The debt of economic development: analysis of the environmental injustice of inhabitants related to lead-acid battery industry in China
(2019) In Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science MESM02 20191LUCSUS (Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies)
- Abstract
- With the announcement of Energy Revolution by the government of China, and the support of policies and investments in clean and renewable energy, electric vehicles and bikes have recently been developed rapidly, which has promoted the prosperity of lead-acid battery industry and made China now the world’s leading producer, refiner, and consumer of lead-acid battery technology. However, this has created serious impacts on the environment and human health in the past a few years. This calls for an analysis to the problem to allow for a more sustainable development of the country. This paper investigates the causes of lead pollution and poisoning related to the lead-acid battery industry in China. As one significant aspect in sustainability... (More)
- With the announcement of Energy Revolution by the government of China, and the support of policies and investments in clean and renewable energy, electric vehicles and bikes have recently been developed rapidly, which has promoted the prosperity of lead-acid battery industry and made China now the world’s leading producer, refiner, and consumer of lead-acid battery technology. However, this has created serious impacts on the environment and human health in the past a few years. This calls for an analysis to the problem to allow for a more sustainable development of the country. This paper investigates the causes of lead pollution and poisoning related to the lead-acid battery industry in China. As one significant aspect in sustainability studies, the framework of Environmental Justice is applied to fill the gap of analyzing the environmental crisis in the Chinese context. A multi- case study is used to analyze the issue at the local level. A comparative analysis focuses on the location of battery manufactories, the conflict between economic development and environmental protection, and the conflicts related to people impacted by the industry. The paper finds that the issue of lead pollution in China is a symptom which can be traced back to the environmental injustice towards the inhabitants. In order to pursue economic growth, the local government prioritizes economic development and compromises the criteria of environmental protection, which is the root of the lead pollution and the injustice. The inhabitants are vulnerable due to the close location of the battery manufactories to residential areas, as well as problems in the treatment and compensation mechanisms. At the local level, more intense mobilization has no clear relation to better results for the inhabitants. The vulnerability and their dilemma needs further attention. More research is needed considering the underdeveloped use of the Environmental Justice in China. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/8980021
- author
- Chen, Yue LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- MESM02 20191
- year
- 2019
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- lead pollution and poisoning, Environmental Justice, economic development, human health, Sustainability Science
- publication/series
- Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science
- report number
- 2019:033
- language
- English
- id
- 8980021
- date added to LUP
- 2019-06-10 10:45:50
- date last changed
- 2019-06-10 10:45:50
@misc{8980021,
abstract = {{With the announcement of Energy Revolution by the government of China, and the support of policies and investments in clean and renewable energy, electric vehicles and bikes have recently been developed rapidly, which has promoted the prosperity of lead-acid battery industry and made China now the world’s leading producer, refiner, and consumer of lead-acid battery technology. However, this has created serious impacts on the environment and human health in the past a few years. This calls for an analysis to the problem to allow for a more sustainable development of the country. This paper investigates the causes of lead pollution and poisoning related to the lead-acid battery industry in China. As one significant aspect in sustainability studies, the framework of Environmental Justice is applied to fill the gap of analyzing the environmental crisis in the Chinese context. A multi- case study is used to analyze the issue at the local level. A comparative analysis focuses on the location of battery manufactories, the conflict between economic development and environmental protection, and the conflicts related to people impacted by the industry. The paper finds that the issue of lead pollution in China is a symptom which can be traced back to the environmental injustice towards the inhabitants. In order to pursue economic growth, the local government prioritizes economic development and compromises the criteria of environmental protection, which is the root of the lead pollution and the injustice. The inhabitants are vulnerable due to the close location of the battery manufactories to residential areas, as well as problems in the treatment and compensation mechanisms. At the local level, more intense mobilization has no clear relation to better results for the inhabitants. The vulnerability and their dilemma needs further attention. More research is needed considering the underdeveloped use of the Environmental Justice in China.}},
author = {{Chen, Yue}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
series = {{Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science}},
title = {{The debt of economic development: analysis of the environmental injustice of inhabitants related to lead-acid battery industry in China}},
year = {{2019}},
}