Environmental protection is one of the measures in China’s plans for economic restructuring. Energy-intensive industries are giving way to green and high-tech sectors.
Environmental protection has become a key yardstick for Chinese government work. The leadership has vowed to integrate ecological progress into building a moderately wealthy society over the past few years. But there is still much catching up to do, as past development has formed an ingrained impression in public opinion.
“The Chinese economy has left the world with the impression of being a manufacturer. And this entails a large consumption of raw materials and a large amount of emissions,” said Zhang Zexi, CPPCC member.
Zhang has been advocating for a cross provincial supervision network over pollution, so the government would have comprehensive data on water, soil and air quality.
To make the country cleaner, the central government set the goal for less pollution emissions from 2012 to 2016. One expert from the power generation sector talked about achievements over the past few years and hopes for the future.
“The emissions from the electricity industry have declined 50 percent during the past five years. And the emissions could be reduced again by 50 percent in the next five years. I think if the electricity sector could do this, then other industries could do the same,” said Lu Qizhou, CPPCC member.
Lu used to be the general manager of a major state power investment corporation, which merged with another state-owned power company last year. He said by using less fossil-fuels and with technology advances, the industry has become greener.
And with an amended environmental protection law taking effect last year, it has leveled the playing field for every company to follow suit. Lu added that a new market is emerging and is big enough to profit from.
“The total market is around hundreds of billion yuan, and environmental protection could be a new growth driver for the Chinese economy,” Lu said.
Analysts say the opportunities lie in industrial upgrading and new sources of power such as solar and wind. They also expect more professionals to join the industry in investment, construction and operation.
