Editor's note:

Premier Li Keqiang pledged the government would work hard to make our skies blue again and thoroughly improve China's ecological environment, when delivering the 2017 Government Work Report. Environment protection has once again been one of the hot issues at the ongoing sessions of China's top legislature and political advisory body. What did lawmakers and political advisors say? What suggestions have been put forward?

On smog

"The central government will take harsher measures to curb winter smog in the north this year, especially by implementing fully the efforts in reducing coal consumption for heating. ... I can assure you that we can solve the air pollution issues faster than the developed countries."

-- Chen Jining, National People's Congress (NPC) deputy and minister of environmental protection

"By the end of this year, 90 percent of coal used in the province's rural areas will be replaced by clean energy, and environmentally friendly heat generation methods will be employed."

-- Guo Dajian, member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and secretary-general of the Hebei Provincial Committee of the CPPCC

On drain contamination

"The development of the Yangtze River Economic Zone must put environmental protection first. I suggest China should legislate Yangtze River protection as soon as possible, safeguarding the river's ecology with legal provisions."

-- Zhou Jianmin, member of the CPPCC National Committee and director of the Nanjing branch of Chinese Academy of Sciences

"Provincial governments should be encouraged to launch their own local regulations to protect soil environment and tackle soil pollution, before a national soil protection legislation comes."

-- Liu Xin, member of the CPPCC National Committee and director of the Food and Health Engineering School of Sun Yat-sen University