Environmental technology transfer and emission standards for industry in China

Abstract

In this article, we provide a structure story about how an incomplete public policy has affected technology transfer. In China, the entire system of industrial water emission standards has evolved though different phases over the past 40 years, however, still national uniform standards for specific industrial categories has not been able to fit specific economic development levels and water quality. Because the uniform standard have not considered the differences of the position and facility scales. In regards to environmental technology R&D, we found that there are no clear signs that the technology is changing in most emission standards’ review process, so we could see all industrial area don’t have enough and reasonable expectation for emission standards and technology R&D investment. Then we reviewed the technology choice in the determination process of water emission standards in all industrial areas. It is obvious that the limitation levels are subjective. Based on two typical cases, we conclude that incomplete enacting and reviewing mechanisms lead to unexpected R&D, and the unexpected R&D leads to considerable abnormal domestic and international transfers.