【新唐人2012年11月14日讯】中国是全球能源的消耗大国，同时也是二氧化碳排放量大国，空气污染和水污染以及工业污染都非常严重。在中共十八大期间的记者会上，中共的环境保护部长周生贤指出，这是经济发展到一定程度，按规律就会出现的环境问题，未来会加强依法环评，建立健全的社会风险评价机制。然而环保人士认为，这是给贪官污吏的腐败做辩解，一些地方官员为追求政绩而忽略环境评估工作，从中捞取利益，罔顾老百姓的健康。
在中共十八大期间的记者会上，有记者问到，中国近年来由环境问题引发的群体性事件不断增多，执政者应该如何防止和解决。
环境保护部部长周生贤回答说，经济、社会发展到一定程度，按规律就会出现环境问题。当前，中国在环境方面正处在敏感时期。
大陆环保人士陈云飞认为，这些不是民众选出来的官员，基本上不知民间疾苦。
大陆环保人士陈云飞：“环境变了，你发展……要到了钱来干什么，环境污染你人生病，生态破坏了，我们还要那些钱、那些物资干什么，显然我们国家的主席官员，他们根本不是什么专家出生，换句话说，他根本没有去看真正的专家在这方面的论证。”
美国“北大笔会”副会长何哲认为，经济发展和环境保护没有太大冲突，反而是跟腐败的利益集团有直接关系，国家法治不健全影响更大。
美国“北大笔会”副会长何哲：“哪个国家都有经济，美国也在发展经济，也在搞化工厂，但是你如果有一个健全的法律，让这些问题有申诉的地方，不合理的那些项目，就及时的被阻止，不会引起很大的冲突，所以主要是一个国家的体制问题，不是经济问题。”
在记者会上，周生贤还说，十六大以来，党中央、国务院在原来工作的基础上，进一步加强了环境保护工作，把环境保护放在更加重要的战略位置。换句话说，就是执政者的环保意识已经抬头。
然而，这几年来，中国发生了一连串由环境引起的群体性事件。
去年（2011年）8月，大连上万市民参加了反对大连化工厂PX项目的集体“散步”活动，民众对有害公众健康的项目建在当地表达了不满。
今年3月，河南省新郑市郑港办事处，砍掉新港大道旁的数百棵百龄古枣树，理由是为了美化环境和绿化，遭到众多村民的投诉。
今年7月，四川什邡市，上万民众担心钼铜开发工程将严重破坏当地环境，与警方爆发激烈冲突。同一时间，江苏启东市民发起抗议造纸厂排污污染环境的抗议。
10月，浙江省宁波市镇海区，爆发数千人抗议当地一座石化工厂扩建的大规模示威。
中共为追求利润和经济增长不惜一切代价，污染问题已成为中国民众动乱的主要原因之一，然而民众对于可能在自家后院造成环境污染的各种工程计划，也愈来愈敢于表达反对意见。
未来中共新领导人接班的时候，他们要面临的挑战之一，就是如何面对越来越有环保意识的中国公民的诉求。
采访/李丽 编辑/黄亿美 后制/郭敬
CCP officials are practically shouting slogans for the environment,
so why are people still protesting frequently?
China is a high energy consumption country and has
a high discharge level of carbon dioxide as well, thus, air, water and industrial pollution is serious.
However, Communist China’s Environmental Protection
Minister, Zhou Shengxian, stated in a press release during the 18th Congress,
that when economies develop to a certain level,
these environmental problems naturally appear.
In the future, they will strengthen the Environmental
Assessment in accordance with the law,
and establish an evaluation mechanism
to avoid the social risk.
Environmentalists say this is an excuse to protect
officials from corruption,
and some local officials ignore the environmental
assessment to gain interest, and disregard the health of the people.
During the press conference, a reporter asked Zhou
due to recently mass incidents triggered by
environmental issues have increased in China,
and how the regime will prevent and resolve this.
Environmental Protection Minister Zhou Shengxian replied,
“When economic and social development reaches a certain level,
the environmental problems will naturally appear.
Right now is a sensitive period for the environment of China.”
Mainland environmentalist Chen Yunfei said that
these officials who are not elected by the people basically cannot sense the suffering of the people.
Chen Yunfei: “Your living environment has been destroyed
to develop the economy, what’s that for?
The environmental pollution caused sickness and ecological
destruction, what do we need the money and materials for?
Obviously, the officials in charge do not understand this,
or they simply do not listen to what the real experts say regarding this."
Vice president of the “Beijing University Pen” in US,
He Ze, thinks
there is no conflict between economic developments
and environmental protection, but economic developments
have a direct relationship with corrupt interest groups,
and an unhealthy legal system has a worse impact.
He Ze: “Every country has economy, the US also has
economic development and engages in building chemical plants,
but they have a healthy legal system
so that problems can be solved legally.
Unreasonable projects can be prevented in time,
and won’t cause a lot of conflicts.
Thus, the bottom line is the country’s institutional problem,
not an economic problem."
At the press conference, Zhou also said that since the 16th
Congress, the CCP Central Committee and State Council,
have further strengthened environmental protection,
and placed it in a more important strategic position.
In other words, the awareness of environmental protection
has been stronger in officials’ minds.
However, in recent years, a series of mass environmental
incidents have taken place in China one by one.
Last August (in 2011), tens of thousands of people
participated in the “walking" against the Dalian Chemical Plant PX project,
to express their dissatisfaction with
the local projectthat is harmful to public health.
In March of this year, Xinzheng City, Henan Province,
cut off hundreds of old date trees along the Xingang Blvd.
Their excuse was that it was for landscaping and greening,
and they received many complaints from villagers.
In July, Sichuan Shifang City, thousands of people worried
that the molybdenum copper development project
would seriously damage the local environment,
and thus had strong conflicts with the police.
At the same time in Qidong, Jiangsu, the public protested
against paper mill sewage pollution of the environment.
In October, Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, there was an outbreak
of mass demonstrations of thousands of people protesting against a local petrochemical plant expansion.
The Communist regime, pursues profit
and economic growth at all costs.
The pollution problem has become one of the main reasons
for the unrest of the Chinese people.
More and more people are brave enough
to express opposing views regarding possible
environmental pollution caused by various engineering
projects in their homeland.
The new leaders of the Chinese Communists
have to face the challenge of
how to deal with the demands of the growing
environmental awareness of Chinese citizens.
