Issue 33, November 6th to 13th, 2009

OPINION

Clean air is key in talks between Hu and Obama (Taipei Times, 11/13/2009) When US President Barack Obama makes his first visit to China next week, human rights is likely to be one of the major issues in his talks with Chinese leaders. While it will be a great opportunity for him to express his concerns for human rights in China, he should address it with a different strategy and focus than past US leaders. Instead of openly challenging the Chinese government on issues like political freedom and Tibet, which are bound to anger Chinese leaders and are not really helpful for improving human rights conditions in China, Obama should promote the idea of clean air as a human right.

Copenhagen – what’s it worth? (China dialogue, 11/12/2009) Simon Zadek argued on Wednesday that unilateral action is now our only hope to address climate change. Here, chinadialogue authors Martin Bunzl, Malini Mehra, Wang Tao and Gao Feng respond.

Green power or green jobs (The Energy Collective, 11/12/2009) Until now I've avoided the debate over a proposed wind project in Texas involving Chinese investors, federal renewable energy stimulus grants and wind turbines from China, mainly because I didn't think I had anything salient to add to the unpleasant mix of protectionism and second-guessing that was unfolding. This morning I read a posting on the subject from the Breakthrough Institute that, while offering a coherent explanation of how we got to this point, convinced me that the real problem still hasn't been addressed.

Obama’s China trip is high-stakes mission for environment (CNN, 11/12/2009) Frances Beinecke is the president of the nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council, which focuses on curbing global warming, developing a clean energy future, reviving the world's oceans, saving endangered wild places, stemming the tide of toxic chemicals and accelerating the greening of China. She is the author of "Clean Energy Common Sense: An American Call to Action on Global Climate Change." She recently received the Rachel Carson Award from the National Audubon Society.

PUBLIC SECTOR/NGOs

Environmental Policy Council advises cut in China’s carbon intensity (China Daily, 11/12/2009) China should aim to reduce its carbon intensity by 4 or 5 percent year-on-year if it is to achieve its goal of low-carbon development by 2050, says a leading environmental think tank.

Plastics chemical poses sexual health risk to exposed workers (OMB Watch, 11/12/2009) Scads of studies have linked bisphenol-A exposure to heart disease, developmental disorders, and other health problems. But most of those studies used rodents to study the effects of BPA. The study of the Chinese workers is the first major study to look at human exposure.

E-waste capital of the world tries to clean up image (NRC, 11/12/2009) The southern Chinese city of Guiyu is where PC's, cell phones and Playstations go to die. The workers who recycle them are exposed to dangerous chemicals.

Pollution takes toll on health in Guangdong (China Daily, 11/12/2009) More than 41 percent of people in the Pearl River Delta have felt sick or uncomfortable this year because of the region's heavy pollution, a recent survey found.

Shanghai may face biggest climate risk in China (Bloomberg, 11/12/2009) Shanghai, the world’s largest port, may be the Chinese metropolis most at risk from climate change.

Kids care for the environment (Global Times, 11/12/2009) With the theme "Biological Diversity: Connected With Nature," the 2010 Chinese Children's Educational Program of Environmental Protection kicked off this week in Beijing.

Russian tigers to be relocated to northeastern China (RIA Novosti, 11/11/2009) The WWF has approved the relocation of several Russian Amur tigers to northeastern China to restore the wild animal's population, World Wildlife Fund Russian department director Igor Chestin said.

Missouri Botanical Garden publishes 32nd volume of flora of China (Eureka Alert, 11/11/2009) The Missouri Botanical Garden, in collaboration with ten institutions around the world, has published the 32nd volume of the Flora of China, an international collaborative project to publish a comprehensive catalog of wild plants in China. The volume, dedicated to the Orchidaceae (orchid) species, is the definitive work on all Chinese wild orchids, written by 15 of the world's best experts from China, U.K., U.S., Netherlands, and Australia.

Yangtze delta warned to prepare for effects of climate change (Guardian, 11/10/2009) Delta has been warming faster than global average for a decade, and the impact is already being felt, according to WWF China.

World’s 5th brown and white panda found in NW China (Xinhua, 11/10/2009) The world's fifth reported brown-and-white giant panda has been spotted in Foping Nature Reserve, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, said local officials Monday.

Plastic bags fly high in China as eco-friendly kites (Reuters, 11/08/2009) Plastic bags, the scourge of the environment, are flying high in Beijing, thanks to a retired engineer who is turning the waste into colorful kites.

CORPORATIONS

Herbal medicine, tourism brings hope of wealth to SW China’s ethnic regions (People’s Daily, 11/13/2009) The planting of herbal medicine and tourism with strong ethnic flavor have brought new hope of wealth for villagers in southwest China's poverty-stricken ethnic regions, where the harsh natural environment has made it difficult to grow crops.

North China’s vegetable prices soar due to snow (China Daily, 11/12/2009) Vegetable prices are up drastically in north China due to the snowy weather, with Tianjin municipality, Hebei, Shanxi, Henan and Shaanxi provinces at the top of the vegetable prices list, the Economic Information Daily reported.

China Solar & Clean Energy Solutions, Inc. Reports Third Quarter 2009 Financial Results (PRNewswire, 11/12/2009) China Solar & Clean Energy Solutions, Inc. (Formerly known as "Deli Solar (USA), Inc.") (OTC Bulletin Board: CSOL) ("China Solar"), a 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 third quarter ended September 30th, 2009 and announced the establishment of strategic alliance with KOE Environmental Consulting, Inc. (Japan).

Wilmar to benefit from strong China appetite, climate change (CNBC, 11/12/2009) Soft commodity plays like Wilmar International, the world's largest palm oil producer, are poised to benefit from changing climatic conditions and China's growing appetite for commodities, said Nirgunan Tiruchelvam, equities analyst at RBS.

China’s largest biogas CDM project runs smoothly (People’s Daily, 11/12/2009) China’s largest biogas project, the 20,000 cubic meter Minhe biogas project in Shandong, has recently been successfully connected to the grid. This is the first Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project which has been registered in Clean Development Mechanism Executive Board, United Nation’s Framework Convention on Climate Change, with the annual revenue 6.3 million yuan.
Siemens CEO says Asia leads in “Green” investments (Wall Street Journal, 11/12/2009) Asian countries, backed by giant economic-stimulus packages, are leading the world in investments in "green" technologies, the chief executive of Siemens AG said in Singapore Thursday.

China Recycling Energy Corp. to present at Brean Murray, Carret & Co. 2009 China Growth Conference (PRNewswire, 11/12/2009) China Recycling Energy Corp. (OTC Bulletin Board: CREG or ’the Company’), a fast-growing industrial waste-to-energy solutions provider in China, today announced the Company’s management will present at the upcoming Brean Murray, Carret & Co. 2009 China Growth Conference in New York, NY on November 19-20, 2009.

China plans to consolidate steel (The Australian, 11/12/2009) China is poised to renationalize swathes of its sprawling steel sector and to consolidate much of it into six or seven smelting behemoths to get the upper hand in negotiations with iron ore miners BHP and Rio.
Cold rush (Global Times, 11/12/2009) Wang Haiyuan, a 47-year-old woman in Lichuan county, Jiangxi Province, is overjoyed to see a sewage disposal channel under construction along the river in front of her house. She has endured the stench from the river for years, especially on hot days.

China to allow PET scrap bottle imports (Plastics News, 11/10/2009) The Chinese government is apparently edging closer to ending a ban on direct imports of whole PET scrap bottles, a move being watched in recycling circles around the world because it may mean more recycled PET exports to China and potentially less available elsewhere.

China ivory demand bodes ill for Africa’s elephants (Reuters, 11/09/2009) Tucked into a grimy building in Guangzhou, a small band of Chinese master carvers chip away at ivory tusks with chisels, fashioning them into the sorts of intricate carvings that were prized by Chinese emperors.

China corn crop fell 13% on worst drought damage (Bloomberg, 11/09/2009) China’s corn harvest, the world’s second-largest, plunged by a more-than-estimated 13 percent to a four-year low because of droughts in the main growing regions, a survey of farmers showed.

Sino Green Land to launch new China green foods hub for distribution of premium foods throughout China (PRNewswire, 11/09/2009) Sino Green Land Corporation (OTC Bulletin Board: SGLA), a leading distributor of high-end fruits and vegetables in China, today announced the signing of a cooperative agreement securing support from the Green Foods Development Center, which is sponsored by Ministry of Agriculture, and approval from the municipal government of Guangzhou, to construct a distribution center for green foods covering 20 thousand square meters of floor space in Guangzhou, China. This new distribution center, the China Green Foods Hub, is expected to begin operating in the second half of 2010 and will be open to wholesalers, retailers, and large corporate customers.

GOVERNMENT

China rejects requests for $29 billion of new plants (Bloomberg, 11/13/2009) China, the world’s third-largest economy, rejected requests to build industrial projects worth almost 200 billion yuan ($29 billion), and said it plans new measures to close factories to curb overcapacity and pollution.

China’s drive to cut greenhouse gases faces U.S., EU critics (Bloomberg, 11/13/2009) China, the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, faces unlikely critics of its efforts to cut pollution: the U.S. and European Union.

China to spend CNY1 billion to protect rural environment (ChinaCSR, 11/12/2009) Li Yuan, the deputy director of the Ecological Division of China's Ministry of Environmental Protection, has disclosed to local media that China will arrange a CNY1 billion special fund this year for environment protection and pollution control in the rural areas of the country.

China confronts global warming dilemma (Christian Science Monitor, 11/12/2009) China awoke to climate change with a storm. It was late January 2008, a time when people across the country were busily gathering recipes, stocking fireworks, and preparing to welcome relatives to celebrate the Lunar New Year. But suddenly, severe ice storms brought much of the nation to a standstill. For two weeks, fierce winds, sleet, and snow downed power lines, shuttered businesses, and razed more than 200,000 homes across southern and central China.

Report finds dirty money, water in China (Washington Times, 11/12/2009) More than a half-billion dollars meant for tackling water pollution in Chinese rivers and lakes has been embezzled or misused, seriously undercutting pollution prevention efforts and raising questions about how pervasive corruption is in China's environmental programs, a new report shows.

China to crack down on investments that add pollution (Reuters, 11/12/2009) China's environment ministry vowed on Friday to launch a two-year clampdown on investment projects that flout environmental rules, throwing its weight behind a campaign to curb inefficient and polluting projects.

Chinese scientists create second artificial snowstorm in Beijing (Agence France-Presse, 11/11/2009) Chinese scientists have artificially induced the second major snowstorm to wreak havoc in Beijing this season, state media said today, reigniting debate over the practice of tinkering with Mother Nature.

FDA looks out for fake, unsafe condoms from China (Philippine Daily Inquirer, 11/10/2009) The Food and Drug Administration will check if some of the more than two million fake and unhygienic condoms recently discovered in a China factory have already found their way in the local market.

China gives Africa $10 billion, fights energy charge (Bloomberg, 11/09/2009) China promised $10 billion in cheap loans to Africa, pledged to cut customs duties and distributed a newspaper with photos of Chinese leaders among beaming Africans, part of an effort to fight claims it is exploiting the continent’s resources.
Polluting projects banned for Pearl River Delta area (Xinhua, 11/09/2009) South China's Guangdong Province has ordered a halt to any further expansion of three major polluting industries in the Pearl River Delta area, a major manufacturing base.

Macau may turn to water rationing amid drought (Market Watch, 11/09/2009) Macau may need to implement emergency water rationing, as the Chinese gambling hub's reservoirs have dwindled to just a 10-day supply and neighboring Zhuhai, struggling with its own shortages amid a regional drought, is proving unable to turn on the taps, according to a media report.

China eyes closing coal-fired power plants in capital (Reuters, 11/09/2009) China is considering moving the last four coal-fired power and heating plants out of Beijing's municipal area, replacing them with gas-fired stations, state media reported on Monday, in an effort to improve air quality in the capital.

China’s energy-saving, environmental protection industry has bright prospect: official (Xinhua, 11/08/2009) The output value of China's energy saving and environmental protection industry would hit 2.8 trillion yuan (412 billion U.S. dollars) by 2012, said Xie Zhenhua, deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission on Sunday.