Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
well as generating specific economic incentives
and interests with critical long term implications.
In evaluating the significance the environ-
mental issue occupies in the political discourse
within China, we are confronted with a rather
mixed picture, to say the least. On the one
hand, there already existed an early awareness
towards the environmental issue going back as
far as 1974 when the first administrative organ
for environmental management was created. In
addition, escalating pollution concerns provided
additional reasons for the government to become
more concerned from the 1980s onwards. In 1982,
the protection of the environment was written
into the constitution and environmental concerns
became a critical subject at various National
Peoples Congresses and figured as a topic in Hu
Jintao's report at the 17
th
Party Congress, held in
October 2007.
12
Sustainable development and an
environmental-friendly society were mentioned
as a significant goal for further development.
Equally, the 11
th
FYP also offers a renewed com-
mitment in addressing pressing environmental
issues and in including environmental concerns
in China's development strategy, by emphasiz-
ing the development of a 'resource-efficient and
environmentally-friendly society' and a change
towards a 'more environmental friendly' energy
mix by increasing the contribution of renewable
energy sources. In addition, we also observed the
publication of a series of government documents,
which also focused on the environmental issue.
Yet, the actual record of addressing environmental
issues, despite some achievements, does not fulfill
the expectation generated. Addressing specific
environmental issues and the implications of cli-
mate change suffers from an underlining structure
of Chinese politics: that seldom a single ministry
or a single territorial unit is solely in charge of
policy formulation and policy implementation.
This obviously generates friction and conflict-
ing interests and therefore prolong and extent
the policy decision-making and policy delivery
11
th
FYP for Environmental protection outlines
various mechanisms to improve and enhance
the capacity of the law enforcement supervision
and coordination of environmental planning and
oversight. It is further envisaged that “by 2010
the environmental law enforcement teams at pro-
vincial, city and county levels will meet the basic
requirements for standardized capacity building”
(The National Eleventh FYP for Environmental
Protection 2006-2010).
It is crucial to be aware that timing matters,
particularly when selecting an appropriate de-
velopment strategy, as opportunities do not exist
permanently and decisions made at one point
in time have strategic implications not only for
future developments but equally, for the range
of opportunities available. As noted previously,
politics takes a central role in the selection and
amendment of a specific development strategy.
The following section will evaluate the 11
th
FYP
for Environmental Protection and how China's
environmental challenges are addressed in more
detail.
THE NATIONAL ELEVENTH FIVE-
YEAR-PLAN FOR ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION (2006-2010)
The increasing prominence of the environmental
issue reflects various political agendas, documents
and statements. One prominent example is the 11
th
FYP for Environmental Protection by identifying
various strategies for enhancing environmental
protection. When analyzing the 11
th
FYP, we can
identify both, general statements and the setting of
specific targets to be reaching in 2010. On a rather
more fundamental level, the 11
th
FYP emphasizes,
that the key to address the environment issue is to
achieve a critical transformation towards an equal
emphasis of both environmental protection and
economic growth, thereby overcoming a solely
economic growth focus (The National Eleventh
