China will spend billions to reward cleaner companies
Print Edition
China is to set up a 10 billion yuan (US$1.65 billion) fund to fight air pollution, offering rewards for companies that clean up their operations, as a more affluent urban population turns against a growth-at-all-costs economic model that has poisoned much of the air, water and soil.
Authorities have issued countless orders and policies to try to clean up the country, invested in various projects to fight pollution, and empowered courts to mete out the death penalty in serious cases.
But enforcement of rules has been patchy at local level, where authorities often rely on the taxes paid by polluting industries.
At a State Council meeting yesterday, Premier Li Keqiang said the central government would set up the fund to “use rewards to replace subsidies to fight air pollution in key areas.”
Companies which were considered leaders in their field at cleaning up their emissions would be given “incentives,” a government statement added, without giving details.
The government said China had already made some progress toward tackling the smog that has blighted several cities and regions.
“But the issue of air pollution has been forming for a long time, and we must recognize the serious nature of tackling this and must persevere unremittingly,” the statement said.
The government would continue to promote energy efficiency and clean energy schemes, including improving gasoline standards for vehicles, and the phasing out of outdated equipment and factories, it added.
It said the government would also keep on “perfecting” the oversight role of environmental protection bodies and “standardize” the release of public information about pollution.
Many Chinese cities have once again been choked by smog this winter, with the problem unusually acute in the cosmopolitan commercial hub of Shanghai and in the capital, Beijing.
China may grant its environment ministry new powers over resources, and more muscle to punish polluters as part of a government shake-up due to take place next month.
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