China To Get Serious About Tackling Pollution

Breakneck economic expansion, 11.3 percent in the second quarter compared to the year-earlier period, is overwhelming official goals to cut emissions and energy use, Zhou Shengxian, head of China's State Environmental Protection Administration, said in a speech to officials on Tuesday.

"China has promised to clean its dirty skies for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has made green development a key theme of his administration."

"The central leadership is treating reductions in energy use and major pollutant emissions as two major hard targets -- red lines that can't be crossed,'' Zhou was quoted as saying.

"China has become the world's top emitter of acid rain-causing sulphur dioxide, with discharges rising 27 percent from 2000 to 2005, mostly from coal-burning power stations, State Environmental Protection Administration officials said earlier this month."

"Wen has ordered local governments to establish accountability rules for implementing caps on sulphur dioxide and other pollutants and demanded that local officials face inspections for pollution control, Zhou said."