China's new Air Pollution Law omits key measures in war on smog

中国颁布新《大气污染防治法》

• “China’s first major revision to its 15-year-old air pollution law will do more at the regional level to cut down on smog, but there are glaring omissions, such as a cap on coal use.”
• “Several new elements have been added in the revised law, including articles about regional prevention and control of pollution, an alert system that gives warnings on weather conditions that worsen smog, and limits on particular levels of polluting compounds, particularly in vehicle fuels.”
• “The new law clarifies the link between air quality and the total emissions of pollutants, and provides a legislative foundation for the 2013 air pollution action plan.”
• 中国新颁布的《大气污染防治法》虽有瑕疵，但理顺了大气环境质量和污物排放总量的关系，对污染行为更具威慑力。
• 新“大气法”理顺了大气环境质量和污物排放总量的关系，除了响应“大气十条”的要求，将挥发性有机物、生活性排放等物质和行为纳入监管范围、严控船舶大气污染排放、加强重污染天气预警外，还加强了与《环境保护法》的衔接。
• “大气法”的修订，主要是为2013年出台的“大气十条”（大气污染防治十条措施”的简称）提供法律依据。

• Jiwen Chang: deputy head of the Resources and Environment Policy Institute, part of the State Council's Development Research Centre.
• Liansai Dong: Greenpeace’s climate and energy campaigner. He says: “The lack of a cap on coal is another drawback”.
• 常纪文：国务院发展研究中心资源与环境政策研究所副所长
• 王金南：环保部环规院副院长兼总工

• As part of its war on pollution, China's government is trying to give environmental inspectors stronger powers and more resources to take action against persistent polluters and the local governments that are blamed for protecting them.
• The new law has positives and negatives. However, the responsibility for people doesn’t really addressed in this article.
• 作为治理污染的一部分，中国政府将加大环境监察力度，并对排污者的行为加大管制力度，地方政府将不允许徇私舞弊。
• 新发有利有弊，但公众的责任并没有在这里描述。

• The legislative process of improving air quality is hard, but China is making effort in protecting the environment through this new Air Pollution Law. Although it may not be perfect.
• There are too many ways of polluting the air, the regulation should be revised more than several times. So I think even the current version of Air Pollution Law is relative new, but it still has deficiencies.
• The law of air pollution should be implemented instead of just presented on the paper. Just like Jiwen Chang, deputy head of the Resources and Environment Policy Institute, said that the legislation should be enforced through government powers, rather than just expressions of intent. The emphasis on enforcement, absolutely critical in China where edicts are often ignored at local level, is very much a secondary consideration in the new law on air pollution.
• 通过法制来提供空气质量的道路很艰难，但是中国正通过新《大气污染防治法》来改善环境，或许它并不完善，但却至关重要。
• 污染空气的来源太多了，防治法需要多次作出修改。所以我认为虽然新的防治法很新了，但是它依旧有待完善。
• 像国务院发展研究中心资源与环境政策研究所副所长常纪文说的那样，法律和政策的区别要义在于前者具有国家强制力保障的可实施性，立法不能像写宣言，必须保证其实施效果。