Environmental policy in China

Environmental policy in China is set by the National People's Congress and managed by the Ministry of Environmental Protection of the People's Republic of China. Under the Ministry of Environmental Protection of the People's Republic of China, the Department of Policies, Laws, and Regulations is in charge of establishing and strengthening basic laws and policies such as environmental laws, administrative policies and economical regulations. It is also responsible for the development of national environmental protection policy and macro strategy.[1]

China's rapid economic expansion combined with the country's relaxed environmental oversight has caused a number of ecological problems.[2] In response to public pressure, the national government has undertaken a number of measures to curb pollution in China and improve the country's environmental situation.[3] In and before the 2010s, the government's response was criticized as inadequate;[4] encouraged by national policy that judged regions primarily by their economic development, corrupt and unwilling local authorities hampered enforcement.[5] In April 2014, the government amended its environmental law to better fight pollution.[6]

Since the 2010s, the government has given greater attention to environmental protection through policy actions such as the signing of the Paris climate accord, the 13th Five-Year Plan and the 2015 Environmental Protection Law reform.[7] From 2006 to 2017, sulphur dioxide levels in China were reduced by 70 percent,[8] and air pollution has decreased from 2013 to 2018[8] In 2017, investments in renewable energy amounted to US$279.8 billion worldwide, with China accounting for US$126.6 billion or 45% of the global investments.[9] China has become the world's largest investor, producer and consumer of renewable energy worldwide, manufacturing state-of-the-art solar panels, wind turbines and hydroelectric energy facilities as well as becoming the world’s largest producer of electric cars and buses.[10] Its commitment to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions has been a major force in decreasing the global cost of wind and solar power, in turn helping the use of renewable energy to rise globally.[11]: 8 

  1. ^ "政策法规司". Ministry of Environmental Protection of the People's Republic of China. May 9, 2017. Archived from the original on August 3, 2018. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
  2. ^ World Bank. "China Country Climate and Development Report" (PDF). Retrieved 17 October 2022.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference grows was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference weighs was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference NYT2007 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference VOA was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "China's Evolving Environmental Protection Laws - Environment - China".
  8. ^ a b "China Has Successfully Improved Air Quality, but the Efforts Could Unmask Further Global Warming". Forbes.
  9. ^ Frankfurt School – UNEP Collaborating Centre for Climate & Sustainable Energy Finance (2018). Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2018. Available online at: https://europa.eu/capacity4dev/unep/documents/global-trends-renewable-energy-investment-2018
  10. ^ "Commentary: China will bet big on clean energy to achieve carbon neutrality". Archived from the original on 2021-07-11. Retrieved 2021-07-10.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference :9 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).