Resource Conservation and Environmental Protection: a Basic National Policy
Environmental protection became a basic national policy in the 1980s, and resource conservation was added to the policy in the 1990s. Since 2012, the CPC Central Committee has made more efforts to ensure the implementation of this policy and fight pollution. Its political bureau held a group study session on eco-civilization in May 2013.
Xi Jinping pointed out at the study session that resource conservation is essential for protecting the environment. China needs to conserve resources and use them efficiently, bring about a fundamental change in the way of resource utilization, increase whole-process conservation control, and dramatically reduce the consumption of energy, water and land resources per unit of GDP. The country needs to vigorously develop a circular economy to reduce resource consumption and waste generation, and re-use and recycle waste in the process of production, distribution and consumption.
A sound eco-environment lays the foundations for sustainable development. Emphasis should be placed on addressing serious environmental problems that pose health hazards to the people, and on taking a holistic approach to preventing and controlling water, air and soil pollution, with the focus on the prevention and control of water pollution in key river basins and air pollution in key regions and industrial sectors.
节约资源和保护环境的基本国策
20世纪80年代和90年代，保护环境和节约资源先后成为中国的基本国策。中共十八大以来，以习近平同志为核心的中共中央，不断加大节约资源和保护环境基本国策的实施力度，坚决打赢打好污染防治攻坚战。2013年5月，中共中央政治局就大力推进生态文明建设专门进行了集体学习。习近平强调，节约资源是保护生态环境的根本之策。要大力节约集约利用资源，推动资源利用方式根本转变，加强全过程节约管理，大幅降低能源、水、土地消耗强度，大力发展循环经济，促进生产、流通、消费过程的减量化、再利用、资源化。良好生态环境是人和社会持续发展的根本基础。环境保护和治理要以解决损害群众健康突出的环境问题为重点，坚持预防为主、综合治理，强化水、大气、土壤等污染防治，着力推进重点流域和区域水污染防治，着力推进重点行业和重点区域大气污染治理。