In Europe and the United States in recent months there has been a public debate about working conditions at factories in south China – especially since the string of suicides at the Taiwanese-owned Foxconn plant. Many NGOs are conducting campaigns and advocacy work to raise awareness about such issues, include health effects on workers, and to infl uence the behaviour of individual and institutional consumers.
However, less attention has been devoted to the impact of the industrialisation process on the wider environment and on living conditions outside the factories. This study by chinadialogue may help to fi ll this gap. This vivid and detailed account of reporting the environment and health in southern China may help readers to better understand the challenges and opportunities for reporters, activists, academics, funders and policymakers working in an important field.
Report on Environmental Health in the Pearl River Delta
