SHANGHAI ¨C The weekend before last, protests over a garbage incinerator turned violent in Hangzhou, China, a wealthy and growing metropolis less than an hour¡¯s train ride south of Shanghai.
The protesters have good reason to fear the half-built facility: Chinese incinerators typically emit far more toxic pollutants than those in Europe and other developed regions, often with tragic environmental and human consequences. Making matters worse, they¡¯re usually built with little public consultation.
The weekend protests ¡ª which resulted in 53 arrests, according to state news media ¡ª were merely the latest in a growing, citizen-driven movement against such burners.
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