Environmentalism hasn’t traditionally been very popular in China. Granted, it’s certainly more widespread than it was just a few years ago – but being an environmental activist in a Communist country that suppresses criticism and sacrifices its environment for industry can be very lonely. Wen Bo, a noted Chinese environmentalist, can attest to that.
Many people in China still don’t see the need to protect the environment, says Wen, adding, “Even when I was a student putting up posters for a campus environmental group, people would look at me strangely. They couldn’t understand the need for a club that wasn’t for Ping-Pong or photography.”
Lack of significant support from classmates didn’t keep Wen from pushing forward, though – he’s the head of China operations for California-based Pacific Environment Group, and is one of the country’s best-known environmental activists. Wen allocates grants to grassroots environmental organizations in China, provided by a charity called Global Greengrants Fund. Wen has also bravely spoken out against China’s plan to build nuclear reactors without local consultation, calling the idea “irrational and undemocratic”.
Inspired to enter the environmental movement as a teenager when he watched the televised tactics of an international pressure group, Wen embarked on an environmental crusade, setting up Greenpeace’s office in Beijing in 2000 and then moving into international work.
What Wen sees today in China is hope, as a new generation of young people graduating from college begins to demand better from their government. He believes that young people in China, armed with information from the web and undaunted by the shadow of the demonstrations in Tiananmen Square in 1989, are opening their eyes to environmentalism and why it’s so important.
Wen spoke to CNN in June of 2008 about his projects in China and elsewhere around the world.
CNN: How would you describe China’s environmental grassroots movement?
Wen: I think … we have come about over 10 years and, you know, during this period of time, there were lots of obstacles, for example, the government has never been, never really been supportive to grass-roots and non-governmental efforts.
But, many organizations are able to win the sympathy and support from many government officials; from the central government, from the local government, as well. The very… existence of these environmental organizations alone proves that they have managed to survive and accumulate the manpower and the resources for them to perform better, and they have also been able to recruit a large number of volunteers.
Many organizations, they are not membership-based but they are able to have a large number of volunteers. So, a lot of people check the Web site; write to these groups and some simply to report to these organizations of a local environment problem.
They no longer blindly just go to the environmental protection agency or go to the government in seek of answers. But, they now turn to the environmental organizations to find solutions, to find the opportunities for them to get involved. And also actively participate in some of the efforts.
It’s a sign of that there is a channel; there is a way for ordinary citizens to participate in the efforts to change the environmental problems in China.
Named an ‘Eco Hero’ by TIME Magazine in 2006, Wen has helped to pave the way for this new generation of Chinese citizens who are beginning to push for better environmental standards. And, while China still has a very long way to go to tackle its many environmental problems – from water pollution to smog to desertification – activists like Wen allow the rest of the world to see a silver lining… better things to come.
Wen Bo’s Green Score: 42,478
