Calculation should not be linked to evaluation of local cadres, says statistics official
The importance of calculating the environmental cost of economic development should not be overemphasised or become part of the index for assessing the performance of local officials, according to a top statistics official.
Yu Xiuqin , deputy director of the Beijing Bureau of Statistics, also said Beijing was considering further measures to improve the compilation of growth-related figures. 'Green GDP is not that important by itself,' Ms Yu said. 'The importance of the concept is not about the figures we are going to see.'
Emphasis should be placed instead on promoting environmental awareness along with economic growth and advancing technical innovation to cut the consumption of resources, she said.
Ms Yu said the authorities should consider more legal and economic measures to shift the emphasis of local officials and enterprises from the quantity of growth to its quality. 'Green GDP figures can only serve as a guidance for public opinion; they will not have an actual impact on environmental protection.'
Innovative technologies should be the key to the government's campaign to meet the targets set in the 11th Five-Year Programme for saving resources and protecting the environment.
Premier Wen Jiabao announced earlier this year that the central government planned to cut energy consumption per unit of gross domestic product by 20 per cent by 2010 and reduce air pollution emissions by 10 per cent over the next five years.
