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Chinese official laments environmental destruction http://today.reuters.com/News/CrisesArticle.aspx?storyId=PEK199695 Sun 4 Jun 2006 BEIJING, June 5 (Reuters) - China's environmental degradation has worsened despite official efforts to curb pollution and ecological destruction, the country's top environment watchdog said ahead of World Environment Day. "The trend of environmental deterioration has not been effectively contained," an unnamed senior official from the State Environmental Protection Administration said late on Sunday, according to the SEPA Web site (www.zhb.gov.cn). The remarks were widely reported in state media on Monday. The office presented a litany of disturbing estimates. - about 60 percent of China's territory is considered to have a "fragile" ecology - one-third of the land environment is "poor" or "quite poor" - 90 percent of China's natural grasslands suffer degradation and desertification that is feeding dust storms - natural wetlands are being squeezed by farming and industrial expansion, the official said. Amid rising public concern about pollution spills and chronic air pollution, China's Communist Party leadership has promised to balance economic development with environmental safeguards. And the environmental official highlighted government efforts to clean up the country's polluted skies, rivers and lands. Between 2000 and 2004, the amount of water used to generate every 10,000 yuan ($1,200) of economic production fell by 34.6 percent, or 211 cubic metres (46,400 gallons), the official said. But the official said China's enforcement of environmental protection commitments were still dogged by under-funding and a lack of enforcement means. "Investment in ecological protection is inadequate," the official said. "We need to adopt more vigorous measures." © Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
