After tens of thousands of local residents gathered this week to protest a new copper and molybdenum smelting plant in China, local officials have canceled plans for the $1.6 billion complex. It’s the latest in a series of citizen actions against polluting Chinese factories, demonstrating a change in attitudes toward environmental issues in the country.

Located in China’s southwestern Sichuan Province, the planned plant was part of a economic revitalization program to develop the area after a devastating 2008 earthquake. But residents were concerned about the health effects of the pollution from the plant, including the potential for harmful byproducts like arsenic. Copper smelters also emit toxic lead and selenium.

The government argued that copper and molybdenum were “essential elements” for human nutrition and that the plant would be safe, but citizens were not convinced. Protests grew, even after police used clubs, tear gas, and stun grenades to disperse crowds, and dozens of protesters were arrested. When it was clear that residents were not giving up, local officials eventually decided to halt the project.

Similar protests have stopped the construction of other potentially hazardous factories. In Beijing, a large trash incinerator was blocked. In a city near Shanghai, a thousand residents protested another large trash incinerator, which may be canceled. A coal-fired power plant near Hong Kong was stopped after 30,000 citizens marched in protest. Even a solar energy company, near Shanghai, was closed after demonstrations objecting to chemicals used in manufacturing.

The internet has helped spread news of each success across the country. Sina Weibo, a microblogging service similar to Twitter, has been especially popular as a way to share updates on each project. As citizens have challenged polluting projects, the government has also been taking more action to control pollution, closing down factories across the country to install new emissions control equipment.

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