China to use 1.35 percent of GDP to protect environment

China will invest 1.35 percent of its gross domestic product annually for the next three years in environmental protection, state media said today.

The State Council has published its five-year environmental protection plan for 2006-2010 on Monday, Xinhua reported.

Zou Shoumin, director of the Chinese Academy of Environmental Planning, who took part in drafting the plan, said that the bulk of the investment would go towards treating water pollution.

Zou estimated that the government would spend 640 billion yuan (58.4 billion euros) on treating water pollution, 600 billion yuan (54.7 billion euros) on air pollution and 210 billion yuan (19.16 billion euros) on solid waste management.

The five-year plan, which was adopted by the State Council in September, sets out guidelines, major tasks and measures to tackle pollution, the Xinhua news report said.

The plan calls for China to cut its chemical oxygen demand (COD), a major index of water pollution, in 2010 by 10 percent from 2005 values. Sulfur dioxide emissions will also be reduced by 10 percent.

The white paper aims to provide 75 percent of China's large cities with more than 292 days of air quality level II or better every year, compared to the 69.4 percent of cities that had good air quality in 2005.

China failed to meet its target for the preceding five-year plan covering 2001 to 2005.

The State Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) said that sulfur dioxide emissions rose by 27.8 percent in 2005 over year 2000 figures and COD fell by only 2.1 percent instead of the targeted 10 percent.

"The country failed to meet the target of reducing sulfur dioxide emissions, mainly because of the unexpected increase in energy demand between 2000 and 2005," Xinhua quoted Zou as saying.

Water pollution has also worsened, with 90 percent of rivers running through cities polluted. Twenty-six percent of surface water cannot be used for any purpose and 62 percent is not suitable for fish.

The State Council said that the new plan will include an assessment mechanism to monitor local governments. Every six months, the State Council will publish a report of major pollutant discharges in all provinces and regions. It will also launch national checkups on how local governments implement the plan in 2008 and 2010.

The results, the State Council said, will be used to assess the performance of local governments.

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