Mr.Chairman, Council Members, Ladies and Gentlemen.
Mr.Chen is unable to attend the meeting because of other important commitments and has asked me to make a brief report on the plan of the Project Group on Integration of Economic Planning and Environmental Conservation on his behalf.
There are six points I's like to cover today.
１.Background
Mr.Martin Lees, member of the Council, suggeated in September 1994,that, while China is carrying out research on integration of economic planning and environmental conservation, the Council should entrust its Secretariat with the task to elicit opinions from others and set up a project group on the topic when the time was ripe. As a matter of fact, more and more attention is being given to the strategy of using economic policy to improve the environment when mapping out environmental protection policies.At present,the reslization of environmental objectives requires appropriate governmental direction, ensuring that environmental objectives become part of economic planning ,and guaranteeing sound implementation of economic and environmental plans by way of comprehensive economic policies. The Decisions on a Number of Issues concerning Environmental Protection recentaly promulgated by the State Council puts forward explicit requirements on comprehensive policy making for the environment and economy .Accrding to it, comsideration should be given to economic,social and environmental benefits,as well as to environ mental inpact assessment,in the process of developing policy on important econom ic and social issues,such as regional,urban and industrial development,or adjust ment of industries and productivity structure.All of these activities indicate t hat condition for establishing such a project group are optimal.
２.Objectives
Together with other Working Groups,the Project Group is to submit to the Council its general plan ,conduct research tasks approved by the Council,organize its pr ojects, report progress,hand in summary report and recommendations for the Counc il to discuss,and pronote international assistance for China's environmental pro tection undertakings.
The project group is to investigate and reseach how to improve the interaction b etween economic planning and comprehensive policy-makingin environmental protect ion .The group will also assist environmental organizations to inflluence policy -making by other departments,so that they will adopt supplementary and protectiv e measures for the environment in their policy-making processes.As a non-governm ental organization under the Council ,the council ,the group will follow the Cou ncil's overall direction and will try its best to provide constructive recommend ations to the Chinese government.
３．Scope and Methodology
A.Identification of objectives and scope
Research will be based on the Decision on a Number of Issues concerning Environm ental Protection issued by the State Council,and will focus mainly on the enviro nmental impact analysis of policies concerning regional and urban development,an d major industries and their productivity plans.
B. Framework and methodology
With its target of comprehensive policy making for economic planning and environ mental protection,the group is to attach equal importance to both the general an d specific situations ,to global,national and regional perspectives, and to asse ssment and monitoring.It will prioritize development models,establish environmen tal impact index system for economic planning and modeals for economic and envir onmental development,and facilitate multi-disciplinary cooperation,Indexation qu antification and model making will be the main methodologies.
４.About the Research
There are three major considerations:
A.The theoretical framework,and the analytical model for comprehensive policy ma king and systematic research for policy evaluation involves three research topic s:
Theory and practice of integrating environmental protection considerations into the process of economic policy making ;
Research on demonstration methods and analysis of risk models for environmental impact on economic planning and policies ;and
Research on evaluation index system and analytical model of environmental impact for economic instruments.
B. Research into the evaluation system for environmental impact,recommendations on the implementation of an evaluation system ,and recommendations concerning c omprehensive policy making for development policies in the country's east and we st parts;
Similar recommendations for urban development;and
Recommendations for development policies in the development areas.
C. Research on comprehensive policy making for industrial development and indus trial productivity plans leads to four suggested topics:
Recommendations on environmental impact analytical models,policy implementation evaluation systems and comprehensive policy making for achieving grain productio n objectives;
Similar recommendations for automobile development;
Similar recommendations for raw coal production and its utilization;and
Similar recommendations for paper industry development.
５.Cooperation with Others
Because of its comprehensive nature,the project group should specially emphasize its connection with other Working Groups,as well as with various ministries,loc al governments and environmental protection bureaus.It will also cooperate with the Canadian secretariat.
６.Results and Arrangements
The output of the group will include interim reports and a final report.Apart fr om the main body ,the final report will consist of ten sub-reports as follows:
(1) Coordination and operation of economic planning and environmental strategies both at home and abroad,and the theoretical framework of setting up comprehensi ve policy making mechanism in China;
(2) Methodology and analytical model of environmental impact for economic planni ng andpolicies;
(3) Evaluation analysis of implementation of economic means;
(4) Policy analysis model and recommendations for East and West China developmen t;
(5) Policy analysis model,result analysis and recommendation of urban developmen t in China;
(6)Policy analysis model,result analysis and recommendation for China's developm ent areas; (7) Policy analysis model,reault analysis and recommendation for China's grain p roduction;
(8) Recommendations on China's automobile development;
(9) Policy analysis model ,result analysis and comprehensive recommendations on China's raw coal development ,and
(10) Policy analysis of China's paper industry development.
We are planning our work in four stages covering a corresponding number of years from October 1996 to October 2000.The project needs a total of 5 million yuan,w ith 1.5 millon yuan a year for the first two years ,and 1million yuan a year for the last two years.
Thank you.
