Qu Geping,professor and expert on environmental sciences, is Chairman of China Environmental Protection Foundation.
    He was born in Feicheng, Shangdong Province, in June 1930. After graduation from Shandong University, he worked successively as Deputy General Manager of Baoding Film Plant, Division Chief in Ministry of Chemistry and Division Chief of Plan-drafting Group under the State Council. In 1972, he attended the first UN Conference on Human Environment in Stockholm as a member of the Chinese government delegation, marking the beginning of his devotion to environmental protection. After 1976, he worked as China's first Representative to UNEP, Director General of Department of Environmental Protection in Ministry of Urban and Rural Construction and Environmental Protection, Deputy Director of Environmental Protection Committee under the State Council, and Administrator of National Environmental Protection Agency. From 1993 to 2003, for two terms he was elected as a member of the National People's Congress of China (NPC), a member of the Standing Committee of NPC and Chairman of the Environmental Protection and Resources Conservation Committee of NPC. Concurrently, he is professor of Beijing University, Qinghua University, Wuhan University, Tongji University, Nanjing University and People's University. He is also visiting professor of Oxford University. He was awarded Doctor of Engineering by Bradford University of UK, Doctor of Sciences Emeritus by City University of Hong Kong. He was invited to work on the Editor Committee of " World Resources Report" in 1989, to serve on UN high Level Advisory board on Sustainable Development made up of a dozen of world distinguished personages in 1993. He was invited to work as a member of the Secretary General's Panel of Eminent Persons for UN Summit on Sustainable Development from 2001 to 2002, and serves as Senior Advisor to Global Environment Facility from 1994 till now.
    Having reviewed environmental protection practices both at home and abroad, he originated creative environmental protection theories suitable for the country's situation in a systematic way. Following theories of system sciences, he initiated a theory on coordinated development of economic development and environmental protection. To facilitate historical evolution on relationship between population and the environment, he expounded the changing patterns and interrelationship between population and the environment. Guided by theories and methodologies of general system and system engineering, he established and completed theoretical and policy systems for China's environmental management. Moreover, he successfully applied theories and methodologies of environmental sciences to formulate a number of environmental strategies, environmental planning and law making. He pointed out that only developing economy could it be possible to create high level material and spiritual civilization with a pleasant environment. He stressed the importance of protecting the environment at the same time of economic development, so that China could avoid taking the detours of "control and management after pollution" once followed by western countries.

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