(February 28, 2007) The proposed construction of a dam and hydroelectric plant on southwest China’s Nu River has sparked one of the country’s most heated environmental debates.
Dams on Salween threaten indigenous groups
(February 28, 2007) “We still do not know where we will be moved. The officials who came to survey our village and the nearby area did not ask for our views or discuss the plans,” says Nu, whose village has thrived on an economy of rice and vegetable farming for nearly 100 years.
Aid plan for resettled residents
At least 1 million people, mostly dwellers in Southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality, have made way for the Three Gorges Dam, the world’s largest hydroelectric project. Now the local government is paving the way for a better life for the resettled residents, at least one out of 10 of whom are unemployed.
Zambia: Let the looters pay the vultures
(February 28, 2007) A recent British high court ruling that permits a so-called "vulture fund" to pursue an enormous profit on its purchase of Third World debt from Zambia has provoked a backlash from global debt campaigners. However, U.S. law professor Larry Cata Backer argues that, within an odious debts context, the fund ought to be able to seek repayment but not from the people of Zambia.
Yangtze drought leaves 1 mln people short of water
(February 27, 2007) Severe drought has had a debilitating effect on the Yangtze River, China’s longest waterway, over the last two weeks, leaving 1.5 million people in Chongqing Municipality with water shortages, local water authorities said on Monday.
China sets water-saving goal to tackle looming water crisis
(February 27, 2007) Earlier this month, China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), Ministry of Water Resources, and Ministry of Construction jointly released a water-saving plan to cut the nation’s water use per unit of gross domestic product (GDP) by 20 percent within five years.
‘Officials should be held responsible for pollution’
(February 27, 2007) A senior environmental official has called on the legislature to amend its 17-year-old environmental law in order to make government officials accountable for pollution. "The government’s refusal or failure to fulfil its environmental responsibilities has seriously set back China’s environmental protection efforts," said Pan Yue, deputy director of the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA).
Flood, drought fears in a haywire climate
(February 23, 2007) China is on alert this year for the extremes of natural disasters. Water Resources Vice Minister E Jingping has warned local governments of the increasing possibility of floods in major rivers, and droughts elsewhere.
Thai energy company moves ahead on Burma dam projects
(February 22, 2007) Thailand’s giant electricity investor is negotiating with various business alliances to fund and construct multiple hydro-electric dam projects in Burma. Meanwhile, environmentalists are preparing to stage protests against such investments in Bangkok and more than 10 cities worldwide next week.
Probe International’s Compliance Review of Nordic Srepok EIA
(February 22, 2007) An assessment of the Swedish-funded Environmental Impact Assessment on the Cambodian part of Srepok River due to Hydropower Development in Vietnam against Swedish Guidelines for Dams.
Wolfowitz takes actions to gear up World Bank for Iraq
(February 16, 2007) The Government Accountability Project (GAP) has learned from inside sources that World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz is currently negotiating a contract with a new resident Iraq Country Director. This step strongly suggests that Wolfowitz intends to expand Bank-funded projects there dramatically in the near future, despite the deteriorating security situation and recent disclosures of massive corruption in "reconstruction" efforts.
For citizens’ groups, the struggle for attention is not so lonely in China
(February 13, 2007) Lushan, China: For as long as he can remember, Du Jianhua’s dream has been to find a way to contribute to his society. Starting small, the glass cutter began by cleaning up litter around this town. Later, he began tracking the way garbage was dumped into the Nansha River, fouling the waterway he’d played in as a boy.
Keep off the graft
(February 12, 2007) British Prime Minister Tony Blair released a much anticipated Commission for Africa report which called on the developed world to help Africa curb corruption by cleaning up its own act (The Guardian). The report signalled a new and hopeful direction for the Blair administration’s advance on the scourge of global graft. Blair talked about changing U.K. banking laws to speed up the return of public funds pocketed by corrupt African leaders. His government also issued new anti-corruption rules aimed at cracking down on kickbacks paid by U.K. exporters to win contracts overseas; href=”http://www.ft.com”Financial Times”
China fails to meet environmental goals
(February 12, 2007) China’s environmental watchdog admitted Monday the country had failed to reach any of its pollution control goals for 2006 and had fallen further behind as the economy picked up speed.
China boosts energy efficiency, misses goal: source
(February 12, 2007) China’s campaign to cut the amount of oil and power its galloping economy needs to keep growing notched up a modest success last year, with "energy intensity" falling sharply in the second half.
Patricia Adams
Dai Qing
Fan Xiao
Lawrence Solomon
Mu Lan
Probe International
Lisa Peryman
Probe Media
Other News Sources
Probe International 