CHINA will establish a new batch of national parks, including Huanghekou, Qianjiangyuan-Baishanzu and Kalamayli, in a steady and orderly manner, Guan Zhiou, Head of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration (National Park Administration), said recently.

Speaking at the second National Park Forum held in Xining, capital of northwest China’s Qinghai Province, Guan said China has adopted the most stringent measures to strengthen the protection of the authenticity and integrity of the ecosystem, and promote the continuous improvement of ecological functions.
China’s national parks are specific land or sea areas which have the main purpose to preserve the nationally representative natural ecosystems of the country and realize the scientific protection and rational use of natural resources.

In 2021, China established the first batch of national parks, with a protected land area of 230,000 square km. These parks, namely, the Sanjiangyuan National Park, the Giant Panda National Park, the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park, the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park and the Wuyishan National Park, are home to nearly 30 per cent of the key terrestrial wildlife species found in the country.

Following the establishment of the first batch of national parks, more than 390 mining sites have been closed, and nearly 100 small-scale hydroelectric stations have also been phased out, Guan said.

“The Sanjiangyuan Park realised the full protection of the source of the Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang rivers and the Tibetan antelope population has recovered to over 70,000. In the Giant Panda National Park, more than 70 per cent of wild pandas are under good protection,” the official added.

“Efforts will be made to promote high-level protection and facilitate the promulgation of the National Park Law,” Guan said, adding that China will also increase the application of new technologies, build a world-class scientific research monitoring platform, and strengthen national park management capabilities. (Xinhua)

Global Times editorial: International community can hold Japan accountable indefinitely on this issue

THE Japanese government convened a cabinet meeting on August 22, and decided to initiate the operation of dumping nuclear contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the ocean on August 24, despite strong opposition both domestically and internationally.

This timing is filled with calculations by the Japanese government, being both premeditated and executed as a swoop.
Information obtained by the Global Times indicates that the final dumping date has been repeatedly changed, partly due to the intention of certain members within the Japanese cabinet to provide the Japanese people with a “last clean summer.”

However, now it seems that even if it’s the “last clean summer,” the Japanese government is unwilling to allow the Japanese people and the entire world to experience it fully.
Just as the Chinese side said, “Japan’s headstrong push for the dumping of nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean is undoubtedly placing the global marine environment and the health of all humanity at stake.”

Once the floodgates of over a million tons of Fukushima nuclear contaminated water into the Pacific Ocean are opened, this won’t be a matter of just a day or two. It will involve uninterrupted discharges for 30 years or even longer.

There is no precedent in human history for such a prolonged, large-scale release of nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean.
Considering the effects of radioactive material deposition, no one knows the extent of the severe consequences that will be brought once this Pandora’s Box is opened. August 24, 2023, might well be recorded in history as a catastrophic day for the marine environment.

It needs to be emphasised that this by no means signifies Japan’s success in overcoming its challenges; rather, it will inevitably incur costs far beyond its initial expectations.
Some of the costs, not yet visible, might even be more severe. This will result in significant harm by Japan to the overall interests of the Asia-Pacific region, and an indelible permanent stain on its international reputation.

Japan will have to bear an enduring and inescapable responsibility in terms of marine ecological issues. It will face incessant criticism and accountability from the global community including its own citizens, indefinitely. In other words, Japan has committed a public crime without a statute of limitations, and in the end, it will realise that today’s decision is penny wise and pound foolish.

Just in the past two days, individuals from the Japanese fishing industry once again firmly expressed their “strong opposition” to the plan of discharging contaminated water into the sea.

The latest public opinion poll reveals that a staggering 88.1 percent of surveyed Japanese respondents are concerned about the potential damage to Japan’s image due to the ocean dumping plan.

This glimpse into Japanese public sentiment is quite telling. However, these views have not been accepted by the Japanese government, and it has not changed its established policy at all.

The hypocritical and selfish face of the Japanese authorities is completely exposed to the world. Facing Japanese public opinion, fishermen’s interests, the Pacific ecological environment, and the demands of neighboring countries, the Japanese government has chosen convenience and cost-saving.

The treatment of nuclear-contaminated water is indeed a scientific issue, but the Japanese government is not qualified to use science as an excuse.
The Chinese side, including the Global Times, has previously published many editorials pointing out the harm of the ocean discharge plan to the marine ecological environment from a scientific perspective. We won’t go into details here. We just want to ask the Japanese government a simple question.

As Japan announces the time for dumping, the Kanto and northern regions of Japan are suffering from severe drought and some agricultural water reservoirs in Niigata Prefecture have already dried up, resulting in withered crops in many farmlands.

Since the Japanese government repeatedly guarantees that the nuclear-contaminated water is safe, even drinkable, why not use this water for drought relief? The Kanto region is not far from Fukushima. Isn’t it a huge waste to dump precious, safe-to-drink water into the ocean?

China’s attitude toward the dumping of nuclear-contaminated water is clear and consistent. It is based on the standpoint of safeguarding the public and long-term interests of humanity, including the Japanese people, rather than trying to pick a fight with Japan.

There is a Chinese saying, “Spilt water is hard to retrieve.” Once the nuclear-contaminated water is discharged into the ocean, the consequences are irreversible. Japan cannot escape the responsibility it must bear.