Projects
Green Choice Initiative, China
China's rapid economic development has brought with it dire consequences for the country's environment, particularly for its air and water quality, which have a direct impact on public health. The Chinese government, through its Ministry of Environment (formerly known as the State Environmental Protection Agency), has repeatedly called for public participation in environmental protection. According to the Ministry, it is the public’s growing awareness of the pollution problem that has enabled the mainland’s environmental watchdog to stand up to powerful interest groups and local authorities in its efforts to protect the environment.
The conditions are ripe for public engagement in environmental protection. There are strong signals from the Chinese government that managing the current environmental crisis is a priority, and that the public has a critical role to play.
IPE’s (Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs) feedback from its Water and Air Pollution Maps websites indicates that consumers are also concerned with air and water pollution associated with the production of consumer goods, and that companies are vulnerable to public opinion. Chinese consumers are beginning to understand that the health impacts from water and air pollution resulting from the production processes are as significant as the health impacts from direct consumption of tainted goods.
To build on the success of the websites, IPE, together with ADMCF and the Rockefeller Brother’s Fund, have initiated the Green Choice Initiative (GCI). The GCI is envisioned as a platform for consumers, civil society, and industry to promote responsible manufacturing processes that have low public health and environmental impacts, specifically relating to water and air issues. It is intended that in two years, GCI will be recognized as a trusted consumer guide, involving a broad coalition of civil society organizations, and responsible for affecting the behavior of companies operating in China.
Projects
- The Cardamom Mountains Trust Fund, Cambodia
- Wildlife at Risk, Vietnam
- Air Pollution, Hong Kong
- Air Pollution Mapping, China
- Centre for Legal Assistance to Pollution Victims, China
- Building Cambodia's New Generation of Ecologists, Cambodia
- Green Choice Initiative, China
- Building Shark Fin Awareness, Hong Kong