Policy Research Report on Environment and Development
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AND DEVELOPMENT ON ENVIRONMENT COOPERATION CHINA COUNCIL INTERNATIONAL FOR CHINA COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL 2012 Development and Environment Report Research on Policy Regional Balance and COOPERATION ON ENVIRONMENT Green Development AND DEVELOPMENT CHINA COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION Policy Research Report on Environment ON ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT and Development REGIONAL BALANCE AND The China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and GREEN DEVELOPMENT Development (CCICED) was established in 1992 with the approval of the Chinese government as a high-level advisory body consisting of senior Chi- nese and international experts. Its mandate is to share international suc- 2012 cessful experience on environment and development, to conduct research and to provide forward-looking, strategic and early-warning policy recom- mendations to the Chinese government to support and facilitate China’s implementation of sustainable development strategy and to enhance the building of a resource-saving and environmentally friendly society. CCICED has operated on the basis of five-year phases. Phase 1 (1992– 1996) concentrated on exchange and dissemination of international ex- perience and successful policies, and raising the environmental awareness of policy-makers. Phase 2 (1997–2001) focused on environmental pollu- tion, the relationship between environment and economic development, and strengthening environmental legal and regulation systems. Phase 3 (2002–2006) addressed the integration of environmental protection into the holistic planning of China’s development. Phase 4 (2007–2011) pro- moted the establishment of a new relationship between China’s economic development and environmental protection and explored a new path for optimizing environmental protection in economic development. 2012 Phase 5 (2012–2016) will seek to promote China’s sustainable development and ecological civilization; shift policy research priorities from the relation- ship between environment and economy to environment and social devel- opment, with more emphasis given to regional and global environment as well as the interaction and influence between China and the world; share research findings with the international community; and play a greater role ISBN 978-1-894784-66-5 in building a beautiful China and global sustainable development. Price: ¥85.00 CNY $15.00 CAD CCICED Secretariat No. 5 Houyingfang Hutong Xicheng District, Beijing, China 100035 Tel: +86-10-82268656, 82268659 Fax: + 86-10-82200535 Website: www.cciced.net China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development Policy Research Report on Environment and Development Regional Balance and Green Development 2012 CCICED Policy Research Report on Environment and Development Advisory Board LI Ganjie, SHEN Guofang, XU Qinghua, TANG Dingding, REN Yong, Arthur HANSON (Canada) Editorial Board FANG Li, LI Yonghong, WANG Kezhong, LI Haiying, LI Yong, Chris DAGG (Canada), Yichun DAI (Canada), ZHU Yun, ZHANG Mengheng, WANG Haitao CHINA COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION ON ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT Policy Research Report on Environment and Development REGIONAL BALANCE AND GREEN DEVELOPMENT 2012 © 2013 The China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development Published by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) for the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED) Policy Research Report on Environment and Development Regional Balance and Green Development 2012 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without prior permission from the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Policy research report on environment and development : regional balance and green development 2012 / edited by the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development ISBN 978-1-894784-66-5 China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED) CCICED Secretariat No. 5 Houyingfang Hutong Xicheng District, Beijing, China 100035 Tel: +86-10-82268656, 82268659 Fax: + 86-10-82200535 Website: www.cciced.net International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) Head Office 161 Portage Avenue East, 6th Floor Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3B 0Y4 Tel: +1 (204) 958-7700 Fax: +1 (204) 958-7710 Website: www.iisd.org Printed in China. NOTE ON THIS VOLUME The year 2012 was significant in China’s historic evolution. The 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China was held and a new central leadership was established; the concept of scientifically based development was identified as a long-term guide, integrating ecological civilization with economic, political, cultural and social aspects as components for modernization; and the nation was presented with a blueprint for green prosperity and a Beautiful China. Against this backdrop, the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED) held its 2012 Annual General Meeting (AGM), on the theme of “Regional Balance and Green Development”. The AGM explored an optimized development mode for the Eastern regions; a coordinated path of environment and development for the Western regions, leapfrogging the old development mode of treatment after pollution; reviewed and analyzed China’s environment and development for the past 15 years; deliberated on mid- to long-term strategies for pollution mitigation; conducted debates on major oil spill incidents and regional air quality improvement issues; and submitted recommendations on China’s scientific, balanced and green development. Li Keqiang, Vice-premier of the State Council and Chairman for CCICED, delivered a speech at the AGM. He pointed out that China will promote an ecological civilization concept of respecting nature, conforming to nature and protecting nature, and incorporate ecological civilization into China’s overall modernization process to realize simultaneously economic development, improved people’s livelihood and ecological protection. He emphasized five aspects of future work for China, including transformation of development mode, enhanced benefits for people, expansion of markets, deepening reform, and strengthening cooperation, with ecologi- cal protection as a key area for going-out activities. China will continue to strengthen cooperation with other countries and international organizations, and introduce and absorb their advanced thinking, treatment technology, management model and successful experiences. CCICED Members believe that the direction for China’s strategic transformation is green transformation, which is affirmed by the formulation and implementation of China’s green “12th Five-Year Plan”. The green transformation is not only significant to China; it is also significant to global green development. China’s green transformation has reached a crucial stage. In order to reach the strategic green development targets set for 2020, China is still faced with huge pressures and challenges on such issues as unbalanced, uncoordinated and unsustainable development, and increasingly constrained resources. Members pointed out that China has made progress in reaching consensus on scientifically based development and ecological civilization and trial implementation, but the overall situation is far from satisfactory. One of the major V REGIONAL BALANCE AND GREEN DEVELOPMENT barriers is system and policy coherence, which is also a barrier to reaching regional balance and coordinated as well as sustainable development. Therefore, the Chinese government must give this high priority. This policy research report of environment and development has incorporated CCICED 2012 policy research find- ings, CCICED 2012 recommendations to the Chinese government, and a study of major policy progress (2011-2012) on China’s environment and development and the impact of CCICED policy recommendations, for the reference of decision-makers at all levels, experts, scholars and the general public. VI VI TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 Policy Recommendations From the 2012 AGM /1 1.1 Recommendation 1: Enhance Institutional and Policy Innovation as well as Enforcement in Order to Promote Practical Implementation of Ecological Civilization. / 2 1.2 Recommendation 2: Establish a Balanced and Green Regional Development Strategy. / 4 1.3 Recommendation 3: Strengthen Joint Control of Air Pollution to Improve Regional Air Quality. / 6 1.4 Recommendation 4: Strengthen Marine Environmental Protection and Construct a More Balanced Approach to Becoming a Marine Power. / 8 1.4 Recommendation 5: Establish Long-Term Mechanisms With Environmental Quality Improvement and Risk Prevention as Objectives to Promote Strategic Transformation of Environmental Management and Human Health Protection. / 9 CHAPTER 2 Regionally Balanced and Green Development / 12 2.1 Introduction / 12 2.2 The International Economic Crisis and Green Development / 17 2.3 China’s Regional Development / 19 2.4 Some Key Issues / 34 2.5 Conclusions / 40 CHAPTER 3 Policy Mechanism toward Environmental Targets for the 12th Five-Year Plan: Strategies and Policy Studies on Mid-to-Long-Term Pollution Reduction / 44 3.1 Review: Assessment of Pollution Reduction under the 11th FYP / 44 3.2 Prospects: Transitional Changes Facing China’s Economy, Society, and Environment / 52 3.3 Strategy: Designing a Mid-Term and Long-Term Roadmap / 58 3.4 Operational Adjustments: Mechanisms and Policies for Fulfilling Environmental Targets / 62 3.5 Summary and Conclusions / 65 CHAPTER