The importance of Arbor Day, which fell on Friday this year, can never be overestimated given the country's worsening pollution levels and the increasing pressure on the government to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Though the 11th Five-Year Plan (2005-10) target to reduce sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere was met a year before schedule and that of chemical oxygen demand (COD) would be met this year, other pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide show no signs of decreasing.

China has promised to cut the emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) by a considerable amount per unit GDP and increase the use of non-fossil fuel to 15 percent by 2020. It plans to increase its forest cover by 40 million hectares in the next 10 years, too, which will reduce the amount of CO2 in the air considerably.