Latest comments posted about Turning grey to green on ChinaDialogue en-gb http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/3110-Turning-grey-to-green http://staging.chinadialogue.net/images/cdlogo.gif http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/3110-Turning-grey-to-green You are quite right, the alteration of the system is the fundamental solution. However, in my opinion, it is difficult to be realized in the near future. The training programs would therefore be meaningful as a short-term alleviation during this transitional period. 1. The alteration of the system would take a long time and might be harsh(especially in China). It is not realistic to depend on the government to alter the system in solving the problems within a short period of time. In terms of the "balance" you mentioned, it would be great if it could be carried out. However, environmental departments are inferior and their contribution is limited. The local governments seem not equipped with environmental departments, or otherwise, most of them are under command of the local governments instead of initiating environmental protection actions. 2. Public participation is great but may not be feasible around the country. Citizens in big cities are aware of citizenship, knowing how to defend their rights. However, people in small cities have no idea about these and they are used to be submissive. Take my hometown (a small town in Northeast China) for example, the locals do not have the awareness of environmental protection. There was once a clear river ten years ago, which becomes muddy and stinky due to the unprocessed waste water from factories. Air used to be fresh, but rice straws are burned as fuel in recent years. The results is, smudge floats around, irritating people's noses. It makes daily life nearly unbearable. People living in such condition are aware of the poor water and air quality, but they don't realize the induced serious pollution, nor do they know the current situation can be changed via protest. It is not the only city having this situation. The implementation of public participation still needs a long way to go. 3. Undoubtedly, some local officials lack the awareness or knowledge concerning environmental protection. Again, take my hometown for example, those local officials also live in the same place, drinking polluted water and breathing polluted air. Don't they feel uncomfortable? Then why do they refrain from taking any actions? It is attributed to the lack of environmental awareness. For such ignorant officials, monitoring them is one thing, educating them with relevant knowledge should also be done. 4. Some local officials are willing to devote in environmental protection while developing the economy. For such potential officials, offering them relevant training programmes and education will prompt them to make more contribution. translated by diaoshuhuan Wed, 24 Jun 2009 03:04:41 +0000 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/3110#comment-9021 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/3110#comment-9021 This kind of training for the grass-root officials is very essential as both economic construction and environmental protection are implemented by the officials. The quality of the present grass-root officials varies. Many of them lack the basic economical and environmental knowledge, and thus produce the wrong policies giving rise to immense impacts. If the scale of officials' training can be expanded, the trainings will be beneficial for all city officials, especially those working in the smaller cities. Tue, 23 Jun 2009 22:26:37 +0000 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/3110#comment-9018 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/3110#comment-9018 Some local officials focus only on economic development while they neglect environmental protection. The lack of common sence or related knowedge is not the fundamental reason. The key points lie in the alteration of the system, forcing a balance between the local economy department and environmental protection department,and promoting participation of locals. Those training programs are no other than superficial behavior which distracts the focus on essentials. translated by diaoshuhuan Wed, 24 Jun 2009 02:23:59 +0000 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/3110#comment-9020 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/3110#comment-9020 I agree with Comment 2. Such training really deserves to be promoted. One point to note is that many grass-root officials lack knowledge and the awareness (just care about money-making and job promotion). It is important to carefully explain to them the necessity of environmental protection during training. The training content should also be simple and understandable. Translated by Zhang Liang. Tue, 23 Jun 2009 22:31:28 +0000 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/3110#comment-9019 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/3110#comment-9019 It is a good beginning. The importance is connecting theories with practice. Tue, 23 Jun 2009 22:25:05 +0000 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/3110#comment-9017 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/3110#comment-9017