Hubei’s Shennongjia Airport is set to open for flights this October, significantly reducing the distance between this relatively isolated “primeval forest” and the outside world. Shennongjia features typical karst landforms, and the airport is built atop steep mountain peaks. To construct the airport, five towering peaks were leveled and hundreds of karst caves were filled in. Some netizens have questioned whether this move damages the local ecological environment. In response, the local publicity department stated that leveling mountains and filling valleys is part of normal construction work and will not severely harm the environment.
Construction on Shennongjia Airport began over two years ago, and now that the airport’s opening is approaching, it has drawn strong skepticism from all sectors of society. Though the controversy has come somewhat late, it is ultimately a good thing. The “grand gestures” of filling in numerous karst caves and leveling five mountain peaks have naturally raised concerns about the ecological environment.
In recent years, modern-day versions of the “Yu Gong Moves a Mountain” tale have been repeatedly played out. In reality, such a massive livelihood project as the Shennongjia Airport should have undergone environmental assessment beforehand. Only through rigorous environmental impact assessments can we understand how the ecology will change after leveling the mountaintops. According to the relevant provisions of the Environmental Impact Assessment Law, except in cases where national regulations require confidentiality, for construction projects that may have a significant impact on the environment and are required to prepare environmental impact statements, the project developers must hold argumentation meetings, public hearings, or adopt other forms to solicit opinions from relevant organizations, experts, and the public before submitting the environmental impact statement for approval. However, judging by current indications, before breaking ground, Shennongjia Airport neither held any public hearings nor openly solicited any public opinions. Under a veil of near-total secrecy, construction commenced, and only now, as the project nears completion and public scrutiny emerges, have local authorities offered explanations without any substantial evidence.
Faced with this public crisis, we must ask: does Shennongjia Airport actually have an environmental impact assessment report? If not, someone must be held accountable; if it does, the relevant authorities should promptly make it public and detail the project’s specific environmental impacts and the protective measures taken. In today’s China, where the concepts of building a Beautiful China and ecological civilization are increasingly taking root, projects such as “leveling mountains to build cities,” “reclaiming land from the sea,” or “flattening peaks to build airports” must adhere to the bottom line of respecting nature and promoting harmony between humans and the environment. Short-sighted acts that prioritize immediate gains at the expense of sustainability — akin to killing the goose that lays the golden eggs — will not only face punishment from nature but should also be disciplined through institutional measures.