Noon, Monday, September 8, 2008
Ministry of Environmental Protection, Beijing, People's Republic of China
Listening to him speak to our delegation today I kept thinking, "Isn't this guy going to get into trouble for saying that?" His moxie is inspiring in taking on China's bureaucracy and ruling communist party.
Pan Yue [1] is Vice Minster of the Ministry of Environmental Protection [2] - the equivalent of our EPA [3]. He is known for being a passionate and critical leader for a greener China. And he pulls no punches in offering his views about the developed world's responsibility for they way things are as well. Here is a sampling of his views:
"Developed countries account for 15% of the world's population, yet use over 85% of its resources. They raise their own environmental standards and transfer resource-intensive and polluting industries to developing nations; they establish a series of green barriers and bear as little environmental responsibility as is possible..." www.chinadialogue.net [4]
"...Pan surprised much of China when he ordered 30 projects -- with $14 billion in investment, ranging from thermal power to hydroelectric plants -- shut down for not filing proper environmental-impact statements. The projects included several under construction by Three Gorges Development Corp., the politically powerful company that is building the controversial Three Gorges Dam..." www.businessweek.com [5]
"...The faster the economy grows, the more quickly we will run the risk of a political crisis if the political reforms cannot keep pace. If the gap between the poor and the rich widens, then regions within China and the society as a whole will become unstable. If our democracy and our legal system lag behind overall economic development, various groups in the population won't be able to protect their own interests..." www.opendemocracy.net [6]
"...This miracle will end soon because the environment can no longer keep pace. Acid rain is falling on one third of the Chinese territory; half of the water in our seven largest rivers is completely useless, while one fourth of our citizens do not have access to clean drinking water. One third of the urban population is breathing polluted air, and less than 20 percent of the trash in cities is treated and processed in an environmentally sustainable manner. Finally, five of the ten most polluted cities worldwide are in China..." Spiegel [7]