Planet China : Sixth in a series about how Beijing’s trillion-dollar development plan is reshaping the globe—and the natural world.

A Chinese mining company that spilled toxic waste on impoverished Zambian villages got people to waive their right to sue using a government-ordered compensation process, according to documents reviewed by Inside Climate News.

In July, the Zambian government ordered Sino-Metals Leach Zambia to provide interim compensation to 454 farmers after the company’s waste pit, known as a tailings dam, spilled millions of gallons of acidic sludge containing lead, arsenic and other heavy metals into communities and rivers in February.

“Without immediate intervention, the consequences for future generations of Zambians will be severe and long-lasting,” said a letter wri

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