INDIA
India stands up for Basel ban

The Supreme Court of India has banned all imports of hazardous waste following sustained calls by Greenpeace and other groups for the widest ratification and implementation of the Basel Convention.
In April 1997 Greenpeace and other campaigners from around the world joined local environmentalists in New Delhi to present a declaration of support for the Basel ban, which outlaws movements of hazardous waste from industrialised to develop-ing countries, at the Indian Ministry of Environment and foreign embassies.

Anniversary in Asia

Just a few months before the handover of Hong Kong, Greenpeace celebrated its first year in China. Today, support from India to Indonesia continues to climb as ordinary people place environmental justice higher and higher on their ladder of priorities.

Greenpeace has been at the forefront of efforts during 1997 to stop hazardous waste trafficking in the guise of recycling from developed to developing nations. The Philippines, India and Indonesia remain favourite targets for the dumping of waste including contaminated zinc ash from Australia and PVC scrap from the US and Europe.
Greenpeace has also spearheaded efforts in Thailand, India and the Philippines to halt the spread of dioxin-releasing waste incinerators.
In Taiwan, Greenpeace has campaigned successfully to dissuade the government from shipping up to 200,000 barrels of radioactive waste to cash-strapped North Korea for final storage. In Hong Kong, Greenpeace campaigners boarded the freighter Zim Sydney and successfully called for the return to Australia of an illegal shipment of toxic computer scrap.
In Asia and throughout the world, Greenpeace calls on parties to the Basel Convention to outlaw the trade in hazardous wastes between OECD and non-OECD nations.

Issues and advocacy
In 1997 Greenpeace co-sponsored the annual No Nukes Asia Forum convened in the Philippines. In the wake of the conference, the government of Indonesia announced the shelving of the country's first nuclear power plant while the Philippines adopted a review of its proposed strategy.
The year also saw crucial work in southeast Asia on climate change and forests. Greenpeace remains a key adviser to governments in the region on climate change, El Niño and disaster contingency. Greenpeace is also working with ASEAN agencies to prevent forest land clearance by plantation companies and to allocate resources to communities affected by devastating regional fires.

The quality of life
In China, Guangdong Kelon - the country's largest refrigerator manufacturer - announced plans during 1997 to increase production of environmentally friendly Greenfreeze fridges to 3,000,000 units per year. China is the fastest-growing refrigerator market in the world. The wider adoption here of the award-winning Greenpeace fridge technology will have a positive impact in China and around the world.
Further technological innovation was on display in 1997 at the Shanghai international car show. The SmILE (Small, Intelligent, Light, Efficient) vehicle is a fuel-efficient adaptation of a Renault production model developed by Greenpeace with Wenko AG of Switzerland.
The SmILE car symbolises our goal in China: to inspire the government of the world's most populous nation to take a lead in global environmental protection. The vehicle highlights China's unique and enviable opportunity to improve the quality of life without sacrificing environmental health.