A Courageous Voice For A Greener China

It is perhaps the greatest challenge facing China: the runaway environmental degradation that is poisoning the country's skies, leveling its forests, and fouling its rivers. And until recently, there were few strong voices advocating a clean, green China, especially among Beijing's pro-growth, damn-the-consequences bureaucrats. But over the past two years one government official has stood up to the polluters. He is 45-year-old Pan Yue, vice-minister of the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA). Pan has taken on some of China's biggest industries over their pollution records and forced them to clean up.

Earlier this year, Pan surprised much of China when he ordered 30 projects -- with $14 billion in investment, ranging from thermal power to hydroelectric plants -- shut down for not filing proper environmental-impact statements. The projects included several under construction by Three Gorges Development Corp., the politically powerful company that is building the controversial Three Gorges Dam. That same month, SEPA publicly scolded 46 power plants for not installing required desulfurization equipment; some have since complied. Meanwhile, Pan has called for public hearings so that citizens affected by big development projects can discuss their environmental consequences -- an unusual level of openness in China. And to take into account the negative impact of environmental damage when calculating China's gross domestic product, Pan has advocated the adoption of a "green GDP."