Xie Zhenhua, head of the State Environmental Protection Administration, emphasized at the 8th Forum of Green China on August 28 that China is committed to advancing strategic environmental assessment (SEA), which is integrated into the planning process. He stressed the need to incorporate environmental considerations more systematically into macro-level decision-making. According to Pan Yue, vice director of the Bureau, China has long implemented environmental assessments for construction projects, contributing positively to environmental protection. However, current assessments have limitations in scope, depth, and their ability to address industrial linkages, making it difficult to influence broader economic decisions. In the past, major economic policies lacked a strategic environmental assessment component, leading to widespread pollution and ecological damage during implementation. For example, when central and western provinces planned energy, power, and heavy chemical industries, they overlooked the impact of these polluting sectors on fragile ecosystems, especially where water resources are limited. Such large-scale development often leads to irreversible ecological problems. China's production of energy and raw materials has grown much faster than its GDP, with crude oil consumption accounting for 7.4% of global usage, coal for 31%, iron ore for 30%, and alumina for 25%. Meanwhile, its GDP accounts for only 4% of the world’s total. The energy consumption per unit of product in eight high-energy industries is 47% higher than the global average. If this model continues, by 2010, China’s reliance on imported oil, iron ore, copper, and aluminum could reach 60%, 57%, 70%, and 80%, respectively. Therefore, strengthening strategic environmental assessment is essential to institutionalize environmental considerations in development decisions, turning sustainable development from abstract ideas into real actions.
At the forum, it was also noted that the entry point for SEA in China is currently the planning-based environmental impact assessment (EIA). Compared to traditional project-level EIA, planning EIA offers a higher level of evaluation and covers a broader scope. It systematically assesses potential environmental impacts of strategies and plans, and integrates these findings into final decisions, thereby improving the quality of strategic choices. While China currently focuses on EIA for construction projects and development plans, future efforts will include assessing the environmental impact of key policies that shape development. This shift reflects a growing recognition of the importance of integrating environmental concerns into all levels of planning and policy-making.
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