"China's environmental monitoring system and mechanism research group", written by Wang Haiqin and Cheng Huiqiang, Research Institute of Resources and Environment Policies, Development Research Center of the State Council (DRC)

Report No 143, 2014 (Total 4642)

Abstract:

Since the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015), China's environmental air quality monitoring power has made a breakthrough, with the monitoring market achieving progress and government procurement monitoring service getting improved. Innovations in the monitoring system have boosted high efficiency in the operation of the system. However, current reform has not yet solved some problems, such as the administrative intervention in the monitoring data by local governments, and insufficient local monitoring with its low efficiency. So, the government needs to make ecological progress as the target and pay attention to improving the quality of the monitoring data. The environmental monitoring dual management system, including central and local government and with central management playing a greater role, optimizes and adjusts the power division in environmental monitoring between the central and local government. In addition, government should deal with the relationship between market and government in air quality monitoring in a proper way. While strengthening its public service function in environmental monitoring, the government also needs to increase its efforts into purchasing a monitoring service, foster a diverse monitoring market, and strengthen supervision of the environmental monitoring market.