China Outlines Environmental Protection TargetsChina is set to fulfill ten environmental protection targets in the tenth Five-Year-Plan period (2001-2005), the Science and Technology Daily reported Thursday.By the end of 2005, China's input in environmental protection will account for 1.2 percent of its gross domestic product, the nationwide discharge of pollutants will be reduced by 10 percent from the level of 2000, and industrial enterprises are required to meet the standards for pollution discharges. Beijing will meet the state quality standards for water, air and noise control, while making a noticeable improvement in the environment in its urban and suburban areas. In the five years, efforts will be continued in controlling pollution in major river valleys, regions, cities and marine waters, and in meeting the requirements set in the China National Ecological Environment Protection Blueprint. Efforts will also be made to step up environmental protection in rural areas, and to boost the development of eco-agriculture, organic agriculture and water-efficient agriculture. Campaigns will be waged to prevent and control marine pollution, with emphasis placed on water sources from the land, in a view to intensifying protection of eco-systems at offshore areas and along the coast. As China has been encouraging vigorous development of the vast west, this region will get preferential treatment in terms of environmental protection funds and economic policies. |
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