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](https://www.karmactive.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/image-1582.png)
![Ma Jun - Pioneer Of Environmental Activism In China](https://www.karmactive.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/image-1582.png)
Ma Jun – Pioneer Of Environmental Activism In China
Latest from Activism
![Moving closer to freedom. Photo Credits: @wikileaks (X Formerly Twitter)](https://www.karmactive.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GQ6BM68XYAAFzm5-720x480.jpeg)
![Moving closer to freedom. Photo Credits: @wikileaks (X Formerly Twitter)](https://www.karmactive.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GQ6BM68XYAAFzm5-720x480.jpeg)
Julian Assange’s 1,901-Day Detention Ends: Plea Deal Frees WikiLeaks Founder After Years Behind Bars
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange plans to plead guilty to one charge of violating the U.S. Espionage Act as part of an agreement with the Department of Justice. The deal would set him
![Uncontacted Hongana Manyawa appear at a Weda Bay Nickel mining camp. The uncontacted Hongana Manyawa are becoming effectively forced to beg for food from the same companies destroying their rainforest home. Photo Credits: Survival International Org](https://www.karmactive.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/fea6-720x480.png)
![Uncontacted Hongana Manyawa appear at a Weda Bay Nickel mining camp. The uncontacted Hongana Manyawa are becoming effectively forced to beg for food from the same companies destroying their rainforest home. Photo Credits: Survival International Org](https://www.karmactive.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/fea6-720x480.png)
Viral Video Reveals Indigenous Plea Amid Nickel Mining Crisis, Government Response Sparks Hope for Action
Last year, images went viral when green light was given for logging and mining operations in Indonesia, penetrating the rainforest of the isolated Hongana Manyawa tribe. The latest images stir more controversy
![Men smoking cigarettes](https://www.karmactive.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/pexels-tnarg-1406559-720x480.jpg)
![Men smoking cigarettes](https://www.karmactive.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/pexels-tnarg-1406559-720x480.jpg)
Candy-Flavored E-Cigarettes on the Rise: How the Tobacco Industry is Hooking the Next Generation with 16,000 Flavors
About 37 million adolescents aged 13 to 15 consume tobacco, and in many countries, the rate of electronic cigarette use among adolescents surpasses that of adults, according to the report “Hooking the
![Freemont Factory in California, Photo Credit: Tesla](https://www.karmactive.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Screenshot-2024-05-27-000028-720x480.jpg)
![Freemont Factory in California, Photo Credit: Tesla](https://www.karmactive.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Screenshot-2024-05-27-000028-720x480.jpg)
Tesla Faces Lawsuit for Over 100 Clean Air Act Violations: Is the Fremont Factory Polluting Your Air?
A nonprofit environmental group, Environmental Democracy Project, has filed a lawsuit against Tesla, alleging that the automaker, under CEO Elon Musk, violated the federal Clean Air Act hundreds of times by emitting
![Station TotalEnergies Les Tulipes, Paris.. Photo Credit: Chabe01 (CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED)](https://www.karmactive.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Station_TotalEnergies_Tulipes_-_Paris_XIX_FR75_-_2021-06-02_-_1-720x480.jpg)
![Station TotalEnergies Les Tulipes, Paris.. Photo Credit: Chabe01 (CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED)](https://www.karmactive.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Station_TotalEnergies_Tulipes_-_Paris_XIX_FR75_-_2021-06-02_-_1-720x480.jpg)
TotalEnergies Faces Landmark Climate Lawsuit: NGOs and Victims Demand Accountability for 1% of Global Emissions
Three NGOs and eight victims of climate disasters from seven countries have filed an unprecedented criminal complaint in Paris against the executives and major shareholders of French oil company TotalEnergies. The complaint
![People gathered to Pause the Development of Ai. Photo Credit: PauseAi (Facebook)](https://www.karmactive.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/People-gathered-to-Pause-the-Development-of-Ai-720x480.jpg)
![People gathered to Pause the Development of Ai. Photo Credit: PauseAi (Facebook)](https://www.karmactive.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/People-gathered-to-Pause-the-Development-of-Ai-720x480.jpg)
PauseAI Protests Erupt Globally, Calling for Halt on Advanced AI Development
PauseAI has already held protests around the world in cities like San Francisco, New York, Berlin, Rome, and Ottawa. Pause AI is a group of activists petitioning for companies to pause development
![Artist Impression](https://www.karmactive.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Artist-Impression-720x480.jpg)
![Artist Impression](https://www.karmactive.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Artist-Impression-720x480.jpg)
Top Banks Pump $705.8 Billion into Fossil Fuels Amid Climate Crisis: JPMorgan, Mizuho Bank Tops List
On May 13, a consortium of NGOs, including the Rainforest Action Network and BankTrack, released the “Bank Giants and Climate Chaos 2024” report in collaboration with over 580 global institutions. The report
![](https://www.karmactive.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/taylor-swift-teylor-svift-4873-720x480.jpg)
![](https://www.karmactive.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/taylor-swift-teylor-svift-4873-720x480.jpg)
Taylor Swift’s 287,000 KM Tour Sparks Debate: Environmental Activism vs. High-Flying Lifestyle
In early 2023, Taylor Swift kicked off her ‘The Eras Tour’ in various cities across the United States and in many countries on different continents. As an activist against Climate Change, controversy
![](https://www.karmactive.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Sonam-Wangchuks-Hunger-Strike-720x480.jpg)
![](https://www.karmactive.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Sonam-Wangchuks-Hunger-Strike-720x480.jpg)
Sonam Wangchuk’s Hunger Strike Ignites A Demand for Ladakh’s 6th Schedule Rights and Tribal Recognition
Sonam Wangchuk, the Ramon Magsaysay award winner from Ladakh, has begun a protest-fast for the rights of Ladakhis. To promote total economic development and decision-making, the Ladakhis have been calling for the
![Fire attack on Tesla's Berlin Factory.](https://www.karmactive.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Fire-attack-on-Teslas-Berlin-Factory.-1-650x480.jpg)
![Fire attack on Tesla's Berlin Factory.](https://www.karmactive.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Fire-attack-on-Teslas-Berlin-Factory.-1-650x480.jpg)
Tesla’s Berlin Plant Encounters Arson Attack by ‘Volcano Group’, Costs Millions and Cuts Local Power
Following a suspected arson attack, at Teslas Gigafactory in Berlin Brandenburg the production operations faced disruptions. The incident, allegedly carried out by a group known as Vulkangruppe Tesla Abschalten (Volcano Group) involved
![](https://www.karmactive.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Snapinsta.app_423770510_3215500115411395_8181098766740521041_n_1080-1-720x480.webp)
![](https://www.karmactive.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Snapinsta.app_423770510_3215500115411395_8181098766740521041_n_1080-1-720x480.webp)
Mangrove Massacre at Chanakya Lake in Navi Mumbai: Citizens’ Outcry Leads to FIR Against Land Clearance
The CIDCO is the City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra. It is an Indian city planning agency. It is the richest government authority in India. It is formed and controlled by
![Yemeni EPA Head takes a stand against major oil companies at the ICC](https://www.karmactive.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Yemeni-EPA-Head-takes-a-stand-against-major-oil-companies-at-the-ICC-720x480.png)
![Yemeni EPA Head takes a stand against major oil companies at the ICC](https://www.karmactive.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Yemeni-EPA-Head-takes-a-stand-against-major-oil-companies-at-the-ICC-720x480.png)
Yemeni EPA Head Confronts Oil Titans in ICC Against Oil Pollution
The environmental activist from Yemen has filed claims against two oil companies at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands. An investigative report published on 23 January 2024 by the
![Iconic Mona Lisa survives a soup attack at the Louvre as French agricultural protests escalate.](https://www.karmactive.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Iconic-Mona-Lisa-survives-a-soup-attack-at-the-Louvre-as-French-agricultural-protests-escalate.-720x480.png)
![Iconic Mona Lisa survives a soup attack at the Louvre as French agricultural protests escalate.](https://www.karmactive.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Iconic-Mona-Lisa-survives-a-soup-attack-at-the-Louvre-as-French-agricultural-protests-escalate.-720x480.png)
Iconic Mona Lisa at Louvre Survives Soup Attack Amidst French Agricultural Protests
Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece at the Louvre museum in Paris has been a source of joy and curiosity for millions of art lovers. Her enigmatic smile has been a source of debate
![Haris Azhar and Fatia Maulidiyanti together](https://www.karmactive.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Screenshot-2024-01-23-173808-720x480.png)
![Haris Azhar and Fatia Maulidiyanti together](https://www.karmactive.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Screenshot-2024-01-23-173808-720x480.png)
Haris Azhar, Fatia Maulidiyanti in Legal Spotlight: Defamation Case Tests Indonesia’s Free Speech
Due to a video that was uploaded to Haris Azhar’s YouTube channel, the human rights activists Fatia Maulidiyanti and Haris Azhar from Indonesia are presently being charged with criminal defamation. This development
![A 18 Year Girl Is Swiming](https://www.karmactive.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/FIMG-1-720x480.jpg)
![A 18 Year Girl Is Swiming](https://www.karmactive.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/FIMG-1-720x480.jpg)
18-Year-Old Medical Student Swims Mumbai’s Polluted Waters to Spark Change
Swimming has gets a maximum of 24 medals at the Olympics. No wonder a swimmer tries to take part in it. But think of a swimmer who wants to focus on attracting