China

China's legislature passed a law calling for fiscal spending, tax breaks and other measures to promote 'sustainable' economic growth via resource conservation and pollution control on August 29. The law - which was passed at the closing of the fourth session of the National People's Congress standing committee, and will come into effect on January 1 2009 having been signed by President Hu Jintao - calls for closer monitoring of resource-intensive and heavily polluting industries, and seeks to encourage industries to adopt water-saving technologies and use cleaner sources of energy such as natural gas and alternative fuels. It also promotes recycling or making use of waste materials.

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