Environmental Pollution Still Causes Public Attention       

Recently China Environmental Culture Promotion Association (CECPA) issued in Beijing The China Public Environmental Protection Index 2008. This index is compiled by CECPA and has been issued four times since 2006.
    According to the investigation by CECPA, among the key social issues most concerned by the public, the environmental pollution problem ranked the third after commodity price problem and food security.
    Through judging the latest index 2008, the awareness of the public increased to 44.5 from 42.1 in the index 2007. More improvements are needed. The latest investigation by CECPA shows that 76.4% of the public think China's current environmental problem is very serious or serious. The proportion climbed by nearly 10% than that in the index 2007.
    Individuals' actions in protecting environment climbed slightly, CECPA released. Only 24% of those in the survey have ever advised other people to conduct 'green' consumption or travel by 'green' vehicles, the proportion remained same as the index 2007. After the Chinese government issued on January 8th, 2008 a notice for restricting the production, sales and uses of plastic shopping bags, 26% of the public that was investigated often buy plastic bags in shopping. And only 26% of individuals in the survey often conduct environmental protection and energy conservation actions, compared with 38% for the survey in 2007. CECPA judged that the public's awareness concerning environmental protection is still very weak in general.
    The index shows that the public's acceptance degree on the government's effort in environmental protection increased by 1.18 to 56.74, and the public's identification on enterprises' appearances rocketed by 25.54 to 72.47. When being inquired with the dairy polluted by melamine casualty, 45.4% of surveyed people attributed the reason to that the enterprises are lack of social responsibility. Many people investigated thought the domestic enterprises should learn more from foreign funded firms in China. In contrast to the attitude of foreign funded enterprises on protecting environment, many domestic enterprises expressed passively.