People’s Daily recently published an Op-Ed by He Yong (h/t to Sweet & Sour Socialism), titled, “China needs zero tolerance for concealing major accidents.” The original was published in Chinese and subsequently translated into English by the People’s Daily Online.
If all facts are true, then I agree with He completely. In recent years, there have been a number of oil spills and pollution incidents in China. In the June 4 oil spill at Penglai 19-3 (where CNOOC partly owns), He Yong said that “CNOOC hid the truth from the media and the public and deleted Internet posts that exposed the accident.” The whole story came to light only after the State Oceanic Administration released an investigative report 31 days later. Read more…
Whatever your views on the proper role of government in societal, cultural, and economic affairs, few would argue against the government’s role (if not duty) in helping to confront the myriad environmental problems facing modern industrialized societies. Read more…
According to an article from the Wall Street Journal two weeks ago, China will face three major problems in the coming years. The problems involve: the nation’s changing demographics, the increasing strain on energy and environmental resources, and widening social inequalities between the rich and poor.
Read more…
One of the most serious side effects of China’s unprecedented growth is the rapid degeneration of her environment, as it was recently covered by the NYT’s special series Choking on Growth.
James Fallows has a long feature article in the June issue of the Atlantic entitled “China’s Silver Lining,why soggy skies over Beijing represent the world’s great environmental opportunity.” The gist of it is that “China’s environmental situation is disastrous. And it is improving. Everyone knows about the first part. The second part if important too. ” The article is not available online yet and we will provide a link when it’s up.
I would also recommend readers who concerned on this issue checking out this excellent bilingual website China Dialogue.
As a side note: for people who plan to travel to Beijing, WSJ’s take on the World’s best Chinese food.
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