Description
The rapid pace of growth, the sectoral structure of the economy, the sources of energy used, and increased urbanization are four large-scale drivers behind the complex environmental agenda of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). To improve the quality of the ambient environment, the recently released Macro Strategic Research Report on the PRC’s Environment recognized the need for changing the momentum of the four driving forces, and included visions throughout 2050 for long-term environmentally sustainable development.

Revisiting these visions for the future, this paper examines the key elements that the government needs to keep in mind in its efforts toward environmentally sustainable development, and articulates the role that the Asian Development Bank can play in contributing to the government’s environmental agenda in the next decade.

Contents

• Foreword
• Introduction
• Economic Growth and the Environment
• Relative Success of the 11th Five-Year Plan and Key Contributing Factors
• Critical Environmental Situation in the People’s Republic of China
• Toward an Environmentally Sustainable Future
• Role of the Asian Development Bank
• References