On The Existing Problems And Their Countermeasures In The Enviromental Management Of China's Local Governments

Environmental problems such as global warming, acid rain pollution, ozone depletion, desertification, destruction and pollution of marine resources, organic pollution, and so on, are increasingly attracting worldwide attention. The public has been aware that environmental issues, no longer far away from us, have a lot to do with each person's daily life. Therefore, the public has been actively involved in a variety of campaigns to protect the environment and to safeguard the survival of our planet. As the exerciser of public authority, the governor of public affairs, and the representative of public interest, government should assume the responsibility of environmental protection. According to The Stockholm Declaration, "the protection and improvement of the human environment is a major issue which affects the well-being of peoples and economic development throughout the world; it is the urgent desire of the peoples of the whole world and the duty of all Governments."Having experienced the periodic environmental problems brought about by the process of industrialization, developed countries have realized the importance of environmental and ecological protection, and taken environmental management as an important governmental function. Transforming the traditional modes of development, they have made outstanding progress in environmental management and environmental protection. China's economic development over the past few decades still followed the developed countries' old path of "treatment after pollution", paying a heavy environmental price. The conflict between the economy and the environment has become increasingly prominent. In recent years, the Chinese government has invested considerably in environmental protection and made a lot of efforts in environmental management. However, at present, China's environmental pollution is still rather serious and our tasks of preventing pollution are still arduous with the long-accumulated unsolved environmental problems and the continuously rising new ones. Therefore, it is urgent for the government to undertake the increasingly important function of protecting the environment so as to promote the economic development in harmony with population, resources and the environment.As administrative organs set up under the Central Government to take charge Of local affairs, Chinese local governments are endowed with an inescapable responsibility regarding the environmental management within its jurisdiction. Local governments' intervention in environmental protection is not only a fundamental function of the governments, but also an important part of the local development and an effective means to protect citizens' environmental rights. However, many problems and limitations still exist in Chinese local governments' implementation of their environmental management functions. Many significant environmental pollutions and destructions in recent years are directly related to local governments' acts of nonfeasance and misfeasance. It is only by improving and strengthening the environmental management functions of local governments that the Scientific Outlook on Development will be carried out and the goal of sustainable development achieved. Accordingly, this article will point out the problems that still exist in Chinese local governments' environmental management through the analysis of several pollution cases, and propose some countermeasures with reference to the successful experience of Western countries' local environmental governance in recent years. It is hoped that this article would help Chinese local governments to manage local environments in a more effective manner so as to better protect the environment we live in and achieve the harmonious coexistence between man and nature.