The “National Environmental Advocacy and Education Work Outline 2016-2020” (《全国环境宣传教育工作纲要（2016-2020年）》 was recently released by the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China, the Civilization Office of the Central Communist Party Committee, the Ministry of Education, the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League and the All China Women’s Federation. The Outline will be the base for the relevant governmental departments and social organizations to conduct advocacy and education related to environmental protection during the 13th five-year plan. The document is significant for raising public awareness of the environment and solidifying the concept of green development, and it is supposed to serve as an engine for building an environmentally sustainable society.
The Outline stipulates five main tasks and three safeguard measures. The main tasks are: enhancing public access to information and proactive media guidance; strengthening the establishment of an ecological society and meeting public needs for an environmental protection culture; reinforcing environmental protection advocacy to promote green development; intensifying environmental education in schools and cultivating an ecological mindset in the youth; and encouraging public engagement and enlarging social and environmental protection forces. The three safeguard measures are strengthening organizational leadership, capacity building and performance inspection/drive mechanisms.
