During the 13th Five Year Plan period, China's ecological environment monitoring network construction has achieved unprecedented remarkable results. "Bai Qiuyong, Director of the Ecological Environment Monitoring Department of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, said at the Ministry of Ecology and Environment's regular press conference in May that the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, together with the National Development and Reform Commission and other departments, is conducting in-depth research and accelerating the preparation of the" 14th Five Year Plan "ecological environment monitoring plan. Currently, the main ideas are basically mature.

Ecological environment monitoring data: one hand focuses on "authenticity" and the other on "cracking down on counterfeits"
Ecological environment monitoring data is the basic basis for evaluating the quality of the ecological environment, assessing the effectiveness of pollution control and ecological protection, and implementing ecological environment management and decision-making. The Ministry of Ecology and Environment has zero tolerance for fraudulent monitoring data and resolutely implements the requirements of the "Opinions on Deepening Environmental Monitoring Reform and Improving the Quality of Environmental Monitoring Data". It places prominent emphasis on lawful monitoring, scientific monitoring, and honest monitoring, and works together with relevant departments to ensure both "authenticity" and "anti-counterfeiting". To ensure the comprehensiveness, accuracy, objectivity, and authenticity of ecological environment monitoring data, Bai Qiuyong further explained, "Strict quality control measures are used to ensure the authenticity and accuracy of data, standardized scientific methods are used to support monitoring work, and strict disciplinary measures are taken to combat monitoring fraud
According to a survey conducted by the Development Research Center of the State Council, the authenticity of environmental quality monitoring data from the government, especially the central government, has significantly improved, and the subjective perception of the public is basically consistent with objective environmental data. However, the current self-monitoring data quality of polluting units, especially the automatic monitoring data quality of key polluting units, is not satisfactory and has become a prominent weakness in monitoring quality management.
In the view of Bai Qiuyong, the recent environmental violation case of Tangshan Iron and Steel Enterprise can be summarized in three sentences: illegal production, illegal pollution discharge, and fraud. In terms of falsification, including falsification of production facility records, falsification of monitoring systems, and falsification of monitoring data, it is a whole process of falsification.
In fact, in recent years, not only have polluting enterprises tampered with and falsified monitoring data, but there have also been many cases of data falsification by third-party operation and maintenance companies.
Bai Qiuyong believes that the quality of monitoring data is the "lifeline" of ecological environment monitoring. Monitoring in accordance with the law, scientific monitoring, and integrity monitoring are unified requirements for ecological environment monitoring institutions at all levels and types. There are no exceptions and no exceptions are allowed.
Bai Qiuyong stated that after efforts, the overall environmental quality monitoring data in China is true and reliable, but the situation of self monitoring by polluting units and fraudulent practices by third-party pollution source monitoring and operation organizations still exists. Regarding this, Bai Qiuyong introduced that the next step will be to focus on several aspects of work: "Firstly, to accelerate the promulgation of the Ecological Environment Monitoring Regulations. Secondly, to maintain a high-pressure situation in cracking down on counterfeits. At the same time, we will make good use of economic means such as environmental protection taxes, ecological environment damage compensation, and credit evaluations to make counterfeiters pay an unbearable price and create an atmosphere of 'dare not fake'

Thoroughly implement the responsibility of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment for "unified monitoring and evaluation"
In the "Outline of Ecological Environment Monitoring Plan (2020-2035)" released by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, it is mentioned that by 2025, a unified ecological environment monitoring network will be basically established, and a unified monitoring and evaluation mechanism will be formed. So, what is the current progress of this work?
Bai Qiuyong introduced that during the 13th Five Year Plan period, China's ecological environment monitoring network construction has achieved unprecedented remarkable results, basically realizing the construction goals of "comprehensive point setting, nationwide networking, automatic warning, and legal accountability". The ecological environment monitoring capacity has significantly improved, the quality of ecological environment monitoring data has steadily improved, and the "truthfulness, accuracy, and completeness" of monitoring data have been effectively guaranteed, mainly reflected in the following four aspects:
Comprehensive Point Setting "- Establishing an ecological environment monitoring network that conforms to China's national conditions and is in line with international standards, basically achieving full coverage of environmental quality ecological quality pollution source elements, land sea air space coverage, and national regional city district coverage at different scales. Through regular or real-time monitoring, the national ecological environment status and changing trends can be grasped.
National Networking "- Data from approximately 33000 monitoring stations at the local and corporate levels are shared with the national network, and a national ecological environment monitoring big data platform is being constructed. Monitoring data is gradually shifting from segmentation to aggregation. Various monitoring data reports are timely and authoritative released, and polluting units strengthen their self-monitoring information and actively disclose it. The public's right to know, participate, and supervise environmental quality is effectively guaranteed.
Automatic warning "- At the national level, real-time automatic monitoring and warning of air and surface water environmental quality in key areas, watersheds, and cities have been achieved, and local automatic monitoring has further extended to heavily polluted counties, important water bodies, and drinking water sources. Establishing an air quality prediction and forecasting system from scratch, predicting heavy pollution processes 7-10 days in advance, and achieving an accuracy rate of over 90% for predicting moderate to severe pollution processes. It plays an important role in ensuring air quality during heavy pollution weather peak shaving and major events.
'Legal accountability' - Establish an environmental quality assessment, ranking, notification, and warning system based on monitoring results to provide support for local government's environmental quality assessment and ecological environment protection supervision; Establish a "double random" law enforcement monitoring mechanism that synchronizes pollution source monitoring and environmental law enforcement, basically realizing the linkage of monitoring and management, and providing support for investigating and punishing environmental violations by polluting units.
Next, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment will thoroughly implement the "unified monitoring and evaluation" responsibilities entrusted to it by the Party Central Committee and the State Council, and firmly promote the "unified organization and leadership, unified planning and layout, unified standards and norms, unified data management, and unified information release" of ecological environment monitoring. One is to strengthen the construction of the legal system and top-level design. The second is to vigorously promote departmental cooperation and accelerate the formation of "one network, one set of numbers". The third is to uniformly release ecological environment monitoring information.

Answer the questions of "why, what, and how to do" in ecological environment monitoring during the 14th Five Year Plan period
Ecological environment monitoring is the foundation of ecological environment protection and an important support for the construction of ecological civilization. During the 14th Five Year Plan period, to grasp the new development stage, implement the new development concept, and construct a new development pattern, it is necessary to systematically answer the questions of "why, what, and how to do" in ecological environment monitoring, continuously improve top-level design, and comprehensively promote the high-quality development of ecological environment monitoring. Bai Qiuyong introduced that since April 2020, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, together with the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Water Resources, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the State Administration for Market Regulation, the Meteorological Bureau, etc., has conducted in-depth research and accelerated the preparation of the "14th Five Year Plan" ecological environment monitoring plan. Currently, the main ideas have basically matured. In summary, it is the 'four improvements'.
Enhance overall integrity and build a "big monitoring" pattern. Clarify the responsibilities and obligations of all parties, form a joint monitoring work force led by the government, coordinated by departments, fulfilled by enterprises, participated by society, and supervised by the public. Actively fulfill the functions of the main responsible department, strengthen overall coordination and division of labor cooperation, and fully leverage the advantages of relevant departments. Deepen the operation mechanism of "who assesses, who monitors", coordinate the construction of national and local ecological environment monitoring networks, and promote the interconnection and sharing of monitoring data information. Consolidate the main responsibility of self-monitoring by polluting units, standardize and promote the socialization of monitoring services, gather public supervision forces, and promote the industry culture of "lawful monitoring, scientific monitoring, and honest monitoring".
Enhance systematicity and establish a 'full coverage' network. Focusing on "improving gas, reducing carbon emissions, strengthening ecology, increasing water, stabilizing soil, and preventing risks", we will unify the planning and construction of an ecological environment monitoring "one network" that covers environmental quality, ecological quality, and pollution source monitoring. At present, the monitoring networks for environmental air, surface water, groundwater, ocean, soil, etc. in the 14th Five Year Plan period have been optimized and adjusted, and are operating in an orderly manner. We are focusing on promoting the construction of ecological quality monitoring networks and carbon monitoring pilot work.
Enhance collaboration and accelerate the transformation towards' high-quality '. Adhere to high-quality networking, adhere to the principles of "supporting management, focusing on performance, seeking truth from facts, and increasing or decreasing" in network layout, enhance the scientificity, representativeness, and effectiveness of point layout, strengthen the coordinated control and monitoring of fine particulate matter and ozone, water resources, water environment, water ecology, and pilot monitoring of new pollutants. Ensure high-quality data, continuously improve the ecological environment monitoring quality supervision and management system, standard specification system, and quantity traceability system, and severely crack down on the falsification of monitoring data. Realize high-quality evaluation, do a good job in ecological environment quality evaluation ranking, information disclosure, early warning supervision, enhance the ability of big data analysis and application, and form a full chain support covering current situation evaluation, pollution tracing, prediction and forecasting, and effectiveness evaluation.
Enhance innovation and strengthen the ability to modernize. By utilizing the integrated technology of heaven and earth, we will vigorously enhance the perception ability, technical experimentation ability, quality management ability, and intelligent analysis application ability of the monitoring network, promote the construction of an innovative system for monitoring industry university research application, implement a number of key engineering projects, and accelerate the modernization of the monitoring system and monitoring capabilities.
Source: China Economic Herald
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