Last year acid rain affected one third of China's land mass,
Sheng Huaren, vice chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC)
Standing Committee, said in a report to top legislators on
Saturday.
Sheng told NPC Standing Committee members that in some regions
all rainfall was acidic. His report was based on inspections by
lawmakers of environmental protection work in 15 provinces,
autonomous regions and municipalities from May to June.
With 26 million tons of sulphur dioxide discharged last year--27
percent more than in 2000--China has become the world's biggest
polluter of the substance. ?
Acid rain poses a major threat to soil and food safety, Sheng
said. He pointed out that sulphur dioxide emissions were double the
acceptable environmental limit and coal-burning power stations and
coking plants were the main culprits.
According to the report, nearly 650 out of 680 coking plants in
north China's Shanxi, the country's major coal mining
province, discharged excessive sulphur dioxide.
Environmental inspectors advised the central government to take
decisive action to curb energy consumption and polluting industries
by restricting land and loan approvals and raising control
standards.
"Small coking plants and coal-burning power stations should be
shut down or restructured," Sheng advised.
Despite the gloomy statistics, chairman of the NPC Environmental
and Resources Protection Committee Mao Rubai remained upbeat that
Beijing would fulfill its environmental obligations for the 2008
Olympic Games. The municipal government would step up pollution
control in the next two years, said Mao.
"First of all, environmental protection investment will continue
to rise on the current basis of 18 billion yuan (US$2.3 billion)
per year," he told a press conference on the sidelines of the
session of the NPC Standing Committee which closed yesterday.
Environmental investment in Beijing accounts for nearly 3
percent of the city's gross domestic product. "The proportion is
among the highest in China," Mao said. "Secondly, Beijing will
continue to expand use of clean energy." Clean fuel such as natural
gas already accounts for 57 percent of the city's total energy
consumption, sources said. "Third, the Beijing municipal government
has decided to close or relocate polluting companies," explained
Mao. ?
For example Beijing Shougang steelworks had been moved to
Tangshan in north China's Hebei Province.
Meanwhile, Beijing will further cut pollution caused by vehicle
exhaust emissions. The Euro III environment standard has been
adopted in the city. Environmental improvements have been witnessed
in Beijing since 1998. Sixty-four percent of days last year had
good air quality which is 36 percent higher than 1998. The amount
of sulphur dioxide dropped 29 percent compared with seven years
ago.
(China Daily August 28, 2006)