(September 20, 2006) The Beijing-based Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, run by author Ma Jun, has launched a ‘name and shame’ website that lists more than 2,500 companies it accuses of polluting the country’s fragile water system.
Lessons of Huaihe River water pollution
(September 20, 2006) ‘To pollute the rivers just took a few years or a few days, but to turn the river clean will take more than a decade to complete,’ a SEPA official said.
Rethinking resettlement
Leading researcher Chen Guojie identifies factors that have left millions of people who have been displaced by dams in China more deeply impoverished than before their relocation.
Public is key to solving China pollution woes: expert
(September 19, 2006) ‘There needs to be a major shift in the way of doing things — no longer trying just to get permission [for a project] but to lead efforts for public participation,’ says environmental advocate Ma Jun.
Poor countries overpaying billions as result of irresponsible lending, says new research
(September 18, 2006) A new study claims that poor countries have overpaid creditor countries
billions of dollars as a result of irresponsible lending.
‘Unexpected’ pollution comes as no shock
(September 16, 2006) An “unexpected environmental accident” occurred in China roughly every other day in the first half of this year, a situation the government is all too aware of.
Wolfowitz to push anti-corruption program at World Bank meeting
(September 15, 2006) World Bank president Paul Wolfowitz said he expects the Bank’s 184 member countries to approve his anti-corruption framework at the annual meeting of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund this September in Singapore.
Warning Signs
(September 15, 2006) A new report details the preparatory work for a giant dam on the Salween River that is taking place in the midst of an active war zone in Burma’s Shan state.
SEPA slams local governments over pollution
(September 15, 2006) Official dereliction of duty has been blamed for a mass poisoning case triggered by a factory in Gansu province that belched out 800 times the acceptable level of lead
Rights groups urge Thais to pull out of Salween dam project
(September 15, 2006) Rights activists are calling on the Thai government and investors to withdraw their support for the construction of a dam on the Salween River in Burma’s Shan state, claiming the work will disrupt the lives of people living in the area.
Moves to rapidly integrate resource-rich Tibet
(September 15, 2006) China has intensified its long-term quest to integrate the remote land and people of Tibet by building new infrastructure and drawing up plans to tap the Himalayan region’s virgin water sources and its rich reserves of copper, gold and hydrocarbons.
Clean environment or economic growth
(September 15, 2006) ‘When the nearby river was first polluted by wastewater from the plant, a villager reported to the higher authorities about the pollution. … Unfortunately, he was viewed by most villagers as crazy.’
Dam the Salween, damn its people
(September 14, 2006) Controversial plans to dam the Salween River in Burma will proceed without a standard environmental-impact assessment study, despite serious concerns about the effect the project will have on the area’s people and natural surroundings.
Construction to start on Henan section of South-to-North canal
(September 14, 2006) Construction of the Henan province section of the central route of China’s south-north water diversion project will kick off by the end of September, Xinhua reports.
Corruption entrenched, audit shows
(September 13, 2006) No central government ministries or organizations are immune from malpractices, China’s National Audit Office annual report reveals.
Probe International 