Soil pollution coming from mining and industrial activities represents one of the greatest environmental problem affecting China, according to the secretary of the China Environmental Remediation Association. Pollution is more serious in provinces with mining activities. In urban areas, soil pollution is mainly caused by heavy metal and petrochemical production. Moreover, in recent years, many overseas manufacturers have moved to China, becoming the major polluters, with a strong reflection on public health safety . Soil pollution in China is a quite serious matter, but there is a lack of adequate remedies and many polluted farmland stays untreated. Moreover, there is no single standard for remediation of industrial and mining sites, or for urban land. The only standard was established for the World Expo in 2010 and some provinces have used that as a point of reference for soil remediation efforts. Additionally, other areas as Beijing have chosen international risk models, that is assessing risk factors and determining an acceptable risk index, based on the state of the pollution and the future use of the site, and then go backwards, to decide what level of pollution must be reduced. This represents a flexible approach shared worldwide, and would be the best way for China to start: people are now aware of the high risks of polluted areas, and now it is the time to evaluate these risks. Furthermore, the peculiar characteristics of the soil require specific measures in order to face the problem. Soil is different from air or water. It can change within just a meter and each site can be different. There are also differences in types of soil, for example soil and clay need to be handled differently, and there are differences in the types of pollutants. Following this, both companies and public have to approach soil pollution from a new point of view. As such, soil remediation companies need to gather experience in assessing and treating soil, achieving better technological skills, and China is just at the beginning of this path. Nowadays, there is no regulation on soil pollution, but just a document from the Office of the State Council on short-term arrangements for protection and remediation of the soil: for this reason, there’s a real need for a concrete action plan. China is a huge country with big differences in soil, hydrology and geology. The government could diversify pollution across regions to achieve the best approach. The gLAWcal Team Wednesday, 16 April 2014 (Source: Chinadialogue)