The Rising Environmental Toll Of China’s Offshore Island Grab

sand-barges
Sand barges, Hong Kong. Photograph: © SAF – Coastal Care

Excerpts;

To stake its claim in the strategic South China Sea, China is building airstrips, ports, and other facilities on disputed islands and reefs. Scientists say the activities are destroying key coral reef ecosystems and will heighten the risks of a fisheries collapse in the region…

Read Full Article, Yale E360 (10-10-2016)

Great Wall Of Sand: Chinese Mischief at Mischief Reef, The New York times (04-12-2015)

Third South China Sea airstrip being built, says expert, citing satellite photos, Guardian UK

What Happens to a Coral Reef When an Island is Built on Top? the Washington Post (07-11-2015)
Seven such coral reefs are being turned into islands, with harbors and landing strips by the Chinese military, and it is destroying a rich ecological network. “It’s the worst thing that has happened to coral reefs in our lifetime…”

China’s island Factory, BBC News(09-09-2014)
New islands are being made in the disputed South China Sea by the might of the Chinese state. But a group of marooned Filipinos on a rusting wreck is trying to stand in the way…

Preventing Ecocide in South China Sea, Guardian UK (07-20-2015)

Such Quantities of Sand, The Economist (07-27-2015)
Asia’s mania for reclaiming land from the sea spawns mounting problems…

“Sand, Rarer Than One Thinks”: A UNEP Report (GEA-March 2014)

Sand Wars, An Investigation Documentary, By Mutlti-Awards Winner Filmmaker Denis Delestrac

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