Nature

Ten stories you should have read on chinadialogue in 2013

We pick out the most popular and important stories published on chinadialogue from the past year, including the likelihood of nuclear disaster and life inside a mining company
Our top 10 list includes articles on air pollution, animal welfare and the heavily polluted denim capital of the world. As well as our rundown on the most popular and important stories on chinadialogue in 2013, we’ve also produced a review of the past year’s environmental news in China.
 
Ozone and mercury pollution from Chinese industry is contributing to worsening air quality in west coast states like California.
 
Pressing ahead too fast with emissions cuts will cause pain down the line for China, says senior climate strategist Zou Ji.
 
China is heading for a nuclear accident if it continues with current construction plans, says former state nuclear physicist and prominent critic He Zuoxiu.
 
It makes a third of all jeans sold in the world, but the pollution is so bad in Xintang, south-west China, that local people refuse to work in its textile industries.
 
The outgoing administration’s environmental record can be split in two stages: five years of storming forward, then five years of nothing.   
 
Compassion for animals was considered counter-revolutionary but now the younger generation increasingly find cruelty unacceptable. 
 
Coal extraction remains a higher priority than putting out China’s huge underground coal fires.
 
As Chinese investment in mineral-rich Ghana soars, negative attitudes towards Chinese workers are also common. Cui Shoujun spent three months in the African state investigating.
 
Hua Ming spent three years working as an environmental manager for a major mining company in south-west China. His experience was a mixture of achievement and a sense of powerlessness.
 
Farmers resettled to make way for dams along the upper Mekong, in Yunnan province, are demanding higher compensation and protection of their rights.
 
Also, don’t forget to read the special edition of our journal –  ‘Reimagining China’s cities: towards a sustainable urbanisation‘ – available to download for free