Five Chinese lawyers sue local governments for failing to tackle smog
Legal action pursued against the authorities in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei provinces, but lawyers say they have been pressured to drop the cases
Who is responsible for China’s chronic and deadly air pollution? That depends on who you ask. Officials blame the weather or outdoor barbecues, activists blame steel companies and coal-fired power plants. But Yu Wensheng blames only one actor: the government.
The 50-year-old lawyer has launched an unprecedented suit against the authorities in three regions in China, claiming they have failed in their responsibilities. For a government with the motto “Serve the People”, Yu feels the officials are serving other interests by allowing nearly half a billion people to choke on toxic smog.
“Our bodies are being harmed because of the ineffectiveness of our government; because of their inaction and carelessness, we suffer,” Yu said. “The pollution has affected my family, my son is coughing, I’m also coughing and I feel the smog caused this. I am suing as a victim.”
Northern China is frequently blanketed with thick clouds of deadly smog that is linked to almost a third of all deaths in the country, caused by steel plants, a heavy reliance on coal for heat and power generation, plus millions of cars. While the authorities have “declared war on pollution”, many feel progress has been slow and the region is still hit with a yearly bout of “airpocalypse”.
Cheng Hai, Yu and four other lawyers have filed cases against the governments of the capital Beijing, the neighbouring port city of Tianjin and Hebei province, home to some of the country’s most polluted cities.