The Human cost of China’s green energy rush ahead of Winter Olympics

Solar panels on the hillsides of Qu village in Baoding, part of China's northern Hebei province. China is the world's biggest producer of wind turbines and solar panels, and the Winter Olympics is seen as an opportunity to showcase the country's green technologies as they seek global markets. | AFP-JIJI
Solar panels on the hillsides of Qu village in Baoding, part of China’s northern Hebei province. China is the world’s biggest producer of wind turbines and solar panels, and the Winter Olympics is seen as an opportunity to showcase the country’s green technologies as they seek global markets. | AFP-JIJI AFP-JIJI

Beaten, forced off their land, cheated out of money, and even falsely imprisoned — farmers in China say they are paying a heavy price as authorities rush to deliver on ambitious pledges to ramp up national green energy output.

China has vowed the upcoming Winter Olympics will be the first Games to be run entirely on wind and solar energy, and have built scores of facilities to increase capacity. But activists warn that ordinary people are being exploited by “land grabs” in the process.

In a hamlet near Beijing, the Long family — who say they’ve lost more than half their agricultural land to a sprawling solar farm next door — now have so little income they are burning corn husks and plastic bags to stay warm in winter.

Article: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/12/21/world/human-cost-china-green-energy-winter-olympics/

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