China says the environment still grim despite five years of progress
21 October, 2020
China's environmental conditions are "grim", falling short of public expectations even after five years of efforts to really improve quality of air, boost clean energy and curb greenhouse gas emissions, a senior official said on Wednesday (Oct 21).
There was still quite a distance to go, said Zhao Yingmin, the vice-minister of ecology and environment, despite the fact that China had met a number of targets on smog, water quality and carbon emissions over the five years from 2016.
"While seeing the improvements ... it ought to be clearly recognised that the grade of the ecological environment remains definately not people's expectations for an improved life," he told reporters in Beijing.
China remains dependent on heavy industry and coal, and the "grim environmental trends" have not fundamentally changed, he added.
Last month, President Xi Jinping set a 2060 deadline to realize "carbon neutrality", within China's commitments to the Paris climate change accord. In addition, it aims for emissions to peak by 2030.
The announcement was seen as a challenge to the United States, set to withdraw from the Paris deal on Nov 4. On Monday, the foreign ministry criticised Washington's record on climate, calling it a consensus-breaker and a troublemaker.
China is drawing up a fresh five-year arrange for 2021 to 2025, which authorities say would require better commitment to controlling coal consumption and promoting low-carbon energy to meet up the 2060 target of carbon neutrality.
Zhao didn't give details of another five-year plan, but said China would intensify efforts to regulate fossil fuel consumption and promote low-carbon technology, while promising greater contributions to tackling climate change.
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