Against the clarion call for the expansion of domestic demand, governments at various levels need to be reminded that this should never be at the cost of the environment. And neither should efforts in restoring the environment, badly damaged by economic growth in the past three decades, be compromised by an investment rush.

We have paid dearly for the lack of attention given to environmental protection during the early stages of our economic development - more than 70 percent of the country's major waterways have already been seriously polluted, threatening safe drinking water for people in some areas.

Even greater efforts are yet to be made to reduce the pollutants discharged by enterprises. Statistics show that major pollutants that are supposed to be reduced by 10 percent by the end of 2010 had only been cut by 2.3 percent by the end of 2003.

The goal to reduce energy intensity by 20 percent and major pollutants by 10 percent in the 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-10) is meant to gradually transform our economic growth into an energy-efficient and environmental friendly one.

Actually, the unfolding financial crisis that has had an impact on our economy more serious than expected, should be an opportunity for China to realize its long wished industrial restructuring to reduce both energy intensity and major pollutants.

In addition, the input in environmental protection projects will help create jobs and add to our gross domestic product (GDP).

We are not clear yet about how large the percentage of the stimulus package will be for environmental protection. But what the central government must be vigilant about is the launching of new energy-inefficient and polluting projects by local governments.

We cannot afford to further contaminate our environment. If we cannot for the time being spare very much from the stimulus package on efforts to rehabilitate our badly polluted environment and damaged ecology, we should at least not exacerbate the situation until it becomes irreversible.

However, for reasons such as local GDP figures or the instant economic benefits of polluting industries, environmental awareness might once again be put on the backburner when local leaders decide where investments should go.

The Central Economic Conference that was concluded last week reiterated the importance of industrial restructuring and put the word "sound" before "rapid" when mentioning development.

We sincerely hope that we will not see the lack of attention being given again to environmental protection in this round of development.

(China Daily December 15, 2008)