A nationwide environmental awareness campaign featuring the 2008
Beijing Olympic Games mascots and Chinese celebrities will
officially start early next year. The three-year campaign will be
launched today in Beijing by the United Nations Development Program
(UNDP) and the Chinese government.
Entitled "China Environmental Awareness Program (CEAP)," the
campaign seeks to raise public awareness about environmental issues
through media campaigns built around high-profile national events
such as the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the Shanghai Expo in
2010.
"The campaign aims at promoting a change in behavior, attitude
and practice," said Khalid Malik, United Nations Resident
Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in China.
To date, the total investment in the campaign has reached US$3.5
million.
The UNDP, the Chinese government and the Norwegian Embassy have
each contributed US$500,000 and Arclor Mittal Co., Ltd., a leading
producer of steel, has donated US$2 million.
The media drive will focus on issues such as air pollution,
climate change, access to clean water and sustainable consumption,
according to Jia Feng, deputy director of the Publicity and
Education Center of the State Environmental Protection
Administration (SEPA).
In recent years, the country has devoted much attention to
strengthening public awareness of environmental protection in the
community, among officials and enterprises.
But in some areas more education is needed.
Jia said an investigation by the Environmental Protection Bureau
in North China's Shanxi Province, the country's biggest coal
producing area, showed that more than 90 percent of the officials
believe that strengthening environmental protection slows down
economic growth.
The country has also implemented a series of preferential
policies to encourage enterprises to invest in waste treatment and
environmental improvement.
SEPA bestowed 30 enterprises in Beijing yesterday with the
highest honor in the current Environmental Friendly Enterprises
drive.
"These plants have shown great performance in energy saving,
environmental protection, and technology innovation," said Zhu
Guangyao, SEPA's vice minister.
"Enterprises, together with other members of the community,
should live up to the responsibility of creating a harmonious
society," he said.
(China Daily December 19, 2006)
