Greenlaw China: An on-the-ground view of China and the environment.

by admin | 2012/02/22 in Environmental News

February 14, 2012 – February 22, 2012   Chinese Electric Car Pollution More Harmful to Humans Than Gas Cars: In China, an electric car revolution may have actually worsened air quality Chicago Tribune (February 14, 2012) In China, where there are more than 100 million electrically-powered scooters and cars, alternatively-powered vehicles may be worse for the environment than gasoline-powered vehicles, according to a report released Monday by a team from the University of Tennessee. The problem in China comes from the way most electricity is generated–more than 75 percent of power in China is generated by coal. So, rather than … Continue reading 阅读全文 » Add comment 发表评论(0)

by admin | 2012/02/15 in Environmental News

February 8 – February 15 Reports: China Environmental Crises, Costs Rising Claims Journal (February 8, 2012) Environmental accidents are on the rise in China, mainly due to chemicals industry-related traffic and industrial mishaps, and the costs of such damage to the economy are rising. China handled 542 environmental accidents in 2011, the newspaper China Daily reported, citing statistics from the Ministry of Environmental Protection and ministry officials. The report gave no comparative figures, but the number appears a steep increase from 135 such accidents in 2008, 171 in 2009 and 156 in 2010, according to the website of the ministry-affiliated … Continue reading 阅读全文 » Add comment 发表评论(0)

by admin | 2012/01/18 in Environmental News

January 5 – January 18 China’s Thirst for Water Transfer Chinadialogue (January 10, 2012) Water diversion is back in the news in China thanks to the announcement of the 20-billion yuan (US $3.2 billion) Qiandao Lake project in Hangzhou, which has sparked controversy. Due to break ground during the next five years – the 12th Five Year Plan (FYP) period – the scheme aims to bring water from Qiandao Lake in Chun’an county to Xianlin, closer to downtown Hangzhou, the capital of eastern China’s Zhejiang province. China’s economic reform has generated an unprecedented urbanization and industrialization process, which has brought … Continue reading 阅读全文 » Add comment 发表评论(0)

by Greenlaw | 2012/01/04 in Environmental News

December 28. 2011 - January 4, 2012 China Pollution Problem to Last 20-30 Years The Guardian (January 3, 2012) A leading Guangdong haze expert says that the air pollution in Chinese cities will last for at least 20 to 30 years. “It took the US and Europe 50 years to deal with their problem. Even if we cut that [PM2.5] in half, it will still take 20 to 30 years,” said Wu Dui, of the Guangdong Meteorological Agency. Mr. Wu’s analysis comes as the Chinese government plans to publicly release data on PM2.5, pollution that, if used as a standard for … Continue reading 阅读全文 » Add comment 发表评论(0)

by admin | 2011/12/28 in Environmental News

December 21 – December 28   China Vows to Curb Heavy Metal Pollution The Economic Times (December 20, 2011)   Heavy metal pollution has been a flash point in China in the past after cases of mass poisoning, especially in children, roused widespread public anger.  China promised on Tuesday to contain heavy metal pollution but admitted it faces a challenge with inadequate environment protection resources in a rapidly growing economy.  China’s targets to cut heavy metal pollution by 15% of 2007 levels by 2015 while keeping non-heavy metal pollution below 2007 levels are in line with goals outlined by its … Continue reading 阅读全文 » Add comment 发表评论(0)

by admin | 2011/12/21 in Environmental News

December 11 – December 20 Air, Noise Pollution Among Chinese Urbanites’ Most Common Concerns: Survey Xinhua (December 12, 2011) Roughly 63 percent of Chinese urban residents said they were satisfied with the local environment, with air quality and noise being their top concerns, according to new survey results. The results, released on December 12 by the Ministry of Environmental Protection, were based on the National Bureau of Statistics randomly phoning citizens of most Chinese cities with a series of questions last year. The satisfaction rate of respondents toward air quality was 55.2 percent, 7.7 percentage points lower than the satisfaction … Continue reading 阅读全文 » Add comment 发表评论(0)

by Greenlaw | 2011/12/14 in Environmental News

November 28th – December 10th Beijing Considers Reporting PM 2.5 Data to Public The Chinese government is considering reporting PM2.5 pollution data to the public after it received over 1500 requests from the public for publication of such data. PM2.5 particles, which are small enough to cause lung damage and other health problems, also causes economic damage to the country. Last week, several hundred flights to Beijing’s Capital Airport, the world’s second busiest airport, were canceled. According to some environmental experts, if PM2.5 were the standard taken into account for air quality, over 80% of Chinese cities would have unsatisfactory … Continue reading 阅读全文 » Add comment 发表评论(0)

by Greenlaw | 2011/11/28 in Environmental News

November 23 – November 28   China issues White Paper on climate change Xinhua (November 23, 2011) China’s top economic planning body has issued a White Paper on combating climate change, summarizing past efforts, and laying out a clear road map for green development over the next five years.  Legally binding targets for the next five years include a 17% cut in carbon emissions, a 16 percent decrease in energy use per unit of GDP, and a goal of lifting non-fossil-fuel energy usage from its current level of 8.6 percent, to 11.4 percent of total energy consumption.  China has already … Continue reading 阅读全文 » Add comment 发表评论(0)