The overall scale of China's environmental protection industry is still relatively small, and its boundaries and connotations are still being extended and enriched. With the development of China's social economy and the adjustment of industrial structure, the direct contribution of China's environmental protection industry to the national economy will increase from small to large, and will gradually become an industry that improves the quality of economic operations, promotes economic growth, and upgrades the economic and technological grades. The direction of industrial expansion will mainly focus on clean technologies, clean products, and environmental services. The concept of China's environmental protection industry will also evolve into "environmental industry" or "green industry."
China's environmental protection industry is expected to maintain an average annual growth rate of 15%-17%. The major areas of environmental protection investment include water environment, atmospheric environment, solid waste, ecological environment, nuclear safety, radiation and environmental protection construction, and environmental capacity building. In 2010, the total annual income of the environmental protection industry will reach 880-1000 billion yuan, of which the comprehensive utilization value of resources will be 660 billion yuan, the output value of environmental protection equipment will be 120 billion yuan, and the environmental service output value will be 100 billion yuan.