The Chinese constitution of 1978 was the first to provide for some measure of environmental protection in a country that hitherto had held an uncompromising dedication to increased national productivity. An Environmental Protection Office established under the State Council, although endowed with no regulatory powers, coordinates solutions for environmental problems. A National Institute of Environmental Protection monitors the use of chemicals, herbicides, and insecticides.

The main thrust of environmental protection, however, has been in afforestation, (the heavy use of coal as a fuel produces acid rain that is damaging forests), erosion control (an estimated one-third of agricultural land has been lost since 1957 to erosion and economic development), and water conservancy (less than 10 percent of sewage receives treatment). Large-scale multipurpose water conservation projects are planned for all the country's major river systems. An important component of environmental protection in China is terracing. Combined with tree planting and the construction of small reservoir ponds, terracing, a method of cultivation which has been practiced successfully for centuries, provides significant erosion control and is a major local water-conservation measure.