World Environment Day

Today is the World Environment Day, we would like to take this opportunity to share with you the message of environmental protection works in our country.

Our motherland, China, highly values the importance of protecting the environment, which is also part of our national security. You may be wondering, how are different aspects of environmental protection related to our national security? In fact, ecological security, resources security, biosecurity, deep sea security and polar security are crucial parts of protecting our nation. In recent decades, China has suffered from various environmental problems which present all kinds of challenges for the country. It demands a long-term development strategy and broad goals, as well as near-term action plans and specific policies.

Chang Jiang, the longest river in China is an important source of water for the people of China and plays a role in our country’s economy. However, it faces numerous environmental challenges, for example being heavily polluted especially in urban areas and overfishing. Therefore, the Chinese government has endeavored to protect the Chang Jiang over the years. The Chinese government has established strict regulations on industrial and agriculture pollution like setting up fishing bans and others measures to protect the river’s aquatic life. Also, they work on reforestation in the areas surrounding the river which helps to prevent soil erosion and reduce the amount of sediment that enters the river to improve the quality of water.

Desertification in China has been an ongoing issue since the 1980s. In recent years, it has rapidly worsened, causing lands to lose vegetation cover, leading to crop failure, and hindering the progress towards sustainable development. But what is desertification? It is the process of land degradation due to various climatic and human factors, turning lands into deserts. And as global warming and declining rainfall intensifies, so does the problem of desertification. To tackle this, the Chinese government initiated an ambitious project, the Great Green Wall of China, which is due to be completed in 2050. Its goal is to plant trees across northern China so they would act as a barrier to combat desertification and absorb carbon dioxide from the surface.

Due to the rapid development of industries and cities, energy demand has expanded. More pollutants are released and air quality has become a concern. Air pollution leads to acid rain and smog. It not only destroys the ecosystem but also affects the health of humans. To tackle the problem, the Chinese government has set up laws to lower the release of pollutants and reduce CO2 emissions from highly polluting industries. The Chinese government is also increasing the use of clean energy for instance, nuclear power and natural gas. To show the determination to reduce carbon emission and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, our country is developing different new energy technologies such as using hydrogen as energy and the Artificial Sun. Since 2015, China has also become the largest solar power production country in the world. The production of electric cars also ranks the first among different countries in the world.

Environmental Protection Ambassadors
5 June 2023