The State Council has approved in principle a five-year environmental protection plan for tackling pollution.

The plan, approved during an executive meeting presided by Premier Wen Jiabao yesterday, mainly focuses on "pollution control and prevention" in order to achieve the environmental protection targets set by the government last year.

The government set goals in its 11th Five-Year Plan to reduce energy consumption per unit of gross domestic product (GDP) by 20 percent and major pollutant discharges by 10 percent ending in 2010.