More government efforts are needed to increase environmental protection, says a signed article in Xiaoxiang Morning Post. An excerpt follows:

Qu Geping, former director of the State Environmental Protection Administration, admitted last Wednesday that the targets set in the country's environmental protection plans have not been fully realized in the past 25 years.

As Qu stressed, "the environment protection plan is also part of our national economic program, which is as legally effective as other plans." Once the plan is made and publicized, the government should take up the responsibilities. The unachieved targets show a failure in law enforcement in the environmental protection field.

Law enforcement has failed for 25 years in this sector. And the public, of course, has questions: Who has shouldered the consequences of this failure? And how many government officials have been assessed as unqualified?

The Environmental Protection Law stipulates that the environmental protection administration at or above county level shall conduct unified supervision and management of environmental protection work within areas under their jurisdiction. But what punishment have these responsible departments received for their failure in supervision and management in 25 years?

The law also states that governments should be responsible for local environmental quality; obviously they ignored this part when pursuing the rapid increase of local gross domestic product.

We have environmental policies, laws and systems but we lack the accountability. That is also the reason for the continual failure of law enforcement. Local officials shoulder no responsibility for the failure. Enterprises that break the laws and cause pollution also accept little responsibility, while innocent creatures have to bear the consequences.

Related departments and local officials should reflect on the failure to meet environmental targets and should take prompt action to reverse the damage.

(China Daily April 18, 2006)