Shandong province has carried out holistic conservation and systematic governance of its mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands and deserts. Efforts have been made to conserve the ecological system, intensify pollution prevention and control, and improve the living and working environment for the people.

The province is working hard to establish a modern environmental governance system and promote green and high-quality economic development. The ecological environment quality index in Shandong attained its highest level since records began in 2021.

Dawen River in Tai'an, Shandong province [Photo/VCG]

Shandong is a large industrial province with a significant number of traditional industries that consume a lot of resources and energy. It announced a three-year plan to conserve energy and reduce emissions in 2018. Another action plan was released in 2021 to strengthen the industrial structure, energy structure, transportation structure, and agricultural input structure.

"Achieving green and low-carbon development is a broad and profound systemic change in economic and social development. It is also the fundamental way to solve environmental problems and improve ecological and environmental quality," said Xie Gang, president of Shandong Academy for Environmental Planning.  

A park in Zibo, Shandong province [Photo/VCG]

In 2021, the average PM 2.5 concentration in Shandong was 39 micrograms per cubic meter, a year-on-year improvement of 15.2 percent, ranking second among the six provinces and municipalities in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and surrounding areas.

During the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-20), the province accumulated about 6,667 square kilometers of afforestation. It built 66 national wetland parks, ranking second in China, and 134 provincial wetland parks, ranking first in the country. It also built 17 national ecological demonstration zones.