Skip to main content
Home

GEF Logo

GEF Logo

Search
  • Who We Are

    Organization

    • Overview
    • CEO and Chairperson
    • Focal Points
    • Secretariat Staff

    GEF Council

    • Members & Alternates
    • Work Programs
    • Meetings
    • Decisions

    Funding

    • Overview
    • GEF-9
    • GEF-8
    • GEF-7
    • Replenishment Documents
    • Overview
    • CEO and Chairperson
    • Focal Points
    • Secretariat Staff
  • What We Do

    Topics

    Topics

    • Amazon
    • Biodiversity
    • Blended Finance
    • Chemicals and Waste
    • Food Security
    • Forests
    • Global Biodiversity Framework Fund
    • Illegal Wildlife Trade
    • Integrated Programs
    • International Waters
    • Land Degradation
    • LDCF
    • Mercury
    • SCCF
    • Sustainable Cities
    • Transparency
    • View All Topics >>

    Stakeholder Engagement

    Stakeholder Engagement

    • Civil Society Organizations
    • Country Engagement Strategy
    • Fonseca Leadership Program
    • GEF Voices
    • Indigenous Peoples
    • Knowledge & Learning
    • Private Sector
    • Youth
  • Projects & Operations

    Projects

    Projects

    • Project Database
    • Templates
    • How Projects Work

    Countries

    Countries

    • Recipient Countries
    • Donor Countries
    • Participant Countries
    • Country Support Program

    Operations

    Operations

    • Conflict Resolution Commissioner
    • GEF Geospatial Platform
    • Knowledge & Learning
    • Policies and Guidelines
    • Results
  • Partners

    Partners

    • Countries
    • GEF Agencies
    • Conventions
    • Civil Society Organizations
    • Private Sector
    • Countries
    • GEF Agencies
    • Conventions
    • Civil Society Organizations
    • Private Sector
  • Newsroom

    Newsroom Menu Column 1

    • All
    • News
    • Feature Stories
    • Press Releases
    • Multimedia
    • Publications
    • Blog

    Newsroom Menu Column 2

    • GEF Logo
    • Partner News
    • Newsletter
    • Media Contacts
    • All
    • News
    • Feature Stories
    • Press Releases
    • Multimedia
    • Publications
    • Blog
  • Events
  • Search

China to reduce soil pollution with support from the Global Environment Facility

Press Release
May 1, 2015

 

WASHINGTON, D.C., April 30, 2014 – The World Bank Group’s Board of Executive Directors today approved the Contaminated Site Management Project, which is financed by a $15 million grant from the Global Environment Facility (GEF). This project will help clean up contaminated sites and improve its management of soil pollution.

 

8618580397_44822890ac_k.jpg
8618580397_44822890ac_k.jpg

 

“With GEF’s support, the project will help the Chinese government manage contaminated sites in a sustainable way and reduce environmental and health risks,” said Qing Wang, World Bank’s Senior Environmental Specialist and Task Team Leader for the project. “This will also contribute to China’s implementation of the Stockholm Convention on the Elimination of Persistent Organic Pollutants.”

In the last three decades, China’s rapid industrialization has lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty but has worsened its soil, air and water quality. Soil pollution, in particular, has become a serious health and environmental threat, contaminating the food chain with heavy metals, fertilizers and pesticides, persistent organic pollutants and solvents, and polluting groundwater and surface water. Soil pollution is also a barrier to the redevelopment of scarce urban land, and clean-up can unlock value for local government and residents alike.

The project will support China‘s ongoing efforts in policy making and improve the country’s capacity to manage contaminated sites. The project will also help develop new technical guidelines for the prevention and control of soil pollution; provide training for government officials, cleanup professionals and offending companies; enhance public awareness and participation, and provide technical assistance to prevent contamination.

The project will also showcase environmentally sound identification of pollution sites and cleanup of sites contaminated with pollutants. It will demonstrate the entire cleanup process, as well as global remediation technologies with a potential for scaling up in China.

A contaminated site means land containing substances that are, or potentially are, hazardous to the environment or human health. They could be abandoned industrial and mining sites, electronic waste sites, waste disposal sites, and agricultural land contaminated with heavy metals and agrochemicals.

“China's rapid industrialization left an unintended legacy of polluted industrial and commercial areas,” said Gustavo Fonseca, Director of Programs at the GEF. “We have high hopes that this pilot approach in two provinces can be further scaled up and implemented throughout China.” 

 

Contacts:

In Washington: Diana Chung (202) 473-8357, dchung1@worldbank.org

In Beijing: Li Li (86-10) 5861-7850, Lli2@worldbank.org

 

For more information on this project, please visit: www.worldbank.org/projects

For more information on the World Bank program in China, please visit: www.worldbank.org/china


Media Contact

Alexandre Pinheiro Rego
Senior Communications Officer
arego@thegef.org

Countries

China

Related News

Forested stream and mountain landscape
Feature Story

Local focus on giant panda habitat results in community gains

December 14, 2023
Woman in red coat feeding black-necked cranes on a snowy landscape
Feature Story

Promoting gender equality to protect black-necked cranes in China

December 8, 2023
Black-necked cranes
Feature Story

Lessons from China's efforts to protect wetlands and waterbirds

December 13, 2022

GEF Updates

Subscribe to our distribution list to receive the GEF Newsletter.

Sign up

GEF Logo

Follow Us

GEF Affiliated Sites

  • GEF Portal
  • Independent Evaluation Office
  • Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel
  • Small Grants Programme

Who We Are

  • GEF Secretariat Staff
  • Conflict Resolution Commissioner
  • Council Members & Alternates
  • Focal Points
  • Careers
  • Legal
  • Contact Us

© 2025 Global Environment Facility, All Rights Reserved.  |   Legal