chapter 24. environmentalism section 4. needs, value and aspiration the chinese way, ding and xu,...

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Chapter 24. Environmentalism

Section 4. Needs, Value and Aspiration

The Chinese Way, Ding and Xu, 2014Chapter 24. Environmentalism

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Outline

• Introduction• State of the environment• Artificial factors • Citizens’ environmental movement (3 cases)

– Case 1: Resisting nuclear fuel production, Jiangmen, Guangdong province, 2013

– Case 2: Resisting chemical production (PX), Kunming, Yunnan province, 2013

– Case 3: Resisting metal (alloy) production, Shifang, Sichuan province, 2012

• Road ahead

The Chinese Way, Ding and Xu, 2014 Chapter 24. Environmentalism

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Introduction

• In the 1960s and 1970s, Americans launched a large-scale environmental movement against industrial development and pollution.

• Today, a similar environmental movement is emerging in China.


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State of the environment

• The Chinese citizens are becoming increasingly aware of the threat pollution. – The severity of population: e.g., increasing number of severe environmental

incidents


Fog in Shanghai, 2013Clean sky, Shanghai


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State of the environment

•The Chinese are going to create real environmental change, they feel they must take things into their own hands.

– Companies generated pollution in pursuit of economic profits

– Local governments sometimes compromise on environmental issues in pursuit of increased GDP;

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Artificial factors contributing to environmental concerns

• Information asymmetry:– local governments often do not release information about

potentially controversial projects to the public;– residents are not part of the decision making process;– Residents thus do not take what they say at face value



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Artificial factors contributing to environmental concerns

• Rumor:– general lack of trust in official communication channels;– exaggerated claims by people who are against a particular

project;– the longer communication channels are blocked, the more

destructive rumors become.

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Citizens’ environmental movement

• Primarily comprised of “not in my backyard” environmentalists:– only concerned about environmental dangers that

threaten them personally;– does not solve the root problem.


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• “Take a stroll” to protest:– a protesting tactic of inviting people to take a stroll at certain time

and spot and indicate their intention;– organized demonstrations are not tolerated by the government (self-

censoring for self-interest);– E.g., In 2012, “strollers” in a city broke into the government building

and roughed up the mayor to drive out a Japanese paper company.



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• “The squeaky wheel gets the grease”– Governments always strike a quick compromise or even cave in to

citizens’ demands.– for maintaining a harmonious society;– to avoid a serious and detailed discussion;– decisions are still not made on rational grounds.

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Case 1: Resisting nuclear fuel production, Jiangmen, Guangdong province, 2013

• On July 4, 2013, the Jiangmen City Government announced a to-be built nuclear fuel processing industrial groups.


⁻ huge public uproar was quickly generated;

⁻ thousands of citizens gathered at the gate of local authorities to appeal the decision, waving signs, banners and chanting slogans.

⁻ on July 13, the government canceled the project.

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Case 2: Resisting chemical production (PX), Kunming, Yunnan province, 2013

• A refinery project in Kunming was approved by the government in January 2013.

• On May 4, 2013, about 3,000 indignant Kunming citizens walked the streets in protest, who were coordinated through social networks

• As a result, the city government held a news conference and promised “the project will be stopped, if the majority opposed”


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Case 3: Resisting metal (alloy) production, Shifang, Sichuan province, 2012

• Citizens felt the government had kept them in the dark until construction had already begun. As suspicion and fear spread, so did rumors.

• On July 1, 2012, hundreds of citizens gathered at the gate of the Shifang Municipal Council to protest.

• On the morning of July 2, some people forced their way into the city government building, which resulted in dozens of injuries.

• To calm the situation, the government decided to stop the project permanently


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Road ahead

• China will continue down the path toward balancing economic development with environmental protection.

• Environmental efforts will be primarily local in scale and short in duration.

• We hope it will not take too long for people to realize it is important to develop long term solutions at the national level.


chapter 24. environmentalism section 4. needs, value and aspiration the chinese way, ding and xu,...

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