All the cards for environmental protection are in Chen Jining’s hands

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　 The Ministry of Environmental Protection has recently released a plan to address soil pollution in China. Similar to the previously issued Air Pollution Prevention and Control Plan (September 2013) and Water Pollution Prevention and Control Plan (April 2015), the Soil Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan also consists of ten provisions, and is known as the \"Ten Measures for Soil Pollution Control\". “The \"Ten Measures for Air Pollution Control\", the \"Ten Measures for Water Pollution Control\" and the \"Ten Measures for Soil Pollution Control\" cover the three most important areas of environmental pollution in China. The sequence in which these three documents were issued reflects China’s assessment of priorities: air pollution is the most urgent issue, followed by water pollution, and then soil pollution. “The \"Ten Measures for the Atmosphere,\" the \"Ten Measures for Water,\" and the \"Ten Measures for Soil\" illustrate China’s basic approach to **addressing environmental pollution. Most of the three documents include elements such as “national surveys,” “information disclosure,” “multi-departmental coordination,” “governance timelines,” and “monitoring and accountability.” In terms of the efficiency with which he promoted the introduction of pollution control plans and legal revisions, Chen Jining, who took office as Minister of the Environment in 2015, lived up to the expectations placed on him. The document breaks down pollution prevention targets into phased goals, striving to align with the rhythm of the five-year socio-economic development plan; this is both part of China’s political tradition and reflects the characteristics of technical experts. But whether the implementation timelines set out in the \"Ten Measures for Air Pollution Control\", the \"Ten Measures for Water Pollution Control\" and the \"Ten Measures for Soil Pollution Control\" can be met is the real test. The goals of the Ministry of Environmental Protection rely on other departments for implementation. This involves the relationship between the Ministry of Environmental Protection and other departments, as well as the relationship between the central government and local governments. To implement the governance timeline, ensure \"information transparency\" and \"multi-departmental coordination\", and prevent \"testing and accountability\" from turning into what Chen Jining referred to as a \"paper tiger\", it is necessary to adjust the focus of China’s development. This is by no means something the Environmental Protection Department can take charge of. For a long time, environmental protection has had to give way to the needs of economic development, with both the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the environmental protection agencies at the local level found in a position of marginal power. The desire for growth is embedded not only in economic policies but also reflected in political and personnel systems. Factors that conflict with traditional growth models—whether it is environmental protection or workers’ rights—are all under pressure as a result. Now, the Ministry of Environmental Protection has several advantages. Firstly, China’s economic growth has slowed down, with both energy consumption and emissions decreasing ； Secondly, the traditional growth model is unsustainable; transformation, whether voluntary or forced, is imperative. Once again, GDP rankings rarely appear in the media these days, while air quality rankings are shared on the internet every day; the public’s tolerance for environmental pollution is approaching its psychological limit ； Finally, China **decided to take advantage of the situation and, together with the United States, drove forward the most ambitious international emission reduction plan to date – the Paris Agreement, something that was completely unimaginable just a few years ago. Despite numerous challenges, the importance of the Environmental Protection Department has risen significantly. Good cards are now in Chen Jining’s hands.