China makes progress on environment -- but not enough

Subject

Environmental policy in China.

Significance

Environment minister Chen Jining acknowledged last month that China's environment had "reached its limit due to years of sprawling development". Dangerous levels of urban air pollution have attracted the most attention, but are just one of many threats. Reversing environmental degradation has been a priority for at least a decade, and there has been progress: almost all the binding targets relating to pollution under the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15) have been fulfilled. Yet environmental damage is still on a scale that can justifiably be called a crisis. Environmental enhancement will be at the heart of the 13th Five-year Plan (2016-20).

Impacts

• China's slowing economic growth trajectory and a more prominent role for services promise to ease environmental pressures.
• Given the convergence of aims, environmental activism may be spared the worst of the Xi government's crackdown on civil society.
• There will be further progress in improving China's carbon footprint and reducing use of fossil fuels.
• There may soon be binding goals for pollutants such as PM2.5 and heavy metals, and also water and soil pollution.