Cai Wenjun/Shanghai Daily News

SHANGHAI should integrate environmental protection with economic development and introduce more effective and stricter measures in pollution inspection and penalties, experts said at a conference on Shanghai's development and environmental protection yesterday.

The government should have a long-term plan covering problems that may occur in the future and establish an entire green supply chain, local officials were told. Experts from home and abroad were commenting on the city's previous three rounds of Three-Year Environmental Protection Action Plans and offering suggestions on the fourth to start next year.

Officials from Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau said the city was to invest some 80 billion yuan (US$11.64 billion) on more than 200 projects in the fourth round. The local government's commitment and expenditure on environmental protection was praised but experts stressed the need for tighter monitoring.