©️Chinese Academy for Environmental Planning

The China Academy of Environmental Planning (CAEP) held a meeting on behalf of the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) to consult environmental organizations on what to emphasize and include in the 13th Five Year Plan (FYP 2016-2020). On September 23, members of the Environmental Law Project attended the meeting and stressed two key points: 1) China must set more ambitious goals than those of in previous FYPs to truly restrain widespread environmental degradation; and 2) The FYP should emphasize regulation enforcement and include an effective mechanism for ensuring information transparency and public participation. China’s FYP is the most important official document for setting economic and social development goals, so it is a positive sign that the government is consulting NGOs to plan high-level policy.