http://socialistaction.org/grassroots-environment-struggles-in-china/
Grassroots environment struggles in China
Published December 21, 2015. | By Socialist Action.
Jan. 2015 China
By RENA LAU
Just in the last month there have been two cases of environmental
protests occurring in China. Around one thousand people protested on the
streets of Yangjiang city, in Guangdong province, against the
construction of an incinerator. And ten thousand people protested
against a chemical factory in Shangrao city, Jianxi province. The
protesters in both cases battled with the police. As a result, many
people were injured or arrested.
People hate incinerators, Paraxylene (PX) plants (PX is a chemical used
in manufacturing plastic bottles and polyester clothing), nuclear power
plants and chemical plants. Their hatred is so strong that they are not
afraid to fight the police. Unlike labour strikes in China,
environmental protests always call people out to demonstrate in the
streets. In China, freedom of assembly is not assured and being arrested
is very common for protesters. So why are so many people still willing
to take the risk and participate in these demonstrations?
Environmental damage behind economic growth
Since former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping proposed the “reform and
opening up” policy in 1978, the Chinese economy has experienced rapid
growth. Until 2014, the average annual GDP growth was 9.7%. This means
that the Chinese economy doubled every seven years. This growth is even
greater than Deng’s plan, which aimed for doubling in 20 years (about
7.2% per year). Under the rapid economic development, the traditional
image of China, with a beautiful natural environment of rivers and
mountains, has been badly altered by pollution. The environment of China
has been sacrificed for the sake of growth.
Beijing’s toxic haze
Carbon dioxide emissions increase when industrial output increases. In
2007 China overtook the United States as the world’s largest carbon
emitter. At the same time, air pollution is serious. In 2006, 37.6% of
China’s 559 major cities failed to meet national air quality standards.
In February this year, Chai Jing, formerly a reporter for China Central
Television (CCTV), the main state broadcaster, released a self-financed
documentary called “Under the Dome”. It focuses on the toxic haze in
Beijing. This documentary sparked widespread concerns. Chai represents
the new generation of the middle-class who care about their lives and
health. However, this documentary was quickly “harmonized” by the
Chinese government (“harmonized” is a word created by Chinese “netizens”
to describe being censored by the government).
Water is unusable
In addition to air pollution, water pollution is another serious
problem. In China, at least 320 million people cannot access clean
water. According to the 2014 China Environmental Bulletin, nearly
two-thirds of the ground water and one-third of the surface water is not
suitable for humans to come into contact with. Water from nearly 40% of
lakes and rivers is not suitable for drinking, aquaculture or swimming.
Tap water in the cities is not safe either. There were at least seven
leakages of chemicals or heavy metals into tap water in Chinese cities
between 2010 to 2014. They affected more than 300 million people.
Millions die from polluted air
Health problems caused by pollution are also getting serious and concern
everybody who lives in China. Recent research from physicists at the
University of California, Berkeley, calculated that about 1.6 million
people in China die every year from heart, lung and stroke problems
because of incredibly polluted air, especially small particles of haze.
People in rural areas also suffer from severe health problems. There are
more than 247 “cancer villages” in 27 different regions of China. Most
villagers living in these “cancer villages” are too poor to move. We
know that there are many petitions and complaints from these cancer
villages, but the media never reports them. These villagers are the most
vulnerable people who suffer from pollution, but their voices are so weak.
Food is not safe
Water, air, and even food safety cannot be guaranteed. Over the past
decade, there have been a number of food safety scandals. In 2008, a
number of Chinese baby formula companies were discovered adding melamine
to their products. In 2010, the media revealed the “gutter oil”
production chain in China (this is used oil which comes from
restaurants, sewer drains and slaughterhouse waste and is illegally
recycled).
Other scandals include the abuse of plasticizer (an additive that
increases plasticity ), and the use of banned pesticides on vegetables
and fruits. “Black-hearted food” (food manufactured dishonestly from
contaminated products) is everywhere. This is also the reason why new
middle class people are buying baby formula and groceries overseas.
Environmental protest growing
Beyond a certain point of pollution, a country’s food, water and air
safety cannot be guaranteed. Undoubtedly, this situation is a hotbed for
unrest. According to the state news agency, Xinhua, environmental
protests in China have been growing by 29% per year since 1996, and a
much more rapid increase of 120% occurred in 2012. The Chinese people
have already reached a consensus that the causes of the ongoing
pollution problems are the corruption of government officials and the
lack of monitoring of polluting companies. So the only effective
reaction is to march in the streets to fight against any sources of
pollution that may be built nearby.
Not just about “Not in my back yard” (Nimby)
Nimby syndrome has often been mentioned in relation to China’s
environmental protests. These include the protests against PX plants in
Dalian, Xiamen and Kunming, as well as the anti-incinerator
demonstrations in Beijing, Yangjiang and Huizhou. All these protests put
out the message “do not build in my backyard”. In these cases,
opposition declined when the targets were relocated to remote areas.
However, there was an exceptional example in the Panyu district of the
southern city of Guangzhou. Panyu residents not only objected to the
building of incinerators in Panyu. They also called for the banning of
all incinerators in China and demanded more environment-friendly waste
recycling methods.
With the support of local media, the residents succeeded in prevailing
on the government to stop the plan. This case was successful and
exceptional because media and environmental activists in Guangzhou have
more freedom than in other cities.
If the Chinese government cannot deal with these serious pollution
problems, people’s discontent will continue to rise. In recent years,
the Chinese government has revised the “environmental law” to make it
stricter. It has also implemented the so-called “ten-point water plan”,
which is considered the strictest environmental policy in China’s
history. However, many Chinese laws cannot be implemented at the local
level. Under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party, corruption is
still common and human rights are restricted. This reduces the
effectiveness of government-led reforms..
In the short term, we can only hope the protests of the people will
bring some improvements. If not, the situation will continue to deteriorate.
Rena Lau has been working at Globalization Monitor since 2011. She is
the author of the 2012 study “Restructuring of the Honda Auto Parts
Union in Guangdong, China: a two-year assessment of the 2010 strike.”
Reprinted from International Viewpoint. Photo: AP
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Posted in China, Environment, International. | Tagged China, climate,
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