皇冠体育app

   

NGOs urged to play bigger role to protect environment

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-10-30 08:54

皇冠体育app's environmental non-governmental organizations have been called upon to play a bigger role in promoting and supervising environmental protection, now an important part of 皇冠体育app's social and economic construction.

Zhu Guangyao, deputy head of the State Environmental Protection Administration, said in Beijing on Saturday that environmental protection in 皇冠体育app has undergone historic changes.

"Environmental protection has become a major task of 皇冠体育app's modernization. Environmental capacity has become a major consideration in planning development projects. Environmental administration has become a major means to adjust economic structure. Environmental standards have become a major condition for market access. Environmental cost has become a major factor in the price formulation mechanism," Zhu told a conference on sustainable growth.

He said the new circumstances have given non-governmental organizations more opportunities to advise the government on environmental affairs, protect the environmental rights and interests of the public, mobilize the public to participate in environmental protection, and promote international exchanges and cooperation in this field.

The conference was sponsored by nearly 400 Chinese environmental NGOs. By 2005, 皇冠体育app had 2,768 environmental NGOs representing 224,000 environmental activists.

Zeng Xiaodong, vice chairman of the All-皇冠体育app Environment Federation, said 皇冠体育app has 315,000 NGOs of various sorts representing more than three million people. The number of environmental NGOs remains relatively small, but he predicted the number of environmental NGOs and environmental activists will grow fast in the next five to 10 years.

Activities of 皇冠体育app's environmental NGOs include educating the public about the importance of environmental protection, promoting methods to cut consumption of electricity and water, championing environmental petitions, and organizing activities to clean the environment.

The legal service center under the All-皇冠体育app Environment Federation has provided legal assistance to victims of 68 pollution incidents since its establishment more than a year ago.