Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) – The Chinese China has for the first time published a national list of over 6 thousand factories and companies considered “extreme polluters”, on the State Environmental Protection Administration (Sepa) website. Sepa admitted last month that the country had failed to meet its conservation and pollution targets last year. It has criticised the top power producers and four local governments for falling short of standards.
The administration has proposed a solution to the problem; all the listed companies should install automatic monitoring and control systems connected to local environmental protection bureaus.
The bureaus in turn would conduct site inspections at least once a month. The administration said it would use the collected data as primary sampling to estimate the nation's total industrial emissions, which will be made public on a quarterly basis.
Of the industrial polluters, 3,592 were found to be serious polluters of the air, with sulphur dioxide, smog and industrial dust emissions accounting for at least 65 per cent of the plant's total emissions.
A further 3,115 were found to be serious polluters of water, with industrial wastewater discharges of ammonia, nitrogen and organic compounds accounting for more than 65 per cent of total discharges. A total of 641 companies were listed at serious polluters of both air and water.
Featuring on the list – which Sepa said would be updated annually - big state-owned enterprises such as China National Offshore Oil Corporation's Nanhaixi branch and the steel plant of Beijing Shougang Company.
According to Ma Jun, head of the non-government Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, said the list showcased Sepa's increasing efforts to cut industrial pollution. He added “It helps the administration monitor industrial polluters more closely and draw more public pressure”.
China is the world's largest emitter of acid-rain-causing sulphur dioxide and by 2009 may pass the United States as the top emitter of carbon dioxide - the chief human-generated greenhouse gas behind global warming. It has promised to cut major pollution emissions by 10 per cent between last year and 2010, but failed to meet the annual target of reducing emissions by 2 per cent last year.