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China will invest more in protecting the environment during the
current Five-Year Plan (2001- 2005), said a leading environmental
official Tuesday.
Wang Yuqing, vice minister of the State Environmental Protection
Administration (SEPA), said the nation will enhance its work so
that the public has more awareness of how to protect the environment
and prevent more land from turning into desert.
The central government spent about 34 billion yuan (about US$ 4
billion) on improving the environment from 1996 to 2000. During
the period from 1991 to 1995, the figure stood at 3.5 billion (
US$ 420 million ).
However, desertification remains a real concern for people in north
China, the region has been hit repeatedly by sandstorms in recent
years.
In addition to the weather, the "impaired" environment
is considered by experts to be the major reason for sandstorms.
In order to reduce them, it is crucial to improve the environment,
especially by protecting vegetation on the ground, as the ability
to control the weather is limited, said Wang Tao, vice-director
of the research institute for environment of frigid and drought
zones under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
(China Daily 04/11)
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