Issue 18, July 24th to July 31st, 2009

OPINION

Nonsense to gear water price to international standards (Eastday, 7/30/2009) In the first half of this year, the price of water for living in big and medium-sized cities in China has been generally raised, which led to people’s sensitive feeling of price fluctuation. Why these cities raise the price together at the same time? How to balance the rise of water charge and people’s affordability? Can the “water supply cost” be open and transparent? How to adjust the price more reasonably?

Facing Asia’s water woes (China Dialogue, 7/30/2009) Concerns over water scarcity are particularly acute in Asia, writes Saleem H Ali. But despite the potential for conflict, there are also prospects for ecological cooperation.

What can China do about climate change? (Telegraph, 7/30/2009) A Greenpeace report has now revealed, to the surprise of no one, that the awakened industrial giant of China is a colossal creator of carbon emissions. China’s three biggest power firms (Huaneng, Datang and Guodian) allegedly produced more greenhouse gas emissions last year than the whole of Britain.

We can’t pin our ozone problems on China (Examiner.com, 7/29/2009) So can we blame China for our smoggy air as well? Nope, a new study published this month in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. The study, which was lead by University of Washington researchers and has a total of twenty co-authors, used data from a network of ground-based ozone instruments and the field's best climate models to determine how much foreign emissions affect ozone levels in the United States.

Designing a greener China (China Dialogue, 7/27/2009) Hu Jie is the landscape architect of the 680-hectare Olympic Forest Park in Beijing. In an interview with Jared Green, Hu explains the philosophy behind its design and discusses the importance of ecological ideas and Chinese tradition.

PUBLIC SECTOR/NGOs

Protest over chemical plant production escalates in central China (Xinhua, 7/30/2009) Villagers took to the streets in Zhentou Township, central China's Hunan Province, again on Thursday, protesting detentions the previous day during demonstrations against pollution problems caused by a chemical plant.

Torrential rain in China kills 66 since June (AFP, 7/30/2009) Torrential rain and landslides have killed at least 66 people and left another 66 missing in south and central China since the beginning of June, state media reported Thursday.

Noise map helps locate a land of peace (China Daily, 7/30/2009) After taking a look at the "noise map" of Shenzhen, most residents would love to live in a purple haze.

Landmark environmental lawsuit against local government (The China Perspective, 7/30/2009) A court of Qingzhen, Guizhou province in China's southwest, accepted the country's first lawsuit against a government agency over environmental issues brought by a charitable organization on July 28. The All-China Environment Federation sued Qingzhen's land and resources authority for granting a permit to Li Wanxian, the legal person for the construction of an ice cream workshop in the natural scenic spot of Baihua Lake.

Chinese workers say illness is real, not hysteria (New York Times, 7/29/2009) Tian Lihua was just beginning her morning shift when she felt a wave of nausea, then numbness in her limbs and finally dizziness that gave way to unconsciousness. In the days that followed, more than 1,200 fellow employees at the textile mill where Ms. Tian works would be felled by these and other symptoms, including convulsions, breathing difficulties, vomiting and temporary paralysis.

Water pollution sickens thousands in north China (AP, 7/29/2009) Contaminated drinking water has sickened more than 2,600 people in northern China, including 59 who were hospitalized with fevers, diarrhea, stomach aches and vomiting, state media reported Wednesday.

Think fin, save sharks (Shanghai Daily, 7/28/2009) Asia is the world's biggest market for shark's fin - a costly delicacy and status symbol - and its appetite is growing. But sharks are being slaughtered. Zhang Qian reports.

Earliest animals lived in a lake environment, Research shows (ScienceDaily, 7/28/2009) A UC Riverside-led team of researchers studying ancient rock samples in South China has found that the first animal fossils in the paleontological record are preserved in ancient lake deposits, not marine sediments as commonly assumed.

NGO questions dam project suspensions (China Daily, 7/27/2009) A domestic environmental protection organization questioned the recent punishment issued by the Ministry of Environmental Protection on the construction of two environmentally-unfriendly hydroelectric plants, pointing out flaws in the decision, the First Financial Daily reported Monday.

Pandas face uncertain future after China quake (AP, 7/27/2009) About 35 pandas at a reserve in southwestern China face an uncertain future after nearly a quarter of their habitat was destroyed by last year's powerful earthquake that killed nearly 70,000 people, according to a study published Monday.

China’s largest desert lake may vanish in decades, experts warn (Xinhua, 7/27/2009) China's largest desert lake - Hongjiannao - is still shrinking as a result of climate change and human activities, and may vanish in a few decades, experts have warned.

Wedding ceremony on cycle to improve environmental protection (China Daily, 7/26/2009) The bride Shi Xiulan and groom Xin Jia ride a modified bicycle during their wedding ceremony in Guiyang, in southwest China’s Guizhou Province, July 26, 2009. The copule, both members of a cycling club in Guiyang, and about 100 cycling fans rode on the street to celebrate the wedding ceremony and also improve the public awareness of environmental protection.

CORPORATIONS

Report: China stops mining project with North Korea (AP, 7/30/2009) A Chinese investment company has abruptly suspended a joint project with a North Korean firm that has been targeted under U.N. sanctions, a news report said Thursday.

China Natural Gas, CNPC join hands for CNG push in China (Platts.com, 7/30/2009) China Natural Gas, a prominent supplier of compressed natural gas and pipeline gas in Xian, the capital of Shaanxi province, late Wednesday said it has signed a joint venture agreement with a subsidiary of state oil giant China National Petroleum Corp. to cooperate in the CNG business.

China Industrial Waste Management, Inc. receives National Subsidy of RMB 10 Million for capacity expansion (PRNewswire, 7/30/2009) China Industrial Waste Management, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: CIWT) ("China Industrial Waste Management" or the "Company"), a PRC-based industrial waste processor and provider of environmental protection, pollution treatment and waste management design services, announced today that its 90% owned subsidiary, Dalian Dongtai Industrial Waste Treatment, Co., Ltd. has received a national subsidy of RMB 10 million (approximately $1,464,129) for capacity expansion to complete a "Centralized Hazardous Waste Treatment Facility" (the "Expansion Project") in Dalian, Liaoning Province, China.

New report just published installed capacity of nuclear power in China, 2003-2010 (Reportlinker PRWire, 7/30/2009) Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report related to the Nuclear energy industry is available in its catalogue.

China’s car rental industry on the rise (Travel News, 7/30/2009) Rental car agencies are facing a very difficult period in Europe and the United States. However, in China a new company is investing heavily in the idea that China can buck the trend. China’s eHi Car Rental co. offers a new concept for rent a car that could do very well in china. The company recently raised 20 million dollars from investors and they are planning a public offering in 2011.

Skyworth says all its TVs will be energy saving in three years (ChinaCSR, 7/30/2009) Liu Tangzhi, the general manager of Skyworth Group's China Marketing Department, disclosed at a recent conference that Skyworth will make technical breakthroughs to update all its television products to be energy-saving and environmentally-friendly within three years.

New report just published research report on Chinese insecticide market 2009-2011 (Reportlinker PRWire, 7/29/2009) Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report related to the Pesticide industry is available in its catalogue.

Severn Trent: “Tretra Denite” system for WWTP in China (Water and Wastewater, 7/29/2009) Beijing BCEG Golden State Sources Environment Protection Development Co., Ltd., a provider of specialized services to customers in China’s solid waste, water and wastewater treatment industries, has selected the Tetra® Denite® System from Severn Trent Services for use at Phase III of the Huishan Wastewater Treatment Co., Ltd. project in the Huishan district of Wuxi City, China.

China’s three biggest power firms emit more carbon than Britain (Guardian, 7/28/2009) China's three biggest power firms produced more greenhouse gas emissions last year than the whole of Britain, according to a Greenpeace report published today/yesterday.

China’s first national-class Nuclear R&D base to break earth (Trading Markets, 7/28/2009) China will start building its first national-class large comprehensive nuclear R&D base in Shuangliu County, Sichuan Province, west China, in September 2009, according to the Shuangliu County Committee Propaganda Department.

BIOREM awarded three projects in China (PRNewsire, 7/28/2009) BIOREM Inc. (TSXV:BRM) announced today the receipt of three new municipal orders from our China office. The three orders totaling CAD $450,000 were all for wastewater odor control systems located in different cities.

China ACM adds 5 new portable plants (PRNewssire, 7/28/2009) China Advanced Construction Materials Group, Inc. ("China ACM") (OTC Bulletin Board: CADC), a leading provider of ready-mix concrete and related services in China, today announced that it has added five new portable, ready-mix concrete plants. As a result, the company now has 9 portable plants supporting the build-out of China's national railway network. The new plants are located between railway stations near Qinhuangdao, Yongfu, Hangzhou, Liuzhou and Guilin.

Infrastructure woes hamper China wind farm’s push for profitability (Guardian, 7/27/2009) Chinese wind farm operators are struggling to earn a profit as a lack of wind resources and an insufficient power infrastructure has hampered efforts to provide clean energy to the grid.

GOVERNMENT

Beijing closing coal plants in environmental move (AP, 7/30/2009) China has taken advantage of a drop in electricity demand due to the global financial crisis to speed up a campaign to close small coal-fired power plants and improve its battered environment, an official said Thursday.

China’s capital tightens vehicle exhaust controls (Xinhua, 7/30/2009) China's environment authorities are to ban motor vehicles registered outside Beijing from entering the capital city if they fail to meet exhaust emissions standards.

China seeks clean energy balance (Wall Street Journal, 7/30/2009) China's government said it shut down many of its smaller and dirtier power plants nearly two years ahead of schedule, as the world's biggest consumer of coal took advantage of the weak global economy to boost efficiency and cut pollution in its vast network of generators.

China reports slight improvement of water quality nationwide (Xinhua, 7/30/2009) China's water quality nationwide improved slightly in 2008 though the situation was still grave, said a statement released by the Ministry of Environmental Protection on Thursday.

World Bank arm sees China as Africa energy partner (Reuters, 7/29/2009) The International Finance Corporation expects closer future cooperation with China to provide funding in Africa's growing oil and gas sector, a senior investment official said on Wednesday.

China’s Great Green Wall proves hollow (The Epoch Times, 7/29/2009) The Great Green Wall, also known as the Three-North Shelterbelt program, started in 1978 with the goal of establishing 35.6 million hectares of protective forests over a swath of 2,783 miles in Northeast, North, and Northwest China. The program was to take 73 years and raise forest cover in northern China from 5 to 15 percent.

90-octane gas faces limited future (Eastday, 7/29/2009) Shanghai has started to gradually phase out 90-octane gasoline, which causes more pollution due to a higher sulfur content.

China wants climate deal this year: U.N.’s Ban (Reuters, 7/29/2009) China's leaders told U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that Beijing wants to reach a new agreement on combating climate change in Copenhagen in December, Ban said on Wednesday.

US-China talks expected to include collaboration on fighting infectious disease (Xinhua, 7/29/2009) China's Deputy Health Minister Yin Li on Tuesday said that public health cooperation between China and the U.S. can improve the health of both countries and be strategically significant to world peace and development, Xinhua/China View reports (7/29).

China to set price for wind power (Sustainable Business, 7/29/2009) China plans to set a price for energy produced from wind power projects, according to an announcement made by the government's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

Direct power supply trial gets cold shoulder (Caijing, 7/29/2009) Electricity users and power generators have given a cold shoulder to China's direct power supply pilot scheme, which was intended to introduce price competition into the market, since they are concerned about high transmission fees and unreliable access, government and industry sources told Caijing.

China channels 1 billion yuan green fund to rural areas (Xinhua, 7/29/2009) Money from a 1 billion yuan (146 million U.S. dollars) fund is being distributed to 1,370 villages in China to remedy environmental problems and reward good practices, said the Ministry of Environment Protection Wednesday.

New tree adoption rules (Shanghai Daily, 7/28/2009) Spend 30 yuan (US$4.4) to adopt a tree and you can have your name on it for a month. Companies can have the same treat by spending a minimum of 300 yuan.

China: Cities and power plants blacklisted (ChinaCSR, 7/28/2009) Eight Chinese cities and five power plants have been included on the blacklist of China's Ministry of Environmental Protection for their illegal behavior and have been asked to rectify their faults within a given period.

Russia complains about Chinese border river project (Reuters, 7/27/2009) Russia complained about a major Chinese river project on Monday which it says will harm the Russian environment, the latest sign of strained relations between the two countries.

Obama: US, China to work on halting nuclear spread (AP, 7/27/2009) President Barack Obama says the U.S. and China have a shared interest in halting the spread of nuclear weapons.