From the Guardian:
China’s breakneck growth took its worst ever toll on the environment last year, the state media said today quoting a report that revealed serious pollution spills are occurring almost every other day.
Although the government has made cleaner economic development a priority, the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) said the country had missed its targets for reducing emissions and increasing energy efficiency…
Last year, the agency received a record 600,000 complaints about pollution, including 161 accidents that it classified as “serious”. [Full Text]
Bernama.com’s report: China Cracks The Whip On Polluters says, “China has cracked the whip to punish environment polluters as it struggled but failed to meet energy cuts and pollution goals over recent years…The Government had a target of reducing energy consumption by 4 per cent and pollution by 2 per cent in 2006 as part of an overall plan to lower them by 20 per cent and 10 per cent respectively by 2010.”
