We should change our approach to energy saving and emission reduction, says an article in People's Daily. The following is an excerpt:

Recently, the policy on saving energy and reducing emissions has cropped up frequently. The State Council approved a scheme that demands local government leaders shoulder responsibility for saving energy and reducing emissions, or else face criticism or be forced to resign.

If the energy-saving policy is implemented well, lots of benefits will follow such as financial bonuses, preferential loans and favorable taxes and thus economic development will have more support.

In fact, many local governments have not paid enough attention to saving energy. Despite the regulations and measures in force, they are not effectively carried out.

Energy saving means the technical renovation of old facilities that costs money. So, this means more investment without corresponding revenue. This naturally imposes a heavy burden on both local governments and enterprises.

But if we consider it from another perspective, energy saving and emission reduction can be turned into gains. In a recycling economic industrial base in Inner Mongolia, a power plant consumes the byproducts of coal mining; and a cement plant consumes the powder and waste of the power plant; and water can be reused after reprocessing. Emissions are practically zero.

No burden has been added to any of the enterprises. Instead, the recycling saves production costs and enjoys preferential taxation.

As a senior petrochemical expert said, resources and pollutants are relative. If resources cannot be fully used, its emissions become pollution; if they can be properly used, waste and pollutants can be turned into precious resources.

So we should change our approach to this work. We should make great efforts to better use our resources and reduce emissions and pollutants from the onset.

(China Daily December 3, 2007)