This story originally appeared on Inside Climate News as part of its Planet China series and is part of the Climate Desk collaboration.
The audience sat patiently through the presentations about the cluster of battery factories going up nearby. They listened to descriptions of the hazardous chemicals the plants will use, their huge water withdrawals and energy demands.
When it came time for questions, people began shifting in their chairs and standing up, making the cramped room feel even smaller.
What if the chemicals leak, one woman asked. What’s in it for the politicians in their “velvet chairs,” another demanded. A third warned it would be just like the Soviet era, when