9. Building China into a beautiful homeland with a sound ecological environment

Fostering a sound ecological environment is vital for people's lives and the future of our nation. Smog is affecting larger parts of China and environmental pollution has become a major problem, which is nature's red-light warning against the model of inefficient and blind development. We must strengthen protection of the ecological environment and resolve to take forceful measures to complete this challenging task.

We will take strong measures to strengthen pollution prevention and control.

We will fully implement the plan for preventing and controlling air pollution, with the focus on mega cities and regions with frequent occurrence of smog. We will start by reducing PM10 and PM2.5 emissions, and focus on the following key areas: improving the industrial structure, raising energy efficiency, reducing vehicle exhaust emissions, and preventing and monitoring wind-borne dust.

We will improve the new mechanism involving government, enterprises and the general public, coordinate prevention and control efforts in affected regions, and fully implement the action plan for preventing and controlling air pollution.

This year, 50,000 small coal-fired furnaces will be shut down, and we will carry out desulphurization in coal-burning power plants with production capacity of 15 million kilowatts, denitrification in plants with 130 million kilowatts of production capacity, and dust removal in those with 180 million kilowatts of production capacity. Six million old high-emission vehicles will be removed from the roads, spread the use of new-energy vehicles and diesel fuel for vehicles that meets fourth-stage national standards will be provided nationwide.

We will implement the clean water action plan, strengthen the protection of sources of drinking water, prevent and control water pollution in key river basins, and carry out land restoration. We will control non-point agricultural source pollution and build beautiful rural areas. We will declare war against pollution and fight it with the same determination we battled poverty.

We will change the way energy is produced and consumed.

We will strengthen energy conservation and emissions reduction and impose a ceiling on total energy consumption. This year, we aim to cut energy intensity by more than 3.9%. The emissions of sulfur dioxide and chemical oxygen demand will both be reduced by 2%.

We will continue to raise the proportion of electricity generated by non-fossil fuel, develop smart grids and promote balanced distribution of energy resources, encourage the development of wind and solar power and biomass energy, and start construction of a number of hydropower and nuclear power projects. We will strengthen exploration, exploitation and utilization of natural gas, coal seam gas and shale gas.

We will reform pricing of resource products and establish a sound system of tiered pricing for household water and gas consumption. We will launch projects to enhance energy efficiency of buildings and subsidize the production of energy-efficient products; develop clean production, green and low-carbon technologies and the circular economy; and become better able to respond to climate change. We will intensify water and materials conservation and comprehensive utilization of resources. We will speed up the development and use of energy-efficient and environmentally friendly technologies and products and turn the energy conservation and environmental protection industries into dynamic sunrise industries.

We will move forward with ecological protection and development.

We will continue to carry out the project to convert marginal farmland back to forests and grassland, with this year's target being 333,300 hectares. We will implement major ecological projects to return grazing land to grassland, protect natural forests, prevent and control sandstorms, conserve water and soil, prevent and reverse the expansion of stony deserts, and recover wetlands.

We will strengthen ecological conservation at the sources of the Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang rivers. We will implement the functional zoning system and give impetus to the establishment of trans-regional and cross-watershed mechanisms to compensate for ecological damage. Ecological conservation and environmental protection benefit future generations. Governments at all levels and the whole society should act more vigorously to protect the land our lives depend on.