Understanding the Earth: 40th Earth Day

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And it wasn't just green. To keep the blue part of the earth clean, the army organized a beach clean-up along the coast of Shandong Province.

The Ministry of Land and Resources also published a report  on the nation's natural resources, and warned of a dire  situation.

Troops in the northeastern province of Jilin went to schools and led activities for pupils.

Further environmental education came from the Ministry of Land and Resources. Its report says China is rich in natural resources, but the country's per capita average of those resources is low. Fertile land is scarce, with limited land available for sustainable development. And the geographical distribution of fresh water is highly unbalanced. The report also forecasts a dangerous shortage of major mineral production after 2010.

Editor:Liu Anqi