Fifty three year old Ma Jun is considered as Father of Environmental Activism in China. Born in Beijing, Ma Jun was educated in Yale University, USA. After experiencing tremendous economic growth, China has been under serious criticism for serious problems with the environmental quality of its air, land and water. More than 300 million people have no access to safe drinking water, while more than half of the country’s urban residents face daily exposure to badly polluted air.
Ma Jun observed this pathetic condition of his nation after his return from the US. Most of the multinational companies operating in China promise clean production, transparency & accountability. But most of them fall short on these claims. In 2008, the Chinese Government passed a series of regulations granting the public the right to access certain types of environmental information. It ordered the local environmental protection bureaus to release data about polluters relating to national standards. However enforcement was weak and the disclosure was piecemeal, making it difficult for the people to access such information. Media coverage of environmental problems was thin and environmental activists were few.
While working at the South China Morning Post in the 1990s, Ma Jun(MJ) had the opportunity to travel extensively throughout China. He witnessed the environmental pollution, eco-degradation and suffering of people in various fields. He began research into water challenges and his book, ’China’s Water Crisis ‘ became a clarion call for environmental protection. Realising that access to information was a prerequisite for public participation in pollution control, MJ founded the Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs (IPE) where he organised the monitoring & enforcement data for the Chinese Government to make it available for the public through online air & water pollution maps.
To date MJ and his team at IPE have exposed over 9000 air & water violations by local & multinational companies operating in China. Chinese citizens, for the first time in history, have at their fingertips information that reveals which companies are violating environmental regulations across China’s 31 provinces and with it the power to demand justice. Through its Green Choice Supply Chain Programme which has 41 NGO participants. IPE has encouraged consumers to use their buying power to influence corporate sourcing & manufacturing behaviour.
Although IPE has no regulatory authority within the Government, under MJ’s leadership, the organisation has succeeded in getting more than 500 companies to disclose to the public their plan and efforts to clean up their facilities. M J is now working collaboratively with major brands such as Walmart, Nike, GE, Coca Cola, Siemens, Vodafone, H&M, Adidas, Sony, Lenovo & more. All of which give regular information to the public and self- regulate. MJ’s ecological fight has been recognised all over the world. In 2006 he was named by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. He was recently awarded the coveted Goldman Environmental Prize. He is an icon for the youth and has become an example for many to fight against environmental degradation.

Ma Jun – Pioneer Of Environmental Activism In China
Latest from Blog
One of the three barges that was carrying about 1,400 tons of Highly Flammable Methanol, got
Boston Red Sox fans are anxiously awaiting the new season, and the team’s press conference on
Epic Cleantec partnered with Devil’s Canyon Brewing Company to create Epic One Water Brew, an unusual
Object 2023 DZ2, a Potentially Hazardous Object, will pass as close as 100,000 miles from Earth
“Forrest Gump Road” is the popular name of US Route 163. “Forrest Gumption Point” is the
The removal of a catalytic converter from a car is a sure signal of trouble, which
The shutdown of a nuclear power plant in Minnesota caused the deaths of at least 230
Chinese space scientists have found a new source of water on the Moon. This finding could
According to penguin experts, penguins are showing the hidden hazards of burning coal & mother fossil
The Joshua tree is a unique and iconic species of the Mojave Desert that is facing
A freight train transporting iron ore derailed in the Mojave Desert on Monday, with no injuries
A system that provides X-ray vision using AR (augmented (Augmented Reality) has been developed by MIT
Katrina Lynn, a Milwaukee needlewoman and textile artist, crafts distinctive outfits out of upcycled items such
On March 24, Trinseo, a company that manufactures various materials, mistakenly released a latex emulsion product
GE HItachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) has partnered with Ontario Power Energy (OPG), Synthos Green Energy (SGE),
36 One Web (OW) satellites were placed in orbit successfully on Sunday, by ISRO, completing the
An all-electrical propulsion system for satellites (the IVO Quantum Drive) will launch to space for the
Crab shell extract has been converted into a bioplastic by scientists from the Anteneo de Manila
A $1.5 million expedition is being planned by Avi Loeb, the Harvard physicist who first identified
Bill Gates, the billionaire businessman and co-founder of Microsoft, raised concerns about AI taking over the