Originally posted by the Voice of America.
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                   Chinese Incinerators Spark Public Protests

   by VOA News

   Environmental protests have replaced land grabs as the main source of
   unrest in parts of the country, according to Chinese officials.
   Grassroots campaigners in China are increasingly using official
   channels to push for more transparency when it comes to the
   environment.
   Thomas Johnson, a researcher specializing in Chinese environmental
   policy at the City University of Hong Kong, says one example of this
   ongoing struggle is a waste incinerator near the coastal city of
   Qinhuangdao, in China's northern province of Hebei.

   "This incinerator was half-built before it was halted by the government
   after opposition from the local people," Johnson said. "I went there
   last year and you can see in the middle of the field there is this
   half-finished incinerator, with a couple of guards watching it and
   growing vegetables within the compound."
   As a growing number of residents and nongovernmental organizations
   question the environmental impact of large-scale projects, such starts
   and stops are becoming more common.
   Waste incineration has long been a controversial issue in many
   countries, with opponents focusing on pollution's impact on public
   health.

   How much dioxin

   China's limits on pollution by industrial plants are weaker than those
   of many other nations, and incinerators can release 10 times as much
   dioxin as similar plants in the European Union. Dioxin and related
   compounds are highly toxic and are linked to cancer and birth defects
   in people exposed to high levels of contamination.
   China already generates one-quarter of the world's total waste, and
   that amount increases by eight percent every year.
   City governments are under great pressure to solve their mounting trash
   problems, and incineration is an increasingly popular choice. The
   central government aims to have 300 trash-burning plants in operation
   by 2015 - twice as many as now. But opposition from local communities
   has halted work on many plants, at least temporarily.
   "Even if they encounter opposition, it is unlikely that local
   governments or construction companies will say clearly that they will
   not build the incinerators," said Mao Da, a researcher at Beijing
   Normal University who studies solid-waste treatment techniques.
   "Between the developers' attitude and citizens' persistent opposition,
   we sometimes realize that the chance of completing some of these plants
   is very low."
   Mao says the Chinese public does not trust the government to enforce
   technology and safety standards for incinerators, and there is growing
   concern about the potentially grave risk posed by increasing airborne
   concentrations of dioxin and other poisons.
   
   Gas-mask protests
   Opposition to incinerators takes various forms. In Guanxi, signs
   deploring "smelly" conditions hang from high-rise apartment windows
   while protesters in Guangzhou ride the subway wearing gas masks.
   Apart from environmental concerns, Johnson says government agencies'
   lack of coordination also is a source of trouble.
   "One part of the government approves an incinerator in a certain
   place," Johnson said, "and another part says, 'Let's develop this area
   for middle-class housing.'"
   By the time people move into their new homes, Johnson says, too often
   they discover an incinerator will soon be built nearby.
   "In some cases, the house has been marketed to them as being in a very
   'green' area - clean air - and they are suddenly very upset that they
   found this incinerator at their doorstep."
   Chinese law mandates that authorities study an incinerator's impact
   before it is built. Guidelines for placement of waste-treatment plants
   must be observed, and there must be consultation with people living
   near the site.

   Bending the rules?
   However, NGOs say environmental departments often bend the rules.
   In the case of the half-built Qinhuangdao waste incinerator, the impact
   assessment reported that 100 people were surveyed, and there was
   unanimous agreement on the project.
   Members of the group Friends of Nature checked with the residents named
   in the official survey, however, and found that none of them had ever
   heard about the questionnaire.
   Waste processors and government officials charged with protecting the
   environment also have recently come under scrutiny for their reluctance
   to disclose emissions data.
   The environmental group Wuhu Ecology Center asked 122 plants that burn
   trash to provide information about pollution discharges more than two
   years ago. As of last month, there was no response from a majority of
   the plants.
   "What we asked for is information that they are bound by law to make
   public, and yet they have not complied so far," said Ding Jie, a
   volunteer at the Wuhu Ecology Center.
   She says such unwillingness to disclose information is harming the
   public, which should be aware of the health risks for those who live
   near incinerators.
   As consumer consumption rises in urban areas and more goods and garbage
   pile up, most observers agree that solving China's trash problem will
   not be easy. But many believe that transparency could go a long way
   toward easing popular opposition to incinerators, and help restore the
   public's trust in government.
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   tests/1664402.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/chinese-incinerators-spark-public-protests/1664402.html