Category Archives: Chinese Environmentalists

Netizens against filth

Posted on March 27, 2013 by

(March 27, 2013) Pollution is once again a dire concern in the wake of China’s formal acknowledgement last month of cancer hotspots, known as “cancer villages,” long speculated to be caused by drinking and irrigation water contaminated by industrial chemicals and heavy metals. More recently, unmanageable garbage sites have posed a threat to Beijing’s drinking water supply. As China’s new leadership moves to clean up the country, citizens still lack access to information that would help them help both their health and their environment but that’s not stopping them from Twittering towards change. Continue reading →

Posted in Beijing Water, China Pollution, Chinese Environmentalists, Three Gorges Probe | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Member of the National Committee of CPPCC urges hydro development on the Nu River

Posted on March 4, 2013 by

(March 4, 2013) In a throwback to Maoist propaganda, a member of China’s National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference has promised that building a rash of dams on China’s Nu River will cure all ills, and bring harmonious development, and leap-forward development to boot. In reality, scientists worry that the dams will trigger earthquakes and landslides and be unable to operate at full capacity for lack of water. Downstream countries are also worried about the loss of natural river flow on which their economies depend. Continue reading →

Posted in China's Dams, Chinese Environmentalists, Dams and Earthquakes, Dams and Landslides | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Beijing water experts spurn tap water in private, public confidence plummets

Posted on February 15, 2013 by

(February 6, 2013) When Zhao Feihong, an expert on water quality in Beijing, revealed last month that she didn’t drink the city’s tap water herself, and had not for the past 20 years, the news shredded what little public confidence remained in the capital’s drinking water supply. Hasty reassurances from city authorities in an effort to calm renewed concern, only served to heighten suspicion. Many believe that if someone in Zhao’s position, as well as her husband – another water expert and a public official – did not consider Beijing’s tap water fit to drink, why should they? Continue reading →

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Too dam much

Posted on February 9, 2013 by

(February 14, 2013) A dramatic push by China’s new leadership to revive a political passion for large dam projects has ignited concerns for neighbouring countries and environmentalists. Continue reading →

Posted in China Energy Industry, China's Dams, Chinese Environmentalists, Dams and Earthquakes, RIS, Three Gorges, Three Gorges Probe, Zipingpu | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

China moves to dam the Nu, ignoring seismic, ecological, and social risks

Posted on January 26, 2013 by

(January 25, 2013) Environmental NGO International Rivers reports on Beijing’s move to lift a moratorium on damming China’s Nu River despite “well-documented seismic hazards, ecological and social risks”. Continue reading →

Posted in China's Dams, Chinese Environmentalists, Dams and Earthquakes, Dams and Landslides | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Liu Futang’s verdict causes worry amongst China’s green activists

Posted on January 22, 2013 by

(January 22, 2013) The conviction and sentencing of high-profile Chinese environmental activist Liu Futang is seen as a setback for China’s green movement. Considered political payback for Liu’s efforts to expose the environmental downside of government-backed projects, Liu’s trial has cast a shadow over the country’s new leadership and their commitment to green issues, reports Chinadialogue.net in this article surveying fallout from the verdict. Continue reading →

Posted in China Pollution, Chinese Environmentalists | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Ningbo’s people power halts petrochemical plant expansion – for now

Posted on November 2, 2012 by

(November 2, 2012) The power of protest in China continues to gain momentum as yet another show of strength in numbers by protesters in Ningbo, an affluent port city of 3.4 million people, has halted a plan to expand petrochemical production in nearby Zhenhai. Continue reading →

Posted in China Pollution, Chinese Environmentalists, Three Gorges Probe, Voices from China | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Chinese environmentalist on trial for protecting the environment

Posted on October 18, 2012 by

(October 18, 2010) A former forestry official-turned environmental activist is on trial in China for publishing a book about a controversial coal power plant without state permission. He stands accused, under China’s surreal justice system, of “conducting illegal business.” Continue reading →

Posted in China Energy Industry, China Pollution, Chinese Environmentalists | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments