Report tracks China's growth_美文_趣味英语-查字典英语网

Report tracks China's growth

Ma believes a lack of motivation is the key to the problem. And that motivation, he said, should come from government enforcement, environmental litigation and valuing the ecosystem.

"When the cost of pollution is much lower than compliance, the dynamic is wrong," he said, blaming many local governments for still putting GDP growth ahead of the environment.

Ma believes public participation is a good way to change behavior.

He cited the power of an online databank launched in China by several NGOs years ago to expose environmental violations. "Some polluters, after paying fines year after year without solving their problems, are now facing public pressure. One by one, they start to change their behavior," he said.

That kind of pressure has also been placed on large international brands operating in China or outsourcing in China, Ma said.

The report, defined by the NGOs involved as an independent, original and honest one, also noted that growing materialism and consumerism and the fact that China became the "factory of the world" in globalization have put extra pressure on the country in sustainable development.

About the broadcaster:

Emily Cheng is an editor at China Daily. She was born in Sydney, Australia and graduated from the University of Sydney with a degree in Media, English Literature and Politics. She has worked in the media industry since starting university and this is the third time she has settled abroad - she interned with a magazine in Hong Kong 2007 and studied at the University of Leeds in 2009.