Clean drinking water is the Chinese public's No.1 environmental
concern, according to a state survey released yesterday.
The survey was conducted in April and May by the All-China
Environmental Federation (ACEF) and supervised by the State Environmental
Protection Administration (SEPA).
More than 4 million people from 31 provinces, autonomous
regions, municipalities and special administrative regions took
part in the survey, airing their views on China's environmental
issues through the Internet, text messages and mailed-in
questionnaires.
"It is an unprecedentedly wide survey of environmental issues
among the Chinese," said Wang Dongqing, vice-secretary of ACEF.
"The results will be sent to related departments as an important
reference for drafting of the 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-10) on the
country's environment," Wang added.
According to the survey, after drinking water pollution, the
public were most concerned about air quality, domestic rubbish, the
disposal of industrial waste, the destruction of vegetation and
desertification, a shortage of water resources, and noise and car
pollution.
More than 96 percent of the people surveyed said China is
challenged by a water shortage crisis and that nurturing a
water-saving society is the most effective way to solving the
problem. The public also called for the Yellow River to be the
focus of water pollution prevention efforts.
As for domestic rubbish, 77 percent of participants supported
the idea of not providing plastic bags in supermarkets, although 22
percent said it was a bother to bring a bag with them when
shopping. Securing a comfortable majority, 73 percent of
participants said residents should collect and sort their waste by
material for recycling.
According to the survey, 97 percent of participants said the
government should listen to the public when making decisions on
environmental planning.
Both the public and experts in the investigation strongly held
that the government should increase input into environmental
protection during the 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-10) to at least 1.5
percent of the gross domestic product (GDP). Some experts even
suggested raising it to 2 percent with the country's vast rural
areas getting more support in appropriations and policies from the
government.
In 2004, the country's input to environmental protection was 1.3
percent of the GDP.
Most people surveyed also suggested that other ways of pooling
money in line with market mechanisms towards the cause of
environmental protection should be introduced, especially in the
construction of sewage and waste treatment facilities in
cities.
The survey also showed 98 percent support for the levying of
special taxes to help boost environmental protection.
As for the most effective way to protect the environment, 71
percent of the survey said new laws were the answer, with 56
percent of the experts surveyed complaining that current law
enforcement was not powerful enough and legislation in certain
areas lacking.
Environmental protection should be one of the indices by which
government officials' achievements are evaluated, according to 97
percent of those surveyed.
"The survey provides some precious information from the public
for our future work," said Wang Yuqing, a vice-minister of SEPA.
"For example, the public think we should put our focus on improving
water resources and air quality. This is in line with the official
point of view."
(China Daily July 28, 2005)