Environmental protection first entered the global agenda at the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm, and China was there. Qu Geping was part of the Chinese delegate. Qu later led the creation of China's first environmental protection framework. Wang Zhijia served as China's representative to the United Nations Environment Programme. The UNEP helped shape international conventions on hazardous substances. "Environmental work is hard," Qu once mused, "but it's the most prudent course of action." Their efforts laid the groundwork for China's environmental awakening that led to targeted action.