China to study sources of its pollution

Yahoo News 4 Jan 08;

China will conduct its first national survey of pollution sources in February to help control environmental deterioration in a country with some of the world's most tainted cities, state media said Friday.

The study will identify and collect data on sources of industrial, agricultural and residential pollution for two months, the official Xinhua News Agency said, citing the head of the State Environmental Protection Administration, or SEPA.

"The results of the census will not be linked to any punishment or evaluation of the performance of local administrations," said Zhou Shengxian, SEPA's director. Administrations, companies and institutions "should not fear repercussions but should instead guarantee true, credible results."

China's cities have become among the most polluted in the world after more than two decades of rapid economic growth. While the country's communist leaders have repeatedly promised a cleanup, they say they are constrained by the expanding economy and a lack of technology.

Last year, SEPA said China's environmental problems were worsening, with several major rivers and lakes clogged by industrial waste. Air pollution has been a worry for Beijing as it gears up for the Olympic Games in August.

Some believe China has surpassed the U.S. as the world's top emitter of carbon dioxide and other gases that contribute to global warming.

Xinhua did not elaborate on details of the study, which was commissioned by the Cabinet in 2006 after Chinese experts complained about untrustworthy statistics on the sources and extent of pollution.

"Collecting data of various pollution sources will be an important basis for environmental protection," Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan was quoted as saying.

Every province, autonomous region and municipality has set up a census office and will report to a main center staffed by officials from SEPA and the Ministry of Agriculture, Xinhua said.

Data will be reviewed multiple times before being put into a database and will be analyzed in the second half of 2008, Xinhua said. Findings will be examined and approved by mid-2009.