A volunteer cleans the surface of a body of water in Deqing county, Huzhou, Zhejiang province, in September. [WANG ZHENG/FOR CHINA DAILY]

Collective wisdom

The list of names for the newly launched group shows that many of the 85 members have been reelected as advisers and they will soon begin serving another five-year term. Almost all of them have previously submitted proposals related to the environment and resources.

The members' professional backgrounds cover the ecological environment, natural resources, water projects, urban planning, forestry, meteorology, transportation, chemistry, law and other fields.

About 40 percent are government officials, including Huang Runqiu, minister of ecology and environment, Zhang Jianhua, director of the National Energy Administration, and officials from the Ministry of Water Resources and the Ministry of Natural Resources.

Some 30 percent are experts and scholars in related fields, including university presidents, directors of research institutes and academicians from both the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

In addition, about 20 percent of the members work for energy and chemical companies, including China National Nuclear Power, Sinochem Holdings, State Grid and China Rare Earth.