green targets met, China stays committed to the path of sustainable development in the long run.
"In the 14th Five-Year Plan period, we will continue to improve ecological and environmental quality by reducing pollutant emissions, while vigorously promoting ecological protection and restoration," Huang said.
