Issue 20, August 7th to August 13th, 2009

OPINION

While their glaciers melt and rivers dry, China and India only add to climate woes (McClatchy-Tribune News Service, 8/13/2009) Great rhetoric, but as usual Yu blamed everyone else, particularly the United States, for the world's climate-change problem - even as his own country emits more greenhouse gases than any other nation on earth and continues to build a coal-fired power plant almost every week. Already, China generates 80 percent of its electricity by burning coal, compared to 34 percent in the United States.

China’s great wall to foreign green tech (The Christian Science Monitor, 8/12/2009) Foreign makers of solar panels and wind turbines are now often excluded from contracts for government projects in renewable energies. A recent "buy Chinese" policy has pushed out many foreign makers of wind turbines, for instance, in favor of local manufacturers.

Solar futures at the foot of Everest (China Dialogue, 8/11/2009) Passive solar homes could help to improve people’s daily lives and protect the environment on the Tibetan plateau, finds Cai Rupeng.

Deconstructing China’s energy intensity – A Lesson in Fuzzy Math (The Green Leap Forward, 8/11/2009) Guest blogger John Romankiewicz a/k/a Sustainable John (pictured right), a carbon markets analyst at New Energy Finance and director of the China’s Green Beat video blog, questions the consistency of NRDC’s announced progress on energy intensity reductions with his own calculations using NBS data.

PUBLIC SECTOR/NGOs

New research peels prawns apart to make biodiesel (Reuters, 8/13/2009) Environmentally-friendly fuel does not immediately spring to mind when peeling prawns but Chinese scientists claim shrimp shells may have an important role to play in improving biodiesel production efficiency.

Dangerous crates in Yangtze River still missing (China Daily, 8/13/2009) Twelve shipping containers packed with dangerous chemicals were still missing yesterday after falling into the rapid current of the Yangtze River on Monday.

China’s cancer-causing factories (CBS, 8/12/2009) Deng Dingfu is living out his final days wracked with the pain of lung cancer - lung cancer blamed on toxic pollution, reports CBS News Correspondent Celia Hatton.

94 new species discovered in Nepal (Xinhua, 8/10/2009) After a decade of research in the Himalayan region from Nepal to the far north of Myanmar, as well as southern parts of China's Tibet Autonomous Region, scientists have documented an amazing treasure trove of 350 new species of plants and animals, 94 of which were found in Nepal alone.

Water prices rising across China (Caijing, 8/10/2009) Under growing pressure to conserve water and reform price controls, China's cities are introducing dramatic price hikes for water supplies and water treatment services.

A ‘no coal’ campaign in China (China Daily, 8/10/2009) On a hot, humid day in Beijing, the environmental group Greenpeace released a report challenging China's largest power-generation plants.

Algal bloom in C China reservoir affects drinking water of 15,000 (Xinhua, 8/8/2009) Algal bloom in a reservoir in central China's Hubei Province has affected the drinking water of 15,000 people, local authorities said Saturday.

Interest in organic food on the rise in China (Los Angeles Times, 8/8/2009) Unlike most farms in China, no heaps of blackened sewage sludge are piled on the fields at the Green Cow farm. No workers spray pesticides from pumps strapped to their backs. No animals are in quarantine.

100 crewmen missing in waters off south China: report (AFP, 8/8/2009) Up to 100 crew members on more than a dozen boats from China, Vietnam and Cambodia were missing off the south of China Saturday in rough seas caused by tropical storm Goni, state press said.

CORPORATIONS

China natural gas announces Q2 results, Affirms FY guidance (Seeking Alpha, 8/13/2009) On August 11, 2009, China Natural Gas (CHNG) announced Q2 results.

Citic resources may double oil production with field (Bloomberg, 8/13/2009) Citic Resources Holdings Ltd., the Chinese metals producer turned oil supplier, started drilling an offshore oilfield in northeastern China that could potentially double its petroleum output by 2014, boosting sales.

ICBC supports innovation on Environment and Energy conservation (ChinaCSR, 8/13/2009) The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China has been enhancing its support for environmental protection and innovations on energy saving and emission reduction technology and by the end of June 2009 it had granted up to CNY400 billion in loans for green programs.

Cameco says utilities in China stockpiling uranium (Bloomberg, 8/12/2009) Cameco Corp., the world’s second- largest uranium producer, said power utilities in China are continuing to stockpile uranium, making them the market’s single-largest group of buyers.

Huaneng Power International Inc. Announces 2009 Interim Results (PRNewswire Asia, 8/11/2009) Huaneng Power International, Inc. (the "Company") (NYSE: HNP; HKEx: 902; SSE: 600011) today announced the unaudited operating results for the six months ended 30 June 2009.

China Solar & Clean Energy Solutions, Inc. reports 2nd quarter 2009 financial results (PRNewswire Asia, 8/11/2009) China Solar & Clean Energy Solutions, Inc. (Formerly known as "Deli Solar (USA), Inc.") (OTC Bulletin Board: CSOL) ("China Solar"), a premier manufacturer and distributor of solar water heaters, space heating devices and provider of renewable energy solutions in the People's Republic of China ("PRC"), today reported its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30th, 2009.

Sinopec, KPC to build refinery in Zhanjiang (Alibaba, 8/11/2009) Sinopec Group, the parent of Sinopec, on Aug. 10 announced that one of its crude oil refining projects, to be jointly developed with Kuwait Petroleum Corp, will be located in Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province, sources reported.

Duke Energy Inks clean-tech deal with China’s largest utility (New York Times, 8/10/2009) Two of China and the United States' largest electric utilities signed a memorandum of understanding in Beijing today to share information and explore potential initiatives to produce cleaner power from coal and renewable resources such as wind.

TSI: solution to the age-old dilemma of power vs. mileage (China Daily, 8/10/2009) It seems a contradiction - delivering both full power and minimal fuel consumption - but the Volkswagen TSI engine offers an answer to the age-old automotive riddle.

More than 300 Chinese children poisoned by lead (Telegraph, 8/10/2009) Public health officials are now testing more than 850 children from a village in Shaanxi Province, central China, after parents complained their children were becoming slothful and absent-minded.

Research report on China’s environmental protection industry (Bharatbook.com, 8/8/2009) This report presents a full view of China’s environmental protection industry, provides analysis and forecast on market shares, competition, key players, import & export, upstream & downstream industries, barriers, industrial environment and policy trends, investment, R&D; introduces Chinese inspection & standards system; provides full forecast to 2010 with key statistical data. This report covers all the key subdivision markets in China, includes Dedusting, Thermal Power Desulphurization, Waste Gas Purification, Solid Waste Treatment, Sewage Treatment, Noise Treatment, Environment Monitoring and Environmental Service.

GOVERNMENT

How does China deal with climate change and environmental problems? (People’s Daily, 8/13/2009) China has taken global financial crisis as an opportunity to consolidate its measures in reducing green house gas emission, readjusting industrial mix and changing the mode of growth as well as promoting China's environmental protection cause, said Dr. Zhou Guomei from China Environmental Protection Research Institute at a forum in Stockholm when China's Trade Promotion Delegation visited Sweden recently.

Beijing takes dry start to year in stride (China Daily, 8/13/2009) Despite seeing only three-quarters of its usual rainfall so far this year, Beijing has enough water to ensure things will flow smoothly, officials are saying.

China’s mills should refrain from expansion for three years (Bloomberg, 8/13/2009) Steelmakers in China, the world’s largest producer, should refrain from expansion for the next three years to curb overcapacity, the industry minister said.

Clean energy with a murky past (China Daily, 8/13/2009) With an abundance of major waterways, hydropower is seen by many experts as the perfect way to improve the energy mix of a country in which 64 percent of its primary power comes from coal.

China probes hospitals over illegal transplants: report (AFP, 8/13/2009) China is investigating its organ transplant hospitals following reports that some are carrying out illegal operations for foreigners willing to pay much higher prices, state press said Thursday.

China signals long-term plans to curb greenhouse gases (Reuters, 8/13/2009) China will make "controlling greenhouse gas emissions" an important part of its development plans, the government said, as pressure on the world's top emitter grows ahead of global talks on tackling climate change.

China passes draft regulation to enforce environmental evaluation on projects (Xinhua, 8/12/2009) China's State Council Wednesday passed a draft regulation on environmental evaluation over new projects to prevent pollution or ecological destruction from the beginning.

China hunger for Australia’s minerals undeterred by Hu dispute (Bloomberg, 8/12/2009) China’s hunger for Australian mineral resources has been undeterred by a dispute between the two nations over the detention of Australian citizen and Rio Tinto Group executive Stern Hu for allegedly spying.

India to rope in China for climate change initiative (Business Standard, 8/12/2009) While it fights the pressure of the Western countries over the issue of climate change, India now wants to rope in China in its efforts. Minister of State (independent charge) for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh today said the two countries would set up a joint mechanism to study the Himalayan glaciers.

Coal mines to merge in new restructuring plan (China Daily, 8/12/2009) A large-scale restructuring of the coal industry in China's major coal-producing province of Shanxi, starting at the end of this month, will reduce accidents and improve efficiency by shutting down small coal mines, officials said.

Police: Hard to know Taiwan village mudslide toll (AP, 8/12/2009) Police said Wednesday that there is no way to know for sure how many people remain buried in the catastrophic mudslide that struck a remote mountain village in Taiwan over the weekend when a typhoon lashed the region.

Kuwait bans milk from China (Arab Times Online, 8/12/2009) Kuwait has prohibited imports of milk from China and has lifted importation of beef from Ethiopia. Mohammad Al-Otaibi, the head of the food safety committee of Kuwait Municipality, said in a statement on Wednesday that the commission issued several recommendations, including the enforcement of a ban on imports and trade in Chinese milk and dairy.

Guangzhou Environment Department exposes high pollution buses (ChinaCSR, 8/11/2009) Guangzhou Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau has listed 895 diesel-powered buses for emission of black smoke among the city's bus routes.

Shenhua to set up coal reserves (China Daily, 8/11/2009) The National Development and Reform Commission, China's top planner, recently commissioned China Shenhua Energy Co, the nation's largest coal producer, to build 10 storage facilities for coal across the country, a senior company executive said.

Heavy metal warfare (Caijing, 8/11/2009) Can a vague system, limited budget and immature technology salvage Hunan from extreme heavy metal pollution?

China takes lead in green race (The National, 8/11/2009) China’s image may be that of a major polluter and its heavy reliance on coal-fired power means it is up there with the US as the world’s top producers of carbon dioxide.
But the country is also at the forefront of introducing renewable energy products and has bold ambitions to improve its environmental record.


China’s trash incinerators loom as global pollution hazard (New York Times, 8/11/2009) In this sprawling metropolis in southeastern China stand two hulking brown buildings erected by a private company, the Longgang trash incinerators. They can be smelled a mile away and pour out so much dark smoke and hazardous chemicals that hundreds of local residents recently staged an all-day sit-in, demanding that the incinerators be cleaner and that a planned third incinerator not be built nearby.

China wind farms sprout amid ‘green’ energy push (AFP, 8/11/2009) With close to 80 percent of China's energy supplied by cheap but heavily polluting coal, the government has laid ambitious plans to raise the use of renewable energy, such as the winds that rake northern and western China.

Guandong aims to boost its new energy industry (China Knowledge, 8/10/2009) South China's Guangdong Province, which is an export-oriented city, hopes to boost the value of its new energy industry's output to RMB 400 billion by 2020, said Li Miaojuan, director of the provincial development and reform commission.

China, US must “seize the day” in climate change battle (Xinhua, 8/10/2009) China and the United States must now cooperate like never before to slow the pace of climate change, experts say.

Trash Planet: China (Earth911, 8/10/2009) In 2004, the urban areas of China generated approximately 209 million tons of municipal solid waste, catapulting the nation past the U.S. as the largest generator of waste in the world.

China’s green leap forward (The Christian Science Monitor, 8/10/2009) Behind the notorious clouds of filth and greenhouse gases that China’s industrial behemoth spews into the atmosphere every day, a little-noticed revolution is under way. China is going green. And as the authorities here spur manufacturers of all kinds of alternative energy equipment to make more for less, “China price” and “China speed” are poised to snatch the lion’s share of the next multitrillion-dollar global industry – energy technology.

How Baoding, China, becomes the world’s first ‘carbon positive’ city (The Christian Science Monitor, 8/10/2009) Yu Qun’s journey into a low-carbon future began with a bad case of smelly fish. Scarcely had Mr. Yu been named mayor of this city 100 miles southwest of Beijing when fish in his region’s largest lake began dying by the thousands. He had only one option, he felt: to close several hundred factories whose pollution was to blame.

China starts building first 10-GW mega wind farm (Reuters, 8/8/2009) China started construction of the country's first 10-gigawa wind power base in Jiuquan of northwest Gansu province on Saturday as Beijing seeks more clean power to fuel its fast economic growth.

Games lights path for Shanghai “green” expo (Xinhua, 8/7/2009) After its success co-hosting the "Green Olympics" last year with Beijing, China's eastern metropolis Shanghai is taking on another amazing eco-friendly drive.