Key Takeaways & Executive Findings
- •• • The governance process is divided into four stages from 2000 to 2035, with the current stage (2026-2030) focusing on comprehensive implementation and in-depth layout, requiring a shift from uniform national frameworks to differentiated local strategies to address varying industrial structures and pollution baselines. • • The paper identifies a critical bottleneck: the lack of a unified data sharing platform, leading to fragmented data and repetitive research. It recommends establishing a national open data system integrating monitoring, toxicological, and governance data, with dedicated teams for data processing and analysis. • • A 'diversified evaluation' system is proposed to differentiate assessment criteria for basic research versus management support research, providing stable policy support and resources to teams with long-term management impact, addressing the mismatch between research output and management needs. • • For international promotion, the paper suggests standardizing English terminology for new pollutants, integrating traditional ecological wisdom, and utilizing multilateral platforms and digital media to enhance China's global environmental governance influence, with a goal of achieving 'concept-technology' bidirectional empowerment.
Abstract
The governance of new pollutants is a major strategic deployment made by China after fully building a moderately prosperous society and embarking on a new journey to comprehensively build a modern socialist country. Guided by the new development philosophy, it adheres to high-quality development, promotes economic structural transformation, and safeguards people's livelihood. This paper divides China's new pollutant governance process from the beginning of the 21st century to 2035 into four progressive stages: compliance-driven local exploration, systematic construction of strategic transformation, comprehensive implementation and in-depth layout, and long-term control and modernization improvement. It systematically reviews the development of management systems, technical standards, and basic research in each stage, clarifying the strategic position of new pollutant governance in coordinating development and security. At the critical transition between the 14th and 15th Five-Year Plans, the paper summarizes achievements and shortcomings based on the implementation of the Action Plan for the Governance of New Pollutants, proposing optimization paths for the 15th Five-Year Plan period. Key recommendations include establishing a national data sharing platform to integrate monitoring, toxicological, and governance data, implementing a diversified evaluation system to distinguish basic research from management support research, and guiding differentiated local implementation to avoid a one-size-fits-all approach. The paper emphasizes the need for international promotion to enhance China's discourse power in global environmental governance, and suggests building a multi-dimensional international communication system. These measures aim to improve the quality and efficiency of new pollutant governance, providing theoretical and practical guidance for building a Beautiful China.
1. Introduction
China's rapid industrialization has led to the emergence of new pollutants, including persistent organic pollutants, endocrine disruptors, and antibiotics, posing significant risks to ecosystems and human health. Existing governance frameworks, primarily driven by international conventions, have been fragmented and reactive, lacking a systematic approach to address the full lifecycle of these chemicals. The Action Plan for the Governance of New Pollutants, launched in 2022, marked a strategic shift, but its implementation has revealed critical bottlenecks: data silos, insufficient coordination between research and management, and a uniform national approach that fails to account for regional disparities.
This paper addresses these bottlenecks by proposing a phased governance framework from 2000 to 2035, with a focus on the transition from the 14th to the 15th Five-Year Plan period. It emphasizes the need for a unified national data platform to integrate multi-source information, a diversified evaluation system to incentivize management-relevant research, and differentiated local implementation strategies. These measures are designed to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of new pollutant governance, ensuring that China's approach is both scientifically robust and practically implementable, ultimately contributing to global environmental governance.
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PAN Xun, WEI Yanjie, DONG Huiyu (2026). Exploration, Practice and Prospect of New Pollutants Governance in China. Environmental Chemistry. https://doi.org/10.7524/j.issn.0254-6108.2026020803
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Frequently Asked Questions
What specific mechanisms are proposed to overcome the data fragmentation issue in new pollutant governance?
The paper proposes establishing a national new pollutant data open system under the National New Pollutant Governance Technology Center, integrating monitoring, toxicological, governance technology, and policy data. It includes data upload, sharing constraints, and incentive mechanisms, and cultivates professional data processing teams to clean, analyze, and model data, providing datasets for management and data retrieval services for research institutions.
How does the diversified evaluation system address the mismatch between research output and management needs?
The system distinguishes evaluation criteria for basic theoretical research and management support research. For teams with long-term management support and significant impact, it provides stable policy support and resource allocation in project applications, funding, and awards, thereby encouraging research that directly addresses management bottlenecks.
What are the key challenges in local implementation of new pollutant governance, and how does the paper propose to address them?
Challenges include weak foundations, insufficient personnel, and capability gaps among local managers, leading to difficulties in understanding and enforcing policies. The paper suggests moving away from a uniform 'one-size-fits-all' approach, instead guiding local governments to design tailored action plans, reducing unnecessary reporting and inspections, and promoting demonstration projects in key industries like petrochemicals, printing and dyeing, and pesticides.
What international communication strategies are recommended to enhance China's influence in global environmental governance?
Strategies include standardizing English terminology for new pollutants, integrating traditional ecological wisdom into communication, utilizing multilateral mechanisms and international forums, hosting international academic conferences on core technologies, promoting green technology exports, and leveraging digital media for broader outreach.
How does the paper propose to ensure the sustainability of new pollutant governance beyond the 15th Five-Year Plan?
The paper emphasizes the need for long-term control and modernization improvement as the fourth stage (2031-2035), focusing on institutionalizing governance mechanisms, continuous data updating, and adaptive management. It also highlights the importance of international cooperation and domestic capacity building to sustain progress.
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