(May 28, 2008) With so many of Sichuan’s dams and reservoirs at risk of collapse, this month’s earthquake “may tilt the balance of public opinion in favour of a more cautious and environmentally conscious approach to such development,” reports the Los Angeles Times.
Odious Debts: Loose Lending, Corruption, and the Third World’s Environmental Legacy
(May 28, 2008) We’ve all heard of the Third World’s debt crisis, of hopelessly poor nations unable to pay their debts, and of the human suffering and environmental consequences of their desperate predicament. Amid emotional calls from some to forgive the debt outright come the sober solutions from bankers and bureaucrats, with their seemingly unending stream of Brady and Baker Plans, and bewildering variants of them.
Chinese dams in danger of collapse
(May 27, 2008) As many as 2,830 reservoirs nationwide have been damaged by the earthquake.
Chinese troops blast rock dams to drain off lakes as threat grows
(May 27, 2008) The Tangjiashan lake in northern Sichuan province has forced the evacuation of 160,000 people and is putting a further a million people at risk, reports The Australian.
Update for Three Gorges Probe
(1) Residents in Three Gorges reservoir area apply to move out
(2) Clean-up of river a sham – academic
(3) Insurers share 3 Gorges coverage
(4) Two more Yangtze dams planned
(5) Resettlement rules
(6) Project to be launched to improve the environment of Three Gorges area
Chinese troops blast rock dams to drain off lakes as threat grows
(May 27, 2008) The Tangjiashan lake in northern Sichuan province has forced the evacuation of 160,000 people and is putting a further a million people at risk, reports The Australia
Three Gorges Probe – pollution, water diversion and water transfer
(1) Plan curbs Three Gorges pollution
(2) China speeds up plans for water diversion project
(3) Thousands to be moved for water transfer project
Three Gorges Probe – climate change, drought and relocation
(1) U.S. scientists predict Three Gorges dam could alter climate
(2) Severe drought threatens power production at China’s Ertan dam
(3) 75,000 people to be relocated as part of Longtan Power Station project
Corruption plagues Three Gorges resettlement
(1) Corruption impacts China’s Three Gorges resettlement
(2) Many Chinese farmers oppose Three Gorges resettlement
Yangtze water diversion scheme will impact environment
(October 10, 2001) Commenting on an official assessment of a controversial scheme to divert water from the Yangtze River Basin to northern China, the Vice-Minister of Water Resources, Suo Linseng, admitted to Xinhua news agency yesterday that there would be "some impact on the natural environment," reports South China Morning Post.
Earthquake Information
(May 23, 2008) For updates on the Sichuan earthquake, including information on landslides, dams, aftershocks, regional tectonics, intensity and exposure estimations, see this comprehensive website.
Chinese banks to forgive debts of uninsured survivors
(May 23, 2008) The Chinese government has told Chinese banks to forgive debts owed by uninsured survivors to revive Sichuan’s economy, reports the BBC.
China quake batters energy industry
(May 22, 2008) Deputy Industry Minister Xi Guohua said early this week that companies had suffered $9.5 billion in damage from the earthquake, reports Business Week.
May 2008 Campaign Letter
You wouldn’t be surprised if I told you that the World Bank was financing a damaging dam in Laos, that Canadian aid had been used corruptly in Lesotho, or that Export Development Canada had bankrolled a polluting mine in Guyana.
China’s Wen returns to quake zone as sheltering crisis looms
(May 22, 2008) The threat of flooding from blocked rivers is of increasing concern as Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao returns to Sichuan province, reports Bloomberg.
Patricia Adams
Dai Qing
Fan Xiao
Lawrence Solomon
Mu Lan
Probe International
Lisa Peryman
Probe Media
Other News Sources
Probe International 