Public awareness of environment grows

The public has become a leading force in environmental protection, according to a report released by a non-governmental organization on Thursday.

The Green Book of Environment, made by Friends of Nature, said more residents are becoming involved in environmental protection and they have learned how to effectively affect authorities' decision-making.

In the past, the public tolerated infringements on their environmental rights, and they would turn to laws only when their losses became unbearable. Now people believe it is their natural right to be involved in environmental protection and that their participation helps make government's decisions more efficient, said the report.

The organization also listed the top 10 environmental protection events that the public was involved in 2011.

The list included concerns raised by the public about PM2.5 - particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter - in the air, customers' request for Apple to investigate its suppliers suspected of violating environmental regulations, and Nanjing residents' opposition to removing trees to make way for subway construction.

Residents' and NGOs' strong concerns about PM2.5, a major health hazard that can trigger cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, pushed authorities to amend the country's air quality standards.

In March 2011, residents of Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province, noticed that the crowns of some trees had been cut, preparing them for removal. They expressed their disapproval by tying green ribbons on those trees, and a local environmental group launched an online campaign that included collecting "smiling" photos of people who supported protecting the trees.

Local authorities finally agreed to destroy no more trees for underground transportation construction and it later released a rule saying that construction projects would make way for tree protection and any removal of rare trees would first solicit opinions from the public.

In 2007, the government of Xiamen, a port city in East China's Fujian province, agreed to suspend construction of a highly polluting chemical project after the public expressed strong opposition. About 1 million text messages were sent to pressure the government to cancel the project.

Yang Dongping, director-general of Friends of Nature, said the environmental management mechanism should be further improved and that the public must begin taking action for environmental protection before polluting incidents.

"The public may become the most important force in China's environmental protection in the future, and the emergence and growth of 'green citizens' would help make the country's economic development and people's lifestyle more environmentally friendly," he said.

People's awareness of their rights is growing and the government is more democratic in decision-making, Jia Xijin, a public policy and management expert with Tsinghua University, was quoted as saying by the report.

And the faster and more proactive the government's action, the better it will be for social stability, Jia said.

chenxin1@chinadaily.com.cn