Water pollution is one of the biggest problems in Asia: Eight out of the world’s ten most polluted rivers are located here. Especially the two most populous countries worldwide - China and India - are burdened by plastic waste and polluted water with long-term negative impact on biodiversity, people’s health, food supplies and the biggest treasure to all of us: drinking water.
China is the world’s biggest plastic producer and consumer; India’s waste management policymaking has historically been a tug of war between the government and industries. As their polluted rivers became regional problems, both countries released new policies against pollution in the last years, that are among the most ambitious ones in the world. But so far, the results have not met these ambitions. In China and India, NGOs play a vital role in implementing the regulations against pollution. Working on the ground with society, promoting environmental protection and environmental education falls to them.
The global fight for clean water, a key part of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, cannot be won without the contribution of civil society in China and India.
Hanns Seidel Foundation invites leading environmental experts and NGO representatives from China and India to discuss the following questions: