Latest comments posted about Fighting pollution on the Pearl River on ChinaDialogue en-gb http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/3266-Fighting-pollution-on-the-Pearl-River- http://staging.chinadialogue.net/images/cdlogo.gif http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/3266-Fighting-pollution-on-the-Pearl-River- The environmental crisis is one of the primary global issues faced in modern societal development. It is forcing humankind's survival and development to face a serious challenge and threat. The Declaration on the Human Environment passed by the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment states: "Both aspects of man's environment, the natural and the man-made, are essential to his well-being and the enjoyment of basic human rights, the right to life itself." Respecting and protecting human rights is inseparable from a certain social and international environment, and it is particularly inseparable from a specific natural ecological environment, because any activity, career, or behavior relating to respecting and protecting human rights can only happen in a certain natural ecological environment. Therefore, creating a natural ecological environment of respecting and protecting human rights is the collective responsibility of human society. Besides, the natural rights enjoyed by humans are a kind of natural (innate) right bestowed at birth; they cannot be taken away. Respecting and protecting human rights is the greatest topic for peace and development in the 21st century, and an eternal pursuit of human values. In a harmonious society, the country must treat "respecting and protecting human rights" as its soul, as a guide for society. It must be a society in which the people's survival rights, development rights, health rights and environmental rights all receive complete respect and protection. The degree to which a society is civilized is not only determined by its economic achievements, more importantly it is determined by the degree of its emphasis on and respect of human rights. Therefore, the respect and protection of human rights must be implemented at every level of life in society, including the aspect of the natural ecological environment, thus allowing every citizen to live with dignity, freedom, and happiness. Humans live in the larger environment of the universe and society; their physical and psychological wellness, their overall development, are inevitably closely linked to the environment. Some experts maintain that it is now known that aside from the approximately 20% of diseases that are purely hereditary, about 80% of diseases are caused by a combination of environmental and physical hereditary factors. For a period of time, in some places and departments, due to a lack of the necessary emphasis on environmental issues, have mistakenly understood development as purely development of production capacity of material goods. Thus, from the urging of profit and "political achievements", they unapologetically sacrifice and destroy the environment to pursue a higher GDP. In their one-sided view, environmental pollution can be fixed; they absolutely do not understand that complex ecological environments have been destroyed, and cannot all be saved by technological measures. They are irreplaceable. In some fields, the pursuit of profit has taken precedence over protection of the people's right to survival and development. The relationship between human development and the future is essentially the relationship between human development and the environment. The history of respect for and protection of human rights is also the history of the interrelationship between humans and the environment. The earth is the cradle of all life, and society is the system of our lives, so "respecting and protecting human rights" is a value system. Humankind's overall development - the fate of the future path of the respect and protection of human rights and the system of life in society will be determined by the harmonious relationship between man and nature. This is the basic implication of "respecting and protecting human rights" and the values it expresses. Translated by Tiffany Gray Wed, 16 Dec 2009 05:16:38 +0000 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/3266#comment-9625 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/3266#comment-9625 In order to include environmental protection efforts in the evaluation of local government officials it would be necessary first to quantify the desired environmental accomplishments expected for each local official. Unless an official were given an explicit, quantifiable goal with a well-defined time frame at the start of his/her work there would be no way to measure his/her effectiveness. Measuring economic growth is a much simpler process and easier to quantify. For example, an official might be given the charge “to increase factory profits by one percent over one year.” Without an official having a specific, quantifiable, stated goal at the start it would be impossible to measure the accomplishments of that individual even though he/she may possess appropriate environmental skills and knowledge. To measure environmental services that provide humans with clean water, air, and food is complex and not an easy process in any event, but establishing a quantifiable goal comes first. Walter Parham; parham305@aol.com Sat, 03 Oct 2009 13:38:48 +0000 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/3266#comment-9400 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/3266#comment-9400 Central government and local governments,more developed provinces and less developed provinces,environment protection agency and other related departments, all above mentioned have their own considerations but also they individually have their own hardship.Those are reasons,discovered by the author of this article after his objective analysis of the hardship facing the environmental protection in the Pan-Zhujing Delta Area,thereupon,is the common situation that China's environmental protection course faces.The cause of developing economy while protecting the environment itself is a challenging mission. With regard to transitional China ,its reform of economy and politics as well as the transformation of people's concept are not to be realized just by big talk.At present, people's increasing environmental consciousness as well as their life quality awareness stimulate them to oppose the way that we develop economy to the expense of environment.Ordinary people's participation in environmental protection will make huge contributions and it will turn out to be pleasurable tasks. Tue, 29 Sep 2009 00:05:48 +0000 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/3266#comment-9389 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/3266#comment-9389 The upstream places introduce industrial projects to prop up economic development, e.g.chemical plant,paper mill,while Guangdong,the rich downstream province,need Pearl River water with a good quality. One reason for pollution control plight of the Pearl River is the failure to coordinate the concern between upstream and downstream,as well as the absent of integrated planning of Pearl River development. Tue, 29 Sep 2009 03:12:01 +0000 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/3266#comment-9391 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/3266#comment-9391