Understanding national conditions: **Key areas for environmental protection investment during the 11th Five-Year Plan period**

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Understanding national conditions: **Key areas for environmental protection investment during the 11th Five-Year Plan period I. Key areas of investment.** 　　To achieve the environmental protection goals of the 11th Five-Year Plan, national investment in environmental protection is required to account for approximately 1.35% of the gross domestic product during that period. 　　1. Water pollution control. 　　To achieve the goal of a 10% reduction in chemical oxygen demand, it is necessary to reduce chemical oxygen demand by 4 million tons through engineering measures; of this amount, an additional urban sewage treatment capacity of 45 million tons per day is required to create a reduction capacity of 3 million tons in chemical oxygen demand ； Industrial wastewater treatment reduces chemical oxygen demand by 1 million tons. Water pollution control is of top priority in terms of investment. 　　2. Control of air pollution. 　　To achieve the goal of reducing sulfur dioxide emissions by 10%, and given that nearly all new coal-fired power plants built during the 11th Five-Year Plan period were equipped with desulfurization facilities, it is also necessary to take engineering measures to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions from existing thermal power units by 4.9 million tons. This will bring the total desulfurization capacity of these operating thermal power units to 213 million kilowatts, while desulfurization projects such as those for steel sintering flue gas will provide an additional desulfurization capacity of 300,000 tons. Advance the comprehensive control of air pollution by addressing other industrial waste gases, as well as urban centralized heating and gas supply systems. String 2 　　3. Solid waste management. 　　Continue to implement the plans for building facilities for the treatment of hazardous and medical waste; increase the capacity for the harmless treatment of municipal solid waste by 240,000 tons per day, and advance the management of solid waste such as industrial solid waste and used home appliances through proper disposal and comprehensive utilization. 　　4. Nuclear safety and radioactive waste management. 　　Priority will be given to the development of facilities for the treatment and disposal of decommissioned nuclear facilities and medium- to low-level radioactive waste, as well as those for pollution control in uranium mining. 　　5. Rural pollution control and ecological protection. 　　Implement the environmental protection action plan for rural prosperity, initiate rural environmental management, conduct surveys and remediation of soil pollution, and strengthen the development of key ecological function areas and nature reserves. 　　6. Capacity building. 　　Build an advanced environmental monitoring and early warning system as well as a comprehensive environmental law enforcement and supervision system, and enhance the support provided by environmental protection technologies and industries. 　　II. Sources of investment. 　　1. **Investment.** The construction of environmental infrastructure, comprehensive management of key river basins, nuclear and radiation safety, treatment of pollution in rural areas, development of nature reserves and important ecological function areas, as well as the enhancement of environmental supervision capabilities, are primarily funded by local governments at all levels, with the central government providing support depending on the specific circumstances. 　　2. Corporate investment. 　　Industrial pollution control is the responsibility of enterprises, in accordance with the principle of \"polluter pays\". The investment required for addressing existing pollution sources is covered by enterprises using their own funds or bank loans. Environmental protection investments for new expansion and renovation projects must be included in the investment plan for construction projects. 　　It is necessary to make active use of market mechanisms to attract social investment and create a diversified pattern of funding. “During the 11th Five-Year Plan period, it is estimated that 75 billion yuan in pollution fees can be collected to fund pollution control efforts. These funds will be used to provide subsidies or interest discounts in order to encourage banks, particularly policy banks, to actively support environmental protection projects.