China’s “ecological red line” guidelines to protect the environment

World Today

China has issued “ecological red line” guidelines to protect environmental areas at greatest risk.

CGTN’s Sean Callebs reports from New Orleans on why some environmentalists said other nations like India and Russia should follow Beijing’s lead.

Follow Sean Callebs on Twitter @sfcallebs

China’s economy developed at a breakneck pace over the last two decades. But there’s a price to pay for having a rapidly rising middle class and industrial growth.

Now, the country is undertaking a massive effort to clean up its water, air and soil. The Nature Conservancy’s Andrew Deutz said this demonstrates a real turning point in China’s role globally and with environmental management.

“China is doing a lot, but, most importantly, not because others are pushing it – but because China has recognized that’s it’s in their own self interest to do so.”

Chinese leaders are implementing a so-called, “ecological red line” to safeguard areas where the environment is at greatest risk-such as Beijing, Tianjin and the Yangtze River.

At the same time, China’s dependency on coal dropped again last year. More than $4 million vehicles were taken off the road.

China is also a global leader in renewable energy and plans to invest more than $360 billion in the field over the next four years.

The U.S. went through its own environmental upheaval close to 50-years ago, passing sweeping legislation that helped clean up the air, water, and soil. Despite that, Louisiana’s watersways remain some of the most polluted in the nation.

The new administration wants dramatic cuts in the U.S.’ Environmental Protection Agency. And there is concern among many that U.S. President Trump’s mandate of “jobs first” could undo environmental progress in the United States.

China calls its “red line” strategy both a “bottom line” and a “lifeline.” if India makes renewable energy affordable, as China has done, environmentalists said India could also become a global leader in managing climate change.

While the U.S. could be heading in the opposite direction – under a president who denies man-made climate change.