At the beginning of the year, more than 1 million square km in east China were blanketed by heavy smog. The smog is a reminder to Chinese people and officials of the continual worsening of the natural environment over decades of rapid development. In his report to the opening of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China last November, Hu Jintao, General Secretary of the Party's 17th Central Committee, gave priority to ecological progress and incorporating it into the whole process of advancing economic, political, cultural and social growth. The report also introduced the concept of building a "beautiful country."

But how far is China from attaining this lofty goal? During this year's session of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Beijing on March 3-12, the question became one of the most prominent topics of discussion for political advisors from all walks of life.

Facing reality

"A good natural environment is essential to a well-off society," said Gao Jixi, Director of the Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences in Jiangsu Province.  

However, the current reality in China diverges sharply from these wishes. The seemingly ubiquitous pollution in air, water and soil, the worsening city waste crisis and resource exhaustion make the public feel anxious.

Pan Biling, Deputy Director of the Environmental Protection Department of Hunan Province, has long kept a watchful eye on water pollution in the province. "Many villages are not the 'pure land' as we thought before, but all the food, vegetables and fruits that people eat are produced in villages," he said.

Figures provided by Sun Taili, President of the Tianjin Qingda Group, show that of the 131 rivers flowing through cities in China, 36 are severely contaminated, 21 are heavily polluted and 38 are moderately affected. Water from the contaminated rivers permeates underground sources.

Sun also watches soil pollution. The use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides per unit of cultivated area in China is much higher than the global average. In addition to causing soil hardening and poisoning, their residue also seeps into the ground.

City waste is another major environmental concern. He Wei, President of the private He's University in Liaoning Province, said that the per-capita annual trash output of Chinese citizens is about 440 kg. That means the total annual trash output in China has reached 400 million tons, ranking first worldwide, and the figure is growing by 8 to 10 percent each year.

Ge Jianxiong, a professor at Fudan University in Shanghai, said, "Since the beginning of the 21st century, the living conditions of Chinese people have improved remarkably, but their dream of a beautiful habitat seems out of reach."

New road

Though there are some unavoidable natural causes for environmental problems, the main reason for pollution still lies in man-made factors, Gao said.

According to Zhang Yunling, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the cost of China's role as the world's factory is a high consumption of resources and severe pollution. "We exported a large amount of clean products to the world, but we're left with all the murky water and dirty air at home," he said.

Ning Chongrui, chief architect of Lanzhou Engineering and Research Institute of Nonferrous Metallurgy Co. Ltd. in Gansu Province, said that China should change its current economic development model in view of the severe damage it has brought to the environment and climate.

Zhang Jiyao, former Director of the State Council South-to-North Water Diversion Office, said that excess production capacity, unreasonable energy infrastructure and high energy-consuming urban lifestyles are the main reasons for smoggy weather.

Most CPPCC National Committee members agree that environmental legislation is an important basis for abating pollution and building a beautiful country.

He said, "Though China has enacted a series of laws and regulations concerning environmental protection, their guiding principles are lagging behind. To keep up with social progress, these laws and regulations should be revised."

Sun proposes quick action in legislating underground water protection. In the meantime, he said that the government should increase investment in water-quality monitoring and release relevant data regularly.  

This year, Shi Jie, Vice President of the Sichuan Province Lawyers Association, submitted proposals calling for the revision of environmental protection laws, particularly those relating to air and water. He hopes that the revision of those laws could impose harsher penalties on enterprises and individuals damaging the environment.

Zhang Jiyao said that China should be determined to shut down highly polluting and energy-consuming enterprises and those with excess production capacity or no ability for structural transformation.

"Education in rural areas is also a key factor for building a beautiful country," said Gao. "On one hand, education helps villagers enhance environmental awareness," Gao said, adding that improving rural education is also an important bases for industrial restructuring.

Shi calls for greater public participation in building a beautiful country. "The government should attract and recruit more non-governmental organizations and individuals to join in the environmental protection campaign," Shi said.

The lawyer claims that China should strive to develop environmentally-friendly public goods, paying particular attention to speeding up the development of rail transportation and electric buses, which are carbon-conserving, in order to push the country forward in a green direction.

In addition to making proposals, many CPPCC National Committee members have contributed a lot to the building of an environment-friendly society, such as promoting environmental protection knowledge in rural areas and restoring desert ecology.

Environmental Woes

»Chief of the State Forestry Administration Zhao Shucong: China is still one of many nations to suffer heavily from desertification, with about 27.33 percent of its land occupied by deserts, ranking number one in the world

»CPPCC member Sun Taili: Among the 131 rivers flowing through cities in China, 36 are severely contaminated, 21 are heavily polluted and 38 are of medium-level pollution

»According to data from the Beijing Meteorological Bureau, the average density of PM2.5 in January was 180 micrograms per cubic meter in Beijing, about 30 percent higher than that recorded during the same period from 2009 to 2011

»CPPCC member He Wei: Now the annual average trash output of citizens in China is about 440 kg per person. The total annual trash output in China is 400 million tons, ranking first in the world

»Statistics from the Ministry of Land and Resources show that about 10 percent of arable land has been polluted by heavy metals