China targets individual behaviour with 'green living' campaign

(Eco Business, 5 Nov 2019) The campaign will use traditional Communist Party mobilisation methods to change individual behaviour rather than cracking down on companies as in the past.

China launched a national "green living" campaign on Wednesday to urge people to cut waste, save water and plant trees as part of a broader effort to reverse the damage done by decades of untrammeled growth.

While the government did not specify how its targets would be met or enforced, the campaign will use traditional Communist Party mobilisation methods to change individual behaviour rather than cracking down on companies as in the past.

By 2022, more than 60% of households would be expected to engage in "green living" activities such as tree-planting, wildlife protection, and cutting plastic waste.

Communist Party and government departments would have to meet requirements to recycle, purchase new-energy vehicles and create paperless offices, while schools would be expected to create "green campuses".

Urban residential districts would be expected to create "liveable environments" and increase green spaces, while shopping malls would be encouraged to cut waste and promote "green consumption".

China is the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases blamed for global warming. It has been waging war on pollution and modernising its heavy industrial economy in a bid to cut emissions and clean up its environment.

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Eco Business, 5 Nov 2019: China targets individual behaviour with 'green living' campaign