Right way to do things

The two waste incineration power generation projects in Susong and Taihu counties, East China’s Anhui province, recently suspended operations due to the “grave concerns” of local residents. In response to people’s concerns, the authorities of the two counties pledged that any new project will not be launched at the cost of environment and people’s interests or commence operations before gaining the support of local residents.

The two authorities’ timely reactions to the concerns of local residents should undoubtedly be appreciated. Why have the two waste-to-energy projects that the two local governments claim are environmentally friendly been opposed by local residents on the grounds they pose risks to people’s health? This needs to be reflected on.

The fundamental reason for this is that no matter how wellconceived a project is, if there is an information asymmetry the project will not find acceptance with the public. In the case of waste-to-power projects people’s concerns were about potential emissions of hazardous toxins that need to be addressed.

In Susong, after the environment impact assessment about the waste-to-energy project was published two years ago, local residents have not stopped reporting complaints to the local authorities. Why was there no effective response to their concerns in those two years?

As a matter of fact, if the benefits of a well-devised public project are known to the public and they outweigh any negative impacts, the majority of people will support the project.

In this respect, Xiantao, in Central China’s Hubei province, has set a good example. After the operations of a waste incineration power generation project in the city were halted two years ago in the face of local villagers’ strong objections, the plant soon resumed work because it successfully gained the support of 99 percent of local residents after it effectively communicated to them that the pros outweighed any cons.

The Xiantao case tells us that behind the disputes and contradictions involving people’s concerns about public projects there are the inconsiderate and out-of-date working methods of decision-makers.