The article, "China Environment Agency Gets More Power" was posted to Google News on February 29, 2008 by Henry Sanderson.(http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5icPw8BwDs4EYOrcM2Xe3KOGqPw5gD8V44VN01).
This article describes how China's government is increasing the authority of its environmental watchdog agency in an attempt to slow the rampant pollution associated with China's rapid economic growth. SEPA is to be upgraded to a full Cabinet ministry with a bigger budget and more people, and is part of a government restructuring approved this week by the Communist Party leadership. As environmental problems are among the biggest that China faces, this action should help SEPA, formed in 1998, enforce rules that, in the past, were often ignored.
"SEPA in recent years has been trying to do a lot with very little," said Alex Wang, director of the China Environmental Law Project at the Natural Resources Defense Council. "The challenge that SEPA faces now first and foremost is insufficient resources and authority."
With Beijing set to host the Olympics in August, the world has been awaiting a response from China on how they plan to deal with the city's notoriously dirty air. It is estimated that China's air and water pollution cost about $100 billion a year — 5.8 percent of its economic output — mainly through health costs. The government spends 1.35 percent of the gross domestic product on environmental protection.
Despite its new powers, SEPA is still likely to face resistance from local governments whose first priority is to stimulate economic growth and protecting factories that pay tax revenues. Also, since local environmental officials will still answer to provincial or local governments, the new ministry is expected to be understaffed for the task policing the environment.
I agree that this is a huge step in the right direction for China, as long as SEPA is allowed to have some real authority, and that their new powers aren't allowed to evaporate following the Olympics this summer. I would probably beef up the staff in order to ensure that the policing tasks can be adequately carried out, and make sure the local governments are required to be on board. They need to be aware that not only will it benefit China to "clean up her act" and keep it clean, but the entire world will benefit as well.
Susan
3 comments:
I'm betting that SEPA will be able to accomplish little, if anything, despite this infusion of "more power".
:: chuckles sardonically ::
Susan, I wrote about the same news on my post but did not bring up he Olympics. The timing is suggestive, isn't it? It makes me wonder how much of this is for show. I actually think the central government is partly sincere, but not enough to do what is really needed, as I argued in my post.
Considering LA is receiving China's export of air pollution, the world can only hope that SEPA is able to enforce stricter regulations.
Angie
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