China’s environment has suffered immensely from economic growth, and a major and sustained environmental cleanup is looming. Understanding the plans and targets is thus critical to detecting policy changes and assuring organizational readiness.

China's leadership knows that the stakes involved in reversing environmental degradation and achieving significant strides in restoration are incredibly high. It will require balancing the citizenry’s consumptive gains from higher incomes against the prospective environmental impacts of increased consumption. The costs, and the near-term pain caused to the economy, will be significant.