THE CENTRAL LEADERSHIP of the Communist Party of China and the State Council authorized accelerating the construction of an ecological civilization. A document issued on Tuesday said the declining ecology is already limiting the nation's further development and emphasized that China's ecological civilization is an integral part of national rejuvenation. Comments:

One of the breakthroughs of the new document is the idea that everyone needs to participate in constructing an ecological civilization. The government, enterprises, and individuals - each of the participants in the economy should meet the requirements of constructing an ecological civilization and not damage the natural environment by its activities, because the process needs the joint efforts of all.

Xu Shaoshi, head of the National Development and Reform Commission, May 6

Gone are the days when economic development came at the price of the natural environment, as well as the idea that economy and ecology are against each other. We need to boost economic prosperity while protecting the ecological environment, which would make environmental protection a sustainable business. That requires us to develop green industries that raise people's living standards without damaging the environment, which in turn requires upgrading of the national economic structure.

People's Daily, May 6

The authorities used to launch campaigns to protect the ecology, but the process of building an ecological civilization won't be possible without long-term mechanisms. The document propounds some principles, and the next thing to do is to make enough relevant laws and regulations with detailed clauses for people to obey; the laws should vary from place to place according to their different situations. A timetable or road map might be a good choice to do these jobs in a rational order.

Wang Yi, a researcher on scientific policy at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, May 5

The document promises golden opportunities for the development of green industries, such as energy saving, environmental protection, recycling of resources and new energy. Currently the energy saving industry accounts for 2 percent of the national GDP while new energy accounts for 8 percent; they will continue rising and become the pillar industries of the national economy in the future.

Wang Xuejun, a professor at the College of Urban and Environmental Science, Peking University, May 5

(China Daily USA 05/07/2015 page11)