China's Green GDP report not ditched

A top environmental official dismissed claims that China's Green GDP report would be ditched in the face of local resistance. Pan Yue, vice-minister at the State Environmental Protection Administration, said the report for 2005 would be released next month and would "actually expand to cover 31 provinces and municipalities," state media reported. The Environmentally-Adjusted GDP Accounting Report or Green GDP deducts the cost of natural resources' depletion and environmental degradation from traditional GDP. The first report was published in 2004 and showed that environmental pollution cost as much as 3.05% of the nation's economy or US$64 billion.