China sets up first environmental damage evaluation center

Xinhua news UPDATED: 20:22, December 15, 2006

China has recently set up its first national environmental damage evaluation center, which is expected to open to the public with professional assessment services.

The center, founded by the Chinese Society for Environmental Sciences (CSES), will take commissions from administrative departments, courts and other social organizations to help investigate and evaluate the degrees and effects of damages to the environment.

It will also judge the relations between pollution factors and environmental deterioration and give a conclusion report.

"Its evaluations will help solve environmental disputes more effectively," said an expert with CSES.

China has seen the number of complaints and protests over pollution up at an annual rate of 30 percent in recent years.

Earlier reports revealed that the damage to China's environment has wiped 10 percent off its GDP.

The country is now stepping up efforts to clear out pollution. It has pledged to launch a three-year nationwide investigation into the sources of environmental pollution at the beginning of 2008.

It is also considering to revise the Environmental Protection Law, which hasn't been amended since 1989 and was blamed too "soft" as fines were too low and local environment departments were not granted enough authority and power.

Technorati Tags: china, environment, damage, evaluation