Challenges to Environmental Policies & Management

1. Challenges to Environmental Policies & Management SONG Guojun Renmin University of China 2007-10-19 Beijing

2. Challenges to Environmental Policies & Management • Water and air pollution in China • Challenges to Environmental Policies and Management • key water and air pollution control policies to be study

3. Water quality in China • Official water quality data • In general, water quality is deteriorated in • Area of water body • More pollutants • degree • Time period • The quality of water quality data monitored by water supply company is best • The quality of water quality data monitored by SEPA sector and MWR sector is not very good • Only several automatic monitoring stations

4. Water quality in China • My observation • Limited water quality data • Limited monitoring sections • Large rivers, large Lakes • No monitoring for rural small river • A few underground monitoring • Lower sampling frequency • Every two month • SEPA has no monitoring capacity • The monitoring behavior of local EPB affected by local interest • The situation is more serious than that from officials

5. Water effluents in China • Official effluent data • Not under control • Most effluent data is self report by industries • Local EPB has no enough incentives to conduct enough monitoring and verification • The data quality of water effluents is bad • The concept is not clear • The statistical process need to redefine also

6. Water effluents in China • My observation • Not under control also • Industrial enterprises • Urban domestic waste water plants • Village and town enterprises • The real effluent is much larger than official data • There is few guidance to ensure the effluent data quality

7. Air pollution in China • Urban air quality • PM10 improved in most cities • SO2 improved also • NOx increase in some megacities • Air pollutant emission • Centralized emission • Higher • larger

8. Air pollution in China • Acid rain control • Acid rain area enlarged • Some places more seriously • Acid substance emission is not under control • Official state • There is no seriously verification

9. Challenges to Environmental Policies and Management • Water pollution control policy • General framework • Pollution sources’ control • pollutants • Air pollution control policy • Urban air pollution control • Acid rain control

10. Water pollution control policy • Mainly end-pipe control • Effluent standards • Meeting discharge standards • Urban waste water treatment plant is a key measure • Need fund from central government • Cleaner production and circular economy are just beginning • Non-point sources pollution do not start yet

11. Air pollution control policy • “meeting discharge standards” is the main policy for point sources • Urban infrastructure building contribute the air quality much • Air quality monitoring • Air quality questionnaire • Urban environmental examine system • Pilot environmental protection city system • EIA, Three simultaneous system • New sources • “Total Emission Control” has little effect • There no strict permit system • Focus on conventional pollutants • PM10, SO2, NOx

12. Air pollution control policy • There is no strong instrument for SO2 emission control • No permit system • No regulation • Total emission control is similar to a slogan • EIA has demand all new coal power plants build FGD but there is no regulation to ensure their operation

13. Environmental institutional arrangement in China • SEPA • Propose law and regulation • Make guidance • All enforced by local government • Municipal government • County government • The targets are industrial sources • There is no effective instrument to urge local government to enforce the regulations fully

14. Environmental institutional arrangement in China • SEAP • Making policies • Water quality statistics • Water effluents statistics • If water quality is above ambient water standards • Urge local government to comply with the standards • Central government has no capacity for • Monitoring • Taking direct actions

15. Environmental institutional arrangement in China • Local government is responsible for enforcement and implementation • Monitoring ambient water quality • Follow the national guidance • Fund by local government • Pollution control • Meeting discharge standards for industrial sources • Meeting discharge standards for other sources • Pollution levy and relocate • EIA for new sources

16. Key water and air pollution control policies to be study • Strict permit system for large point sources • Special national fund for domestic waste water treatment and solid waste treatment • Non-point sources control policy • Circular economy policy • Public participation

17. permit system • Strict permit system for large point sources • Industrial sources • Local EPB • Urban waste water treatment plant • Central or provincial government • Coal fire power plant for acid rain control • Central government • Regulation study • Guidance study • monitoring • verification • evaluation

18. Special national fund for domestic waste water treatment and solid waste treatment • How to convince the decision makers the necessary • How to design • How operate • How much

19. Non-point sources control policy • Regulation design • subsidy • Government purchase • compensate • Urbanization strategy • Industrial park • Small cities • Middle size cities

20. Circular economy policy • Discharge standards reform with circular economy thinking • Product life circle • Raw materials • Production • Consumption • Landfill • Environmental techniques renovation policy • Encourage market to participate • Refine the role of government • Research • Direct investment • Subsidy • education

21. Public participation • Information management • regulation • Data base • Data standards • Data quality improvement • Decision making mechanism study • Transparent • Policy evaluation • Professional information publishing

22. Thank you for your attention!