Don't relax environmental protection requirements because of difficulties and challenges

    Can the ecological environment goals set out in the 13th five year plan be completed? How to have more blue sky and white clouds? How can the central ecological environment protection supervision promote? On the afternoon of the 25th, Huang Runqiu, the Minister of the Ministry of ecological environment, who was just in office, made his debut in the "Ministerial channel" of the national two sessions, responding to these hot issues in the field of ecological environment protection.

    Overall planning and prevention of epidemic situation and ecological environment protection

   "The well-off is not comprehensive in all respects, and the ecological environment is very important." "We cannot relax the requirements for ecological environment protection because of difficulties and challenges, and relax the requirements for environmental supervision and environmental access," Huang said

    He said the work of ecological environment protection will keep the direction unchanged, the intensity will not be reduced and the standards will not be reduced.

   Huang Runqiu frankly said novel coronavirus pneumonia should be considered as an economic and social development in an overall way. We should also grasp the pace and intensity of promoting the work of environmental protection. We should pay more attention to the precise, scientific and legal treatment of pollution, and take appropriate strategies and methods for the local affairs.

    He said that in order to serve the work well and resume work and support the "six guarantees" work, the Ministry of ecological environment issued two "positive lists" for environmental assessment approval and supervision and enforcement. At present, the effect is relatively good, and will continue to be done.

    This year, the Ministry of ecological environment will also pay more attention to the guidance and assistance to local pollution control work. From May, the Ministry of ecological environment will send guidance and assistance working groups to go deep into local and enterprises, to help local governments find out outstanding ecological environment problems and improve local governance capacity.

   Confident to complete the task of ecological environmental protection goal in the 13th five year plan

   Huang introduced nine restrictive indicators in the field of ecological and environmental protection in the 13th five year plan. By the end of 2019, seven of them have been completed in advance.

   He said the indicators reflect blue sky and clear water, and are consistent with the feelings of the people. However, there are two indicators of carbon emission intensity per unit GDP, the excellent days ratio of cities above the prefecture level and above. He admitted that although it is difficult to complete, he is confident that it will be done well.

    Huang said that it is necessary to be aware that the improvement of the current ecological environment quality is still improving at a low level, and that the "turning point" from quantitative to qualitative change has not yet arrived.

    "The industrial structure of our country, which is mainly heavy chemical industry and coal based energy structure, has not fundamentally changed, the severe situation faced by environmental pollution and ecological protection has not fundamentally changed, and the high risk situation with frequent environmental events has not fundamentally changed," he said

    Therefore, he said that during the 14th five year plan, we should continue to fight the "upgraded version" of pollution prevention and control, and vigorously promote ecological protection and restoration, and strive to expand ecological space and ecological capacity. In addition, we should make great efforts to realize the modernization of ecological environment governance system and governance capacity.

    Believe that the blue sky and white clouds will be more and more

   Huang said that with the deepening of the battle for pollution prevention and control, the frequency and intensity of heavy pollution weather have greatly reduced. For example, the average heavy pollution weather in Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and surrounding areas is 20 days in 2019, which is about 45% less than that in 2015.

    During the Spring Festival, two severe pollution weather processes have been observed in the northern region. Under the situation of epidemic prevention and control, the pollutant emission has been greatly reduced. Why is there heavy pollution weather?

    Huang responded that the quality of the atmospheric environment depends on two factors, emissions and environmental capacity. According to the calculation, the pollutant emission of the whole society decreased by 30% compared with the normal level from the end of January to February. However, Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei just encountered extremely unfavorable meteorological conditions, which reduced the height of boundary layer, and reduced the environmental capacity by about 50%. Heavy pollution weather may occur when emissions are much larger than capacity.

    Let the blue sky and white clouds grow more and more. In the long run, Huang said, efforts should be made to adjust the structure. In the short and medium term, some major pollution reduction projects should be implemented, such as ultra-low emission transformation in steel industry, clean heating in winter, pollution control of diesel trucks, etc. From the perspective of immediate measures, joint prevention and control should be taken to make an emergency response to air pollution.

    This year, the second round of central ecological and environmental protection supervisors will be launched

    The central ecological environmental protection supervision is a major reform measure in the field of ecological civilization. At present, the routine supervision coverage of 31 provinces, districts and Xinjiang production and Construction Corps has been realized, and the "looking back" and special supervision have been carried out for 20 provinces. Since last year, the second round of routine supervision has been launched, and six provinces and two central enterprises have been supervised.

    He said that the supervision has gathered a broad consensus on the protection of the ecological environment in the whole society. Through accepting the reports from the masses, we have solved a large number of outstanding ecological environment problems around the masses. The supervision team also transferred 542 major ecological environmental problems to the local government, which required local rectification, compacted the responsibilities of local Party committees and governments, and fully demonstrated the "sword" role of the central ecological environmental protection inspector.

    The supervision work has achieved remarkable results and should be firmly promoted. "This year, we will launch the second round of central ecological and environmental protection supervisors." Huang said the inspectors mainly focused on the implementation of some major decisions and arrangements made by the Party Central Committee and the State Council on the construction of ecological civilization and ecological environment protection, and around the implementation of some outstanding ecological environmental problems reflected by the masses and the implementation of key tasks in the fight against pollution prevention and control. (end)