Environmental Governance in China

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Environmental Governance in China

• Lead-China,Cohort-10
• Nov. 22, 2003
• Brazil

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Outline

• Overview
• Challenges
• Case

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• Part I
• Environmental Governance Overview

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Fact sheets of China

• Huge Population 1.3 billion
• GDP Per Capita USD 1,000 (2002)
• Resource Per Capita water ¼ of WL, arable land
  1/7
• Coal-dominant energy structure 75
• 30 million people in poverty
• Economic disparity

ENVIRONMENTAL PRESSURE
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Environmental Problems

• Water, Air, Land degradation and wastes . Found
  in other developing countries also in China. And
  more than that
• Sandstorm, acid rain.Great challenges

Call for Better Environmental Governance
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Serious urban air pollution
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Land Degradation
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Soil Erosion
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Water Pollution
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Major Forces
State
Civil Society
Market
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Market Instruments

• Concession of all sewage treatment plants in
  Beijing
• Pollution levy/Polluters pay principle
• Total amount control of pollutants discharge
• Emission trading in sulphur dioxide
• BoT

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Civil society

• Increased public awareness
• Legal provisions guaranteed, the Strategic
  Environmental Impact Assessment Law public
  hearing, stakeholder involvement etc.
• Grievance addressing mechanism
• More favorable environment for NGOs

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LEGAL BODY FOR EP
CONSTITUION
NATIONAL LEVEL
6 LAWS ON POLLUTION CONTROL, 12 LAWS ON
RESOURCES, 18 INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS
28 ADM. REG.
LOCAL ENV. LAWS
LOCAL LEVEL
LOCAL ADM. REG.
70 SECTOR REG.
LOCAL SECTOR REG.
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AUTHORITIES relating to EP

• state development and reform commission
• state environmental protection administration
• ministry of science and technology
• ministry of construction
• ministry of water resources
• ministry of land resources
• state oceanic administration
• state forestry bureau

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• Part II
• Environmental Governance Challenges

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Performanceof Environmental Governance
Assessment Source Year
Severe, discomforting Summarization of National EP 1988
Improved partially ,aggravated generally, anxious future 3rd National EP Meeting 1990
Severe in Urban areas 2nd National Urban EP Meeting 1992
All Rivers variously polluted, severe urban noise pollution Report of SoE 1994
Still severe, expanded from urban to rural areas SoE 1995
Improved in some areas and aggravated in others SoE 1997
Still severe, aggravated in some areas Compendium of National EP 1998

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Challenges Underlying Factors

• Perverse economic incentives mechanism
• Local leaders performance assessment
• GDP pursuit, economic development the first
  priority
• Decentralized institutions
• Local EPBs not fully accountable to SEPA
• Local authority interventions
• Law enforcement deficiencies

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ChallengesThe real life

• Population pressure
• Huge population
• Most of the poor people inhabit in the
  ecologically vulnerable areas
• Economic restructuring
• Backward industrial technologies
• Malmanagement
• Low energy and resource efficiency

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ChallengesThe real life (contd)

• Full market-oriented economy yet to take shape
• Distorted market system
• Non-internalization of environmental cost
• Eyeing on the economic returns per se

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Institutional deficiency

• For the environmental departments
• full responsibility, partial empowerment,
  understaffed, underfunded for the local EPBs
• Mission impossible
• Dispersed mandates marine, land, forestry

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Environmental Protection is a Strategic Issue
Concerning Chinas Overall Modernization

• Environmental Protection was identified as one of
  basic state policies in 1980s.
• Strategic economic structural adjustment was
  undertaken.
• Over 90 of industrial enterprises release
  pollutants in compliance with environmental
  standards.
• The total amount of major pollutants in 2000 was
  reduced by 1015 against that of 1995.
• Despite the 8.3 average annual growth rate of
  GDP, the worsening trend of pollution was by and
  large under control in the Ninth Five-year Plan
  Period.

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Comparison Among Industrial Emissions of SO2,
Smoke Dust, and Powder Dust in China, 1991-2000
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Comparison Among Discharges in Waste Water and
COD in China, 1991-2000
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Development trend of Industrial Solid Wastes
Output, Integrated Use, and Release, 19912000
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Changes in Urban Air Quality in the Last Decade
in China
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• Part III
• Case Discussion

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Background

• Location
• Problems and Consequences
• Governance Structure

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Introduction

• Dong Wu Prairie
• Center of the biggest grassland in China

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• Location
• Xilingele Prefecture
• Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region
• Area 200 thousands km2
• Population more than 1 million
• Ethnic groups Mongolian, Han and Man
• Industries Husbandry and mining

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Problems and Consequences

• Industrial Pollution
• Mining Industrial Pollution
• Oil field exploitation
• Paper Pulp Factory
• Overgrazing and Over-cultivation
• Irrational Road Construction
• Reclamation 33,000 ha
• Over-hunting

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Consequences

• Pasture Degradation
• 2.9 million ha, 44 of the usable
• Desertification
• 0.66 million ha, 25.1
• 60s870s1380s 14 90s 23
• 2001 32
• Income Reduction and Poverty Return

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Change of Income

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Local Governance Structure
County Government
Provincial Government
Forestry Bureau
Local Industry
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Civil Engagement

• Involvement of outside NGOs
• Save the Prairie Action
• Research and Voice from scientists
• Media engagement

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Save the Prairie By Greener Beijing Institute
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Save the Prairie By GBI

• Empowerment of Herdsmen
• Pressures on Irresponsible Business
• Involvement of Experts
• Lobbying Government

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EmpowermentLegal aid and lawsuit
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Bearing Witness
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Influence

• Pollution partly terminated

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• New regulation issued
• Suggestions on the prairie protection and
  construction from State Council, 2002

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• Attitude of the county government changed
• From ignorance
• to dialogue

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Comments and Questions

• What is Good Environment Governance
• How does civil society engage in the local
  environmental governance?
• How does enterprise bear the environmental
  accountability?

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Obrigado! ?