China’s got a new five-year plan — this one to clean up the country’s terrible air and water pollution. To cut emissions of sulfur dioxide and other major pollutants, the country is spending about $84 billion, or twice the amount spent in the last five years. The initial funding will come from the federal government, with local officials and polluting businesses picking up the remainder of the tab. Last year, the World Bank gave China low marks on environmental matters, citing land degradation, deforestation, and worsening water quality. Hopefully, all that will begin to change: Xie Zhenhua, director of the State Environmental Protection Agency, said the new five-year plan represented a fundamental shift in government priorities.
