 | You can helpexpand this article with text translated fromthe corresponding article in Chinese. (March 2023)Click [show] for important translation instructions.
|
| 中华人民共和国生态环境部 | |
 | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | March 2008; 17 years ago (2008-03) |
| Preceding agency |
|
| Type | Constituent Department of the State Council (cabinet-level executive department) |
| Jurisdiction | Government of China |
| Headquarters | Beijing |
| Minister responsible | |
| Deputy Ministers responsible |
|
| Agency executives |
|
| Parent agency | State Council |
| Website | www |
TheMinistry of Ecology and Environment is anexecutive-department of theState Council of the People's Republic of China, responsible for the ecological and environmental affairs. It is the 15th-ranked department in the State Council.
The Ministry is the nation's environmental protection department charged with the task of protecting China's air, water, and land from pollution and contamination. Directly under theState Council, it is empowered and required by law to implement environmental policies and enforce environmental laws and regulations. Complementing its regulatory role, it funds and organizes research and development.
In 1972, Chinese representatives attended the FirstUnited Nations Conference on the Human Environment, held inSweden. The next year, 1973, saw the establishment of the Environmental Protection Leadership Group. In 1983, the Chinese government announced that environmental protection would become a state policy. In 1998, China went through a disastrous year of serious flooding, and the Chinese government upgraded the Leading Group to a ministry-level agency, which then became the State Environmental Protection Administration.[citation needed]
In March 2008, the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) was established, replacing the State Environmental Protection Administration.[citation needed]
During 2016–2017, the MEP temporarily shut down approximately 40% of all Chinese factories as part of an environmental protection campaign.[1]: 90
Pollutant trading programs were administered under the MEP and local Environmental Protection Bureaus until 2018.[1]: 78
In 2018, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) was established as part of thedeepening the reform of the Party and state institutions,[2]: 95 replacing the MEP.[3] A number of environmental policy functions were merged from other ministries into the MEE, including climate policy previously under theNational Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and a number of environmental policy functions previously under theMinistry of Water Resources and theState Oceanic Administration.[2]: 95 Pollutant and carbon emissions trading programs, which had previously been under the MEP's jurisdiction, were also placed within the MEE's control.[1]: 78
In 2019, the MEE established theBRI International Green Development Coalition as a joint project with the environmental agencies of twenty-five other countries.[4]: 60
According to regulations concerning the Ministry, the MEE is responsible for protecting, regulating, and monitoring the environment, as well as enforcing environmental policies.[5] It is responsible for pollution control, conserving the ecosystem, formulating environmental standards, conducting environmental impact assessments, environmental protection inspections, addressing climate change, supervising emissions reduction targets, supervising nuclear safety, as well as international environmental cooperation.[5][6] It also has jurisdiction over China'snuclear safety agency.[7]
MEE regulates water quality, ambient air quality, solid waste, soil, noise, radioactivity. In the area of R&D activities, MEE's predecessor MEP has funded a series of "Key Laboratories" in different parts of the country, including: Laboratory for Urban Air Particles Pollution Prevention and Control for Environmental Protection, Laboratory on Environment and Health, Laboratory onIndustrial Ecology, Laboratory on Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Recovery, and Laboratory on Biosafety.[8]
In addition, MEE also administers engineering and technical research centers related to environmental protection, including: Center for Non-ferrous Metal Industrial Pollution Control, Center for Clean Coal and Ecological Recovery of Mines, Center for Industrial Waste Water Pollution Control, Center for IndustrialFlue Gas Control, Center forHazardous Waste Treatment, and Center forSolid Waste Treatment and Disposal of Mines.[8]
China is experiencing an increase in environmental complaints: In 2005, there were 51,000 disputes over environmental pollution, according to SEPA minister Zhou Shengxian. From 2001 to 2005, Chinese environmental authorities received more than 2.53 million letters and 430,000 visits by 597,000 petitioners seeking environmental redress.[9]
There are 12 offices and departments under MEE, all at thesi (司) level in the government ranking system. They carry out regulatory tasks in different areas and make sure that the agency is functioning accordingly. The MEE is the administrative home of the ministerial-level Special Envoy for Climate Change Affairs, China's top envoy on international climate change negotiations. The Special Envoy is supported by the MEE's Office of Climate Change Affairs, headed by a vice minister.[6]
| Department | Chinese Name |
|---|---|
| General Administrative Office | (办公厅) |
| Department of Human Resources & Institutional Affairs | (行政体制与人事司) |
| Department of Planning and Finance | (规划与财务司) |
| Department of Policies, Laws and Regulations | (政策法规司) |
| Department of Science & Technology and Standards | (科技标准司) |
| Pollution Control Office | (污染控制司) |
| Natural Ecosystem Protection Office | (自然生态保护司) |
| Department of Environmental Impact Assessment | (环境影响评价管理司) |
| International Cooperation Office | (国际合作司) |
| Department of Nuclear Safety | (核安全管理司) |
| Environmental Inspection Office | (环境监察局) |
| Office of Agency & Party Affairs | (机关党委) |
| Position | Person Name |
|---|---|
| Minister of Ecology and Environment | Huang Runqiu |
| Vice Minister of Ecology and Environment | Sun Jinlong,Zhai Qing,Zhao Yingmin,Ye Min |
| Head of the Discipline Inspection & Supervision Group Dispatched From the CCDI & the NSC | Kurexi Maihesuti |
In 2006, SEPA opened five regional centers to help with local inspections and enforcement. Today, the five centers are direct affiliates of MEE:[6]
| Region | Head Office | Enforcement Area |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern Center | Nanjing | Shanghai,Jiangsu,Zhejiang,Anhui,Fujian,Jiangxi, andShandong. |
| Southern Center | Guangzhou | Hunan,Hubei,Guangdong,Guangxi, andHainan. |
| Northwestern Center | Xi'an | Shaanxi,Gansu,Qinghai,Xinjiang, andNingxia. |
| Southwestern Center | Chengdu | Chongqing,Sichuan,Guizhou,Yunnan, andTibet. |
| Northeastern Center | Shenyang | Liaoning,Jining, andHeilongjiang. |
| MEE headquarters | Beijing | Beijing,Tianjing,Hebei,Henan,Shanxi, andInner Mongolia. |
.svg)