Chongqing - The newly-established Environmental Resources Sector of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) has enhanced its ability to perform environmental resource-related duties.

Yu Guodong, a member of the CPPCC National Committee and the director of the Chongqing Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau, believes that an emerging sector should perform new tasks. He also hopes to advocate with other members of the Environmental Resources Sector for the construction of ecological civilization in the future.

In the past five years, Yu Guodong has submitted 46 proposals as a 13th CPPCC National Committee member, most of which focused on environmental protection and sustainable development.

"This sector is what I give my full attention to." Yu said that he would perform his duties as a CPPCC member and do his job as a municipal bureau director. A list of problems found during research and work will be recorded first. As for problems to receive the attention due at the national level, he conducted further research, enriched and improved relevant content, and then formed proposals at the appropriate time.

In 2018, the CPPCC member submitted his first proposal on strengthening the prevention and control of soil pollution to the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress passed the Law on the Prevention and Control of Soil Pollution in August of that year. At the same time, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment also issued standards such as the Soil Environmental Quality-Agricultural Land Soil Pollution Risk Management and Control Standards (Trial).

Yu Guodong continued to pay close attention to deep-seated issues relating to soil pollution as his duties deepened. For example, sustainable soil pollution control and remediation technologies are not applied at a high rate. Meanwhile, too many enterprises operate on contaminated land, making it difficult to identify and hold responsible parties accountable. Last year, he submitted the Proposal to Further Strengthen the Prevention and Restoration of Soil Pollution based on in-depth research to drive investigations into soil pollution in typical industries and enterprises with their surrounding land, as well as to implement source control measures for heavy metal pollution in agricultural soils.

It has been highly appreciated by relevant national ministries and commissions to adopt some of Yu Guodong's suggestions regarding improving the environmental compensation mechanism for the Yangtze River Economic Belt, stabilizing the use of funds for the Three Gorges Project, and promoting an interprovincial compensation mechanism for ecological environments. Several suggestions have been adopted and implemented, resulting in improved living conditions, environmental protection, and sustainable growth.

As a member of the Environmental Resources Sector, newly established by the 14th CPPCC National Committee, Yu Guodong believes that many members with backgrounds in the environment, resources, energy, or industry were scattered in different fields, resulting in decentralized policy suggestions. In the field of environmental resources, the new Environmental Resources Sector strengthens duties.

Communication and exchange with environmental resource experts from all over China led Yu Guodong to take an interest in more new topics. For example, the relationship between population growth, economic development, cultural inheritance, and ecological protection in nature reserves. Creating an agricultural and rural area that conserves the environment and promotes industrial revitalization by making full use of the suburbs' ecological value.

According to Yu, issues in ecology include more than ecological pollution, such as ecosystem functions, ecosystem services, and the realization of the ecological product value. "I will continue to study, think, and contribute to developing ecological civilization and protecting the environment."