The People's Liberation Army is hosting the International
Conference on Military Environmental Protection, which opened this
week in Beijing.
The conference, focusing on the theme of environmentally
friendly construction and management of military zones, is hosted
by the PLA's Logistics Department. A platform for international
communication and cooperation, the conference is being held to
promote global military environmental protection and
construction.
Hundreds of delegates from 54 countries, including the United
States, Germany, France, Japan and India, are attending the
three-day meeting.
Du Yunsheng, director of the Infrastructure Construction Office
of the PLA's Logistics Department, said that the army has
intensified its efforts to protect the environment and has made
substantial progress in recent years in sustainable
development.
Military construction should be environmentally friendly, using
such means as incorporating pollution control facilities in
designs, said Du.
An evaluation system has also been established to examine the
effects of military construction and equipment on the
environment.
Environmental protection has been a part of PLA activities for
many years. For example, the army invested 4 million yuan
(US$480,000) in the early 1980s to tackle noise pollution caused by
an engine laboratory of the Air Force's No. 1 Research Institute.
The project reduced the affected area from 12.5 to 0.3 square
kilometers, bringing relief to 1,200 nearby households.
Professor Fang Zhendong, of the PLA's Logistical Engineering
University, said that the focus of the army's environmental efforts
is gradually shifting from afforestation to broader-based
environmental protection.
The PLA issued revisions to its Regulation on Environmental
Protection in August. The updated regulation establishes a complete
management system for environmental protection and personnel
training.
(China Daily October 13, 2004)
