Environmental agencies in China are hamstrung by local officials

Hear the piercing words of Ma Jun, spoken with the sorrow of one who has watched the rivers darken and the skies choke: “Environmental agencies in China are hamstrung by local officials who put economic growth ahead of environmental protection; even the courts are beholden to local officials, and they are not open to environmental litigation.” In this saying lies the struggle of our age, the conflict between wealth and survival, between short-term gain and the enduring health of the land. He speaks not only of China, but of a universal truth: when the guardians of justice are bound by the chains of power, the earth herself is left defenseless.

At the heart of his words is the tragedy of local officials who prize economic growth above all else. Growth brings visible triumphs—roads, factories, jobs, and numbers that rise on charts—but it also brings hidden costs when unchecked: poisoned rivers, vanished forests, children who breathe smoke instead of air. These officials, seeking prestige or favor, forget that true prosperity lies not in the height of towers, but in the strength of the soil and the purity of water. Thus Ma Jun warns: a narrow vision of growth leads only to ruin.

Even more grievous is the truth he speaks of the courts beholden to local officials. For the court is meant to be the last refuge of justice, the shield of the powerless against the powerful. Yet when courts bow to officials, justice itself becomes corrupted. The people, robbed of their voice, cannot bring forth environmental litigation, cannot plead for their rivers, cannot defend their mountains. When the courts close their ears, the cries of both the people and the earth vanish unheard, and injustice reigns under the false banner of order.

History shows us this pattern clearly. In the early days of the Industrial Revolution in England, local rulers welcomed mills and factories, for they promised wealth and influence. The rivers of Manchester ran black with waste, the skies of London turned thick with coal, and the poor were left to sicken in silence. Courts were slow to act, bound by the same interests that celebrated profit. Only after decades of suffering, and the rising voice of reformers, did laws emerge to protect both workers and nature. Ma Jun’s lament echoes this history, warning us that without courage, societies repeat the same mistakes in new times and lands.

But we are also given examples of courage. Consider the Erin Brockovich case in the United States, where one determined woman challenged a powerful corporation that had poisoned groundwater. Though the system was heavy with resistance, her persistence and the eventual openness of the courts brought justice and reform. This story stands as a counterpoint: where courts are truly free, even a single voice may awaken change. Where they are chained to officials, no such hope survives.

The wisdom here is simple yet profound: economic growth without justice is destruction disguised as progress. Courts without independence are hollow, and officials who prize profit above protection betray both their people and their posterity. To silence environmental litigation is to silence the very earth, and once the earth is silenced, no wealth will save those who depend upon it.

Therefore, children of tomorrow, remember Ma Jun’s warning. Demand that environmental protection be placed alongside growth, not beneath it. Defend the independence of courts, so that justice may stand higher than ambition. And if you find yourself in a position of authority, use it not to conceal destruction, but to reveal truth, and to protect what sustains life. For rivers, mountains, and skies cannot defend themselves—they depend on the courage of humankind.

Let this be the lesson: justice for the earth is justice for the people. Where courts are free, the earth may speak; where officials are wise, growth and nature may walk hand in hand. But where ambition blinds and justice is chained, both people and planet perish together. Choose the path of balance, of courage, of truth, and you will build not only wealth, but a future worthy of inheritance.