ChinaDialogue: Latest responses to Public participation: highs and lows

[TRANSLATED] A Mistake in The Introduction - Please Change

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 22:04:15 -0500

In the Chinese version of this article, the Chinese characters used for the authors name in the introduction are wrong: "Public participation needs to top the environmental agenda – for government and NGOs, writes Xinzhou Song." Currently the Chinese characters are Xinxian Song, rather than Xinzhou Song. Could someone possibly change the article?

[TRANSLATED] Participation is also layered

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 03:32:18 -0500

Today there are a vast number of problems in public life, and no guarantee of basic rights. Mass public participation in environmental protection campaigns is poor - this, surely, isn't surprising.

Re: information

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 12:46:12 -0500

Bob, I agree that information is crucial to effective participation. As I just mentioned in a comment on the Xiamen PX article, it seems what is also needed is clearly defined frameworks for carrying out public consultatations, rather than simply commitments to participation without substance and specification. Chinese public consultations have been known to last no longer than a day (when a European equivalent might last a year, at least) - SL

agree with the points made here

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 21:08:30 -0500

Within the first few months I was in China, I attended an event called "Sino-International Environmental Protection Event" (Sept 16 2006) in Xiangshan Park. There was a speech on protecting the environment, and then there was a big pile of plastic bottles and everyone clapped for it (yay!), and then people tried to sell products made out of recycled materials. That was the extent of it. In terms of Chinese NGOs, I have seen few creative or meaningful ideas in terms of protecting the environment. Global Village of Beijing for instance, seems to get a lot of awards, but for what? Businesses are certainly taking advantage of this boom. Go to Baoding, or Dezhou, these are the "solar valleys" of China, where the streetlights are powered by solar panels, oohh aahh! So how do we get more public participation? Yes, the cost of guanxi and lawyers is high. But maybe we can start with getting real, accurate information on the gravity of environmental problems. Everyone please begin by reading how the Chinese government altered data to make it seem like Beijing has more blue sky days every year: here Cynically, Bob