China has ‘long road’ to environmental goals, says State Council

China has a “long way to go” in terms of environmental protection, acknowledged the country’s State Council on Sunday (7), when announcing a “deep” fight against pollution with the announcement of new targets related to air and water and measures to combat carbon emissions.

The State Council, China’s government office, said there had been some improvements in the country’s ecological situation since the launch of the anti-pollution campaign, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

But the Council said it will be difficult to combat pollution and ensure that carbon emissions peak by 2030 and that carbon neutrality is finally achieved by 2060, as promised by President Xi Jinping.

China is the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases.

“The ecological and environmental protection campaign has a long way to go,” the Council said in a statement.

China plans to increase the proportion of good quality water in its coastal regions to 79%, eliminate high air pollution, effectively control soil pollution risks and significantly increase the capacity to treat solid waste and new pollutants, said the Advice.

The government has also promised to cut the amount of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), mainly emitted by the chemical and petroleum industries, and nitrogen oxides by at least 10% by 2025, compared to 2020 levels, and thus halt the rise in ozone layer pollution.

The country will also try to meet its ambitious environmental goals without drastically affecting economic and industrial activity and people’s daily lives, the Council said, adding that the environmental agenda will also coordinate with other national actions, including food and energy security campaigns. .

The State Council aims to make about 93% of its currently contaminated farmland suitable for planting by the end of 2025, against 90% that was forecast by the end of 2020, and to reduce heavy metal waste discarded by key industries by 5% compared to 2020 levels.