The Ministry of Environmental Protection announced the emission reduction targets for 2010

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At the National Environmental Protection Work Conference held on January 25, the Ministry of Environmental Protection announced to the public the pollution reduction targets for 2010: on top of completing the reduction targets one year ahead of schedule, efforts would be made to cut sulfur dioxide emissions by another 400,000 tons compared to the previous year； On the basis of achieving the goals set for the 11th Five-Year Plan, efforts will be made to reduce chemical oxygen demand emissions by another 200,000 tons or more. Facing the new emission reduction targets, Sun Weishan, deputy secretary-general of the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Association, told reporters on January 26 that it is worth looking forward to the industry meeting or even exceeding the energy conservation and emission reduction goals set for the 11th Five-Year Plan this year. According to preliminary estimates by the Ministry of Environmental Protection, in 2009 nationwide emissions of chemical oxygen demand and sulfur dioxide continued to show a downward trend in both cases; the reduction target for sulfur dioxide was achieved one year ahead of schedule. It is understood that this achievement is the result of the Ministry of Environmental Protection’s strict control over projects related to high pollution, high energy consumption, and high resource usage, as well as overcapacity and redundant construction projects. In 2009, the Ministry of Environmental Protection approved 400 environmental impact assessment documents for construction projects, with a total investment of 2.7 trillion yuan ； Decisions were made to return the environmental impact assessment documents for 49 projects with a total investment of 190.48 billion yuan, to deny approval for them, or to postpone their approval. Regarding the pollution reduction targets set for this year, Sun Weishan said that even amid the financial crisis, efforts to reduce emissions in the petrochemical industry have not been relaxed in any way, and the industry should have the confidence to meet these targets. He said that in 2009, the petrochemical industry took advantage of the low point caused by the financial crisis to carry out adjustments, phasing out outdated production capacity while upgrading environmental protection equipment and optimizing various environmental testing methods; now that the economic situation in this industry has recovered, these measures can come into play. Of course, to further reduce sulfur dioxide emissions, desulfurization technology is crucial. In response, Hu Qianlin, Deputy Secretary-General of the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Association, and Zhou Xianhui, Deputy Secretary-General and Director of the Quality, Safety and Environmental Protection Department, stated that although the chemical industry emits sulfur dioxide during production, we now possess relatively advanced desulfurization technologies that not only **reduce the amount of sulfur dioxide emitted, but also enable the recycling of sulfur dioxide generated during production. Sun Weishan told reporters that another important indicator for energy conservation and emission reduction is carbon dioxide emissions. At present, the petrochemical industry is taking active actions to implement effective measures and technical solutions to reduce carbon emissions. According to the \"Key Points for National Environmental Monitoring Work in 2010\" released by the Ministry of Environmental Protection recently, this year environmental protection agencies will expand the scope of environmental monitoring, and areas with the necessary resources should actively carry out monitoring of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. At the same time, it is necessary to strengthen the monitoring of sulfur dioxide in the air and the permanganate index in surface water, and use the changes in their concentrations to assess the effectiveness of efforts to reduce the total amount of major pollutants. Source: Sinochem New Network