China has strong pollution laws on the books, but enforcement lags behind, harming the environment and human health. Through a multi-faceted capacity building program, we help grassroots community groups identify pollution problems and work with local governments to find solutions for cleaning up toxic waste and dangerous emissions.

No More Business As Usual in Nanjing

Blog Post | December 14, 2015 | Domenique Zuber
While world leaders were gathered in Paris to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, everyday life came to a standstill in Beijing this week as thick smog blanketed China’s capital. Air...

Coal Declines Worldwide – Even in China

Blog Post | March 18, 2015 | Kristen McDonald
“Worldwide, for every new coal plant built, two have been shelved or cancelled since 2010…. In China, coal use declined in 2014, signaling the start of a shift towards...

Building a Cleaner China From the Grassroots Up

Blog Post | February 25, 2015 | Kristen McDonald
First published in China-US Focus In a mid-sized industrial city in China, a staff member of the environmental group Green Hope answers her cell phone. On the line is...

China’s 13th Five-Year Plan

Blog Post | November 6, 2014 | Alex Levinson and Kristen McDonald
First published in chinadialogue In the nation’s 13th Five-Year Plan, the leaders of China should, once and for all, enshrine the principle that protection of the public’s health and...

Public Participation and Public Protest in China

Blog Post | July 29, 2014 | Kristen McDonald
China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection recently reported that there was a 31% rise in mass environmental protests during 2013. The statistic highlights the growth of “NIMBY” (not in my...

Grassroots Organizations Will Help China Move Away From Coal

Blog Post | July 22, 2014 | Kristen McDonald and Sun Qingwei
First Published in the Huffington Post President Obama’s new carbon rule elicited a seemingly strong reaction from China: a pledge to institute a national carbon cap by 2016. But does...