The Environmental and Human Rights Costs of China's Clean Energy Investments Abroad

"The audience sat patiently through the presentations about the cluster of battery factories going up nearby. They listened to descriptions of the hazardous chemicals the plants will use, their huge water withdrawals and energy demands. When it came time for questions, people began shifting in their chairs and standing up, making the cramped room feel even smaller. What if the chemicals leak, one woman asked."

""Please stand up for yourselves," she said, urging the audience to spread the word. The Chinese battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., or CATL, is nearing completion on what could be one of Europe's largest electric vehicle battery factories. The industrial park where it is located, outside Debrecen, Hungary's second-largest city, also hosts several other manufacturers of battery parts and supplies."

Chinese companies have pledged hundreds of billions of dollars in clean energy manufacturing investments overseas, with a rapid surge of battery factory construction in locations such as Debrecen, Hungary. These projects involve hazardous chemicals, substantial water withdrawals, and large energy demands, generating community fears about leaks, pollution, and long-term contamination. Residents express concerns about proximity to homes and schools and question political motivations and oversight for rapid industrial expansion. The clustering of multiple foreign-owned battery plants under industrial development goals is producing observable social, environmental, and human rights impacts on local health and ecosystems.

Read at WIRED