China's cabinet on Tuesday published a guideline on improving the country's environment, vowing to achieve "major progress" in the area by 2020.

In the 35-clause guideline, the State Council stressed the need to consider environmental protection when planning economic and social development, and to raise public awareness about the environment.

China's safeguarding of the environment still lags behind its economic status, with prominent problems such as limited resources and severe pollution and becoming major bottlenecks for sustainable growth, the guideline noted.

It called for more economical use of resources.

By 2020, China aims to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 40 to 45 percent from the 2005 level, and increase the share of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption to around 15 percent, according to the guideline.

Other targets include a steady improvement in water and soil quality, forestry and wetland coverage.

The guideline also stressed efforts to promote green urbanization and strengthen protection of ocean resources.

Decades of breakneck growth in China have dried up resources and left the country saddled with problems including smog and contaminated waterways.

In his annual report at the National People's Congress in March, Premier Li Keqiang pledged to take "a firm and unrelenting approach to ensure blue skies, clear waters, and sustainable development".