RSSNewsletterSiteMapFeedback

Home · Weather · Forum · Learning Chinese · Jobs · Shopping
Search This Site
China | International | Business | Government | Environment | Olympics/Sports | Travel/Living in China | Culture/Entertainment | Books & Magazines | Health
Home / Environment / Opinions Tools: Save | Print | E-mail | Most Read | Comment
Polluters Must Pay
Adjust font size:

Ecological compensation is a new mechanism being tried by the State Environmental Protection Administration to further contain pollution by increasing the cost of discharging pollutants and rewarding conservation.

 

Such a mechanism was introduced in the 1990s on a trial basis to collect ecological compensation fees in 685 counties and 24 State-level nature reserves.

 

This time, the environmental watchdog, in cooperation with other state departments, will further push the fledgling mechanism on a trial basis in the hope of establishing a sound system nationwide.

 

Underscoring this mechanism is the principle that polluters must pay for the damage done to the environment and those who have contributed to conserving the ecology at the expense of economic gains must be reasonably compensated.

 

The message is that any form of the environment - rivers, forest, underground water or soil - is not free for polluters to pollute. This is because they are making a fortune in the process.

 

Another message is companies that have spent much money in treating their waste before dumping it have contributed to environmental protection and should be compensated because their cost of production is much higher than their counterparts which have not spent as much in pollutant treatment.

 

But it is easier said than done. The fact that such a practice has been on trial for so many years and a sound system is still yet to be established speaks volumes for the complications in formulating rules and implementing the scheme.

 

First of all, we do not have unified standards for collecting ecological compensation fees. For example, we must have quantitative standards to charge polluters for the degree of pollution.

 

Furthermore, detailed laws or related administrative regulations are yet to be made to regulate as much as possible the entire process from the charging of fees to the use of the fund from collected fees and to the compensation of those that have contributed to environmental protection.

 

In addition, both transparency and effective supervision measures must guarantee that the money is used for the purpose it is intended for.

 

(China Daily September 13, 2007)

Tools: Save | Print | E-mail | Most Read

Comment
Username   Password   Anonymous
 
China Archives
Related >>
- Reservoir Polluters Arrested
- SEPA Closes 400 Heavy Polluters
- Severe Punishment Suggested on Water Polluters
- Polluters Face Stiff Penalties
Most Viewed >>
-Severe winter weather may persist for another week
-La Nina, atmospheric circulation blamed for snow disaster
-Battle goes on against snowstorms
-Salt tide afflicts Shanghai
-Frozen section of Yellow River extends further
Air Quality 
Cities Major Pollutant Air Quality Level
Beijing particulate matter II
Shanghai particulate matter II
Guangzhou particulate matter I
Chongqing particulate matter II
Xi'an particulate matter II
Most Read
-Severe winter weather may persist for another week
-La Nina, atmospheric circulation blamed for snow disaster
-Battle goes on against snowstorms
-Salt tide afflicts Shanghai
-Frozen section of Yellow River extends further
NGO Events Calendar Tips
- Hand in hand to protect endangered animals and plants
- Changchun, Mini-marathon Aimed at Protecting Siberian Tiger
- Water Walk by Nature University
- Green Earth Documentary Salon
- Prof. Maria E. Fernandez to Give a Lecture on Climate Change
More
Archives
UN meets on climate change
The UN Climate Change Conference brought together representatives of over 180 countries and observers from various organizations.
Panda Facts
A record 28 panda cubs born via artificial insemination have survived in 2006.
South China Karst
Rich and unique karst landforms located in south China display exceptional natural beauty.
Saving the Tibetan Antelopes
The rare animals survive in the harsh natural environment of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
More
Laws & Regulations
- Forestry Law of the People's Republic of China
- Meteorology Law of the People's Republic of China
- Fire Control Law of the People's Republic of China
- Law on Protecting Against and Mitigating Earthquake Disasters
- Law of the People's Republic of China on Conserving Energy
More
Links:
State Environmental Protection Administration
Ministry of Water Resources
Ministry of Land and Resources
China Environmental Industry Network
Chengdu Giant Panda Research Base
SiteMap | About Us | RSS | Newsletter | Feedback

Copyright © China.org.cn. All Rights Reserved E-mail: webmaster@china.org.cn Tel: 86-10-88828000 京ICP证 040089号