Ministry of Ecology and Environment

Last updated
Ministry of Ecology and Environment the People's Republic of China
中华人民共和国生态环境部
Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó Shengtai-Huánjìng Bù
Zhong Hua Ren Min Gong He Guo Sheng Tai Huan Jing Bu .jpg
Agency overview
FormedMarch 2008;16 years ago (2008-03)
Preceding agency
  • State Environmental Protection Administration
Type Constituent Department of the State Council (cabinet-level executive department)
Jurisdiction Government of China
Headquarters Beijing
Minister responsible
Deputy Ministers responsible
Agency executives
Parent agency State Council

The Ministry of Ecology and Environment is an executive-department of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, responsible for the ecological and environmental affairs. It is the 15th-ranked department in the State Council.

Contents

The Ministry is the nation's environmental protection department charged with the task of protecting China's air, water, and land from pollution and contamination. Directly under the State Council, it is empowered and required by law to implement environmental policies and enforce environmental laws and regulations. Complementing its regulatory role, it funds and organizes research and development.

History

In 1972, Chinese representatives attended the First United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, held in Sweden. The next year, 1973, saw the establishment of the Environmental Protection Leadership Group. In 1983, the Chinese government announced that environmental protection would become a state policy. In 1998, China went through a disastrous year of serious flooding, and the Chinese government upgraded the Leading Group to a ministry-level agency, which then became the State Environmental Protection Administration.[ citation needed ]

In March 2008, the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) was established, replacing the State Environmental Protection Administration.[ citation needed ]

During 2016-2017, the MEP temporarily shut down approximately 40% of all Chinese factories as part of an environmental protection campaign. [1] :90

Pollutant trading programs were administered under the MEP and local Environmental Protection Bureaus until 2018. [1] :78

In 2018, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) was established, [2] :95 replacing the MEP. [3] A number of environmental policy functions were merged from other ministries into the MEE, including climate policy previously under the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and a number of environmental policy functions previously under the Ministry of Water Resources and the State Oceanic Administration. [2] :95 Pollutant and carbon emissions trading programs, which had previously been under the MEP's jurisdiction, were also placed within the MEE's control. [4] :78

In 2019, the MEE established the BRI International Green Development Coalition as a joint project with the environmental agencies of twenty-five other countries. [5] :60

Role

According to regulations concerning the Ministry, the MEE is responsible for protecting, regulating, and monitoring the environment, as well as enforcing environmental policies. [6] It is responsible for pollution control, conserving the ecosystem, formulating environmental standards, conducting environmental impact assessments, environmental protection inspections, addressing climate change, supervising emissions reduction targets, supervising nuclear safety, as well as international environmental cooperation. [6] [7] It also has jurisdiction over China's nuclear safety agency. [8]

MEE regulates water quality, ambient air quality, solid waste, soil, noise, radioactivity. In the area of R&D activities, MEE's predecessor MEP has funded a series of "Key Laboratories" in different parts of the country, including: Laboratory for Urban Air Particles Pollution Prevention and Control for Environmental Protection, Laboratory on Environment and Health, Laboratory on Industrial Ecology, Laboratory on Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Recovery, and Laboratory on Biosafety. [9]

In addition, MEE also administers engineering and technical research centers related to environmental protection, including: Center for Non-ferrous Metal Industrial Pollution Control, Center for Clean Coal and Ecological Recovery of Mines, Center for Industrial Waste Water Pollution Control, Center for Industrial Flue Gas Control, Center for Hazardous Waste Treatment, and Center for Solid Waste Treatment and Disposal of Mines. [9]

China is experiencing an increase in environmental complaints: In 2005, there were 51,000 disputes over environmental pollution, according to SEPA minister Zhou Shengxian. From 2001 to 2005, Chinese environmental authorities received more than 2.53 million letters and 430,000 visits by 597,000 petitioners seeking environmental redress. [10]

Organization

There are 12 offices and departments under MEE, all at the si (司) level in the government ranking system. They carry out regulatory tasks in different areas and make sure that the agency is functioning accordingly. The MEE is the administrative home of the ministerial-level Special Envoy for Climate Change Affairs, China's top envoy on international climate change negotiations. The Special Envoy is supported by the MEE's Office of Climate Change Affairs, headed by a vice minister. [7]

Department structure

DepartmentChinese Name
General Administrative Office(办公厅)
Department of Human Resources & Institutional Affairs(行政体制与人事司)
Department of Planning and Finance(规划与财务司)
Department of Policies, Laws and Regulations(政策法规司)
Department of Science & Technology and Standards(科技标准司)
Pollution Control Office(污染控制司)
Natural Ecosystem Protection Office(自然生态保护司)
Department of Environmental Impact Assessment(环境影响评价管理司)
International Cooperation Office(国际合作司)
Department of Nuclear Safety(核安全管理司)
Environmental Inspection Office(环境监察局)
Office of Agency & Party Affairs(机关党委)

Leadership

PositionPerson Name
Minister of Ecology and Environment Huang Runqiu
Vice Minister of Ecology and Environment Sun Jinlong, Zhai Qing, Zhao Yingmin, Ye Min
Head of the Discipline Inspection & Supervision Group Dispatched From the CCDI & the NSC Kurexi Maihesuti

Regional centers

In 2006, SEPA opened five regional centers to help with local inspections and enforcement. Today, the five centers are direct affiliates of MEE: [7]

RegionHead OfficeEnforcement Area
Eastern Center Nanjing Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian, Jiangxi, and Shandong.
Southern Center Guangzhou Hunan, Hubei, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hainan.
Northwestern Center Xi'an Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Xinjiang, and Ningxia.
Southwestern Center Chengdu Chongqing, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, and Tibet.
Northeastern Center Shenyang Liaoning, Jining, and Heilongjiang.
MEE headquarters Beijing Beijing, Tianjing, Hebei, Henan, Shanxi, and Inner Mongolia.

List of ministers

No.NameTook officeLeft office
Director of State Environmental Protection Agency
1 Qu Geping 1987June 1993
2 Xie Zhenhua June 1993March 1998
Director of State Environmental Protection Administration
(2) Xie Zhenhua March 1998December 2005
3 Zhou Shengxian December 2005March 2008
Minister of Environmental Protection
(3) Zhou Shengxian March 2008February 2015
4 Chen Jining February 2015June 2017
5 Li Ganjie June 2017March 2018
Minister of Ecology and Environment
(5) Li Ganjie March 2018April 2020
(6) Huang Runqiu April 2020-

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Environmental law</span> Branch of law concerning the natural environment

Environmental laws are laws that protect the environment. Environmental law is the collection of laws, regulations, agreements and common law that governs how humans interact with their environment. This includes environmental regulations; laws governing management of natural resources, such as forests, minerals, or fisheries; and related topics such as environmental impact assessments. Environmental law is seen as the body of laws concerned with the protection of living things from the harm that human activity may immediately or eventually cause to them or their species, either directly or to the media and the habits on which they depend.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Environmental protection</span> Practice of protecting the natural environment

Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment by individuals, groups and governments. Its objectives are to conserve natural resources and the existing natural environment and, where it is possible, to repair damage and reverse trends.

Vehicle emissions control is the study of reducing the emissions produced by motor vehicles, especially internal combustion engines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scottish Environment Protection Agency</span> Environmental regulator in Scotland

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency is Scotland's environmental regulator and national flood forecasting, flood warning and strategic flood risk management authority. Its main role is to protect and improve Scotland's environment. SEPA does this by helping business and industry to understand their environmental responsibilities, enabling customers to comply with legislation and good practice and to realise the economic benefits of good environmental practice. One of the ways SEPA does this is through the NetRegs environmental guidance service. It protects communities by regulating activities that can cause harmful pollution and by monitoring the quality of Scotland's air, land and water. The regulations it implements also cover the storage, transport and disposal of radioactive materials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air Pollution Index</span> Air quality measurement in Malaysia

The Air Pollution Index is a simple and generalized way to describe the air quality, which is used in Malaysia. It is calculated from several sets of air pollution data and was formerly used in mainland China and Hong Kong. In mainland China the API was replaced by an updated air quality index in early 2012 and on 30 December 2013 Hong Kong moved to a health based index.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ministry of Water Resources (China)</span> Chinese government agency for water management

The Ministry of Water Resources of the People's Republic of China is an executive department of the State Council of the People's Republic of China responsible for managing water resources in China. It is the 18th-ranking department of the State Council.

Pan Yue is a Chinese government official who is the current minister of the National Ethnic Affairs Commission and a deputy head of the United Front Work Department.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pollution in China</span> Overview of pollution in China

Pollution in China is one aspect of the broader topic of environmental issues in China. Various forms of pollution have increased as China has industrialised, which has caused widespread environmental health problems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Development and Reform Commission</span> Chinese government agency for macroeconomic management

The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) is the third-ranked executive department of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, which functions as a macroeconomic management agency. Established as the State Planning Commission, the NDRC has broad administrative and planning control over the economy of mainland China, and has a reputation of being the "mini-state council".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green-collar worker</span> Environmental-sector worker

A green-collar worker is a worker who is employed in an environmental sector of the economy. Environmental green-collar workers satisfy the demand for green development. Generally, they implement environmentally conscious design, policy, and technology to improve conservation and sustainability. Formal environmental regulations as well as informal social expectations are pushing many firms to seek professionals with expertise with environmental, energy efficiency, and clean renewable energy issues. They often seek to make their output more sustainable, and thus more favorable to public opinion, governmental regulation, and the Earth's ecology.

Environmental policy in China is set by the National People's Congress and managed by the Ministry of Environmental Protection of the People's Republic of China. Under the Ministry of Environmental Protection of the People's Republic of China, the Department of Policies, Laws, and Regulations is in charge of establishing and strengthening basic laws and policies such as environmental laws, administrative policies and economical regulations. It is also responsible for the development of national environmental protection policy and macro strategy.

The climate policy of China is to peak its greenhouse gas emissions before 2030 and to be carbon neutral before 2060. Due to the large buildout of solar power in China and burning of coal in China the energy policy of China is closely related to its climate policy. There is also policy to adapt to climate change. Ding Xuexiang represented China at the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference in 2023, and may be influential in setting climate policy.

To protect the environment from the adverse effects of pollution, many nations worldwide have enacted legislation to regulate various types of pollution as well as to mitigate the adverse effects of pollution. At the local level, regulation usually is supervised by environmental agencies or the broader public health system. Different jurisdictions often have different levels regulation and policy choices about pollution. Historically, polluters will lobby governments in less economically developed areas or countries to maintain lax regulation in order to protect industrialisation at the cost of human and environmental health.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Environmental issues in Georgia (country)</span>

Situated in the South Caucasus Region bordered by the Black Sea to the West, the Russian Federation to the North, Azerbaijan to the East, Turkey to the Southwest, and Armenia to the South, Georgia is a small country supplied with profitable natural resources, heavenly scenes, copious water assets, rich living spaces, and ecosystems that are of local and worldwide significance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ministry of Natural Resources (China)</span> Chinese government agency for resource management

The Ministry of Natural Resources is an executive-department of the State Council of the People's Republic of China which is responsible for natural resources in the country. It is the 14th-ranking department of the State Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Environment and Ecology Bureau</span> Hong Kong policy bureau

Environment and Ecology Bureau is one of the fifteen policy bureau of the Government of Hong Kong. The agency was established on 1 July 2022. The current Secretary for Environment and Ecology is Tse Chin-wan.

The 13th Five-Year Plan of China, officially the 13th Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development of the People's Republic of China, was a set of economic goals designed to strengthen the Chinese economy between 2016 and 2020.

The 12th Five-Year Plan of China, officially the 12th Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development of the People's Republic of China, was a set of economic goals designed to strengthen the Chinese economy between 2011 and 2015. It was drafted during the fifth plenum of the 17th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) held in October 2010.

The 11th Five-Year Plan of China, officially the 11th Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development of the People's Republic of China, was a set of economic goals designed to strengthen the Chinese economy between 2006 and 2010.

References

  1. 1 2 Ding, Iza (2020). "Pollution Emissions Trading in China". In Esarey, Ashley; Haddad, Mary Alice; Lewis, Joanna I.; Harrell, Stevan (eds.). Greening East Asia: The Rise of the Eco-Developmental State. Seattle: University of Washington Press. ISBN   978-0-295-74791-0. JSTOR   j.ctv19rs1b2.
  2. 1 2 Lewis, Joanna I. (2023). Cooperating for the Climate: Learning from International Partnerships in China's Clean Energy Sector. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press. ISBN   978-0-262-54482-5.
  3. "华建敏:组建环境保护部加大环境保护力度_新闻中心_新浪网". Sina Corp . Retrieved 2013-02-12.
  4. Ding, Iza (2020). "Pollution Emissions Trading in China". In Esarey, Ashley; Haddad, Mary Alice; Lewis, Joanna I.; Harrell, Stevan (eds.). Greening East Asia: The Rise of the Eco-Developmental State. Seattle: University of Washington Press. ISBN   978-0-295-74791-0. JSTOR   j.ctv19rs1b2.
  5. Shinn, David H.; Eisenman, Joshua (2023). China's Relations with Africa: a New Era of Strategic Engagement. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN   978-0-231-21001-0.
  6. 1 2 "生态环境部职能配置、内设机构和人员编制规定" [Regulations on the functional configuration, internal structure and staffing of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment]. State Council of the People's Republic of China . 11 September 2018. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  7. 1 2 3 "Decoding Chinese Politics". Asia Society . Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  8. Archived 2007-05-03 at the Wayback Machine
  9. 1 2 Archived October 8, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  10. "Environmental protection in China: the role of law | Alex Wang". China Dialogue. Retrieved 2013-02-12.