Issue 25, September 10th to September 17th, 2009

OPINION

Can China adopt climate-friendly growth? (Asia Sentinel, 9/17/2009) Without China's cooperation, the world faces an uphill battle against global warming.

Leader of the pack? (China Dialogue, 9/17/2009) China is ahead in the race towards a low-carbon economy, claims a new report. Li Taige takes another view, citing problems in the country’s renewable-energy sector.

China carbon truths (Wall Street Journal, 9/16/2009) China is the world's largest emitter of carbon dioxide from fossil fuels, and countries around the world from the United States to Japan are pressuring Beijing to lower emissions and to introduce an absolute cap on emissions. But asking China's central government to impose a carbon cap is the wrong approach. Even if Beijing wanted to do so, such a decision would be almost impossible for the central government to enforce. Greater political freedoms are the key for real environmental improvements in China.

China’s green technology challenge examined (Environment Analyst, 9/16/2009) A significant new report on the commercial challenges and opportunities arising from China's efforts to 'green' its economy has been published with the support and collaboration of dozens of leading multinational private sector organisations.

Can U.S. and China find common ground in climate talks (McClatchy Newspapers, 9/15/2009) The United States and China should be able to agree on energy cooperation projects that reduce greenhouse gases and lead to a successful outcome at international climate talks in Copenhagen in December, two U.S. climate insiders said Tuesday.

New research says G8 has carbon emission deficit of 5.5 trillion (Caijing, 9/11/2009) Ding Zhongli, a Chinese geophysics expert, and his colleagues argue in their paper that G8 countries have a carbon emission deficit of US$ 5.5 trillion and the number is expected to climb to US$ 6.3 trillion in 2050.

PUBLIC SECTOR/NGOs

China’s cancer villages’ bear witness to economic boom (Reuters, 9/17/2009) One needs to look no further then the river that runs through Shangba to understand the extent of the heavy metals pollution that experts say has turned the hamlets in this region of southern China into cancer villages.

China’s growth path could exceed planet’s resources (AP, 9/17/2009) If China's economy continues to expand rapidly and rely heavily on coal and other fossil fuels until the middle of the century, its power consumption would be unsustainable, according to a study by government think tanks released Wednesday.

China’s top climatologist stays cool over 2C rise (Guardian, 9/17/2009) It is too early to determine the level of meteorological risk posed by global warming, says the director-general of the Beijing Climate Centre.

Taxi drivers exposed to particulate air pollution in Beijing show marked changes in cardiac function (Innovations Report, 9/17/2009) A study published online ahead of print in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) evaluated the relationship between exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and heart rate variability (HRV) in taxi drivers in Beijing, China before, during and after the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The report is among the first to document health effects of the massive air cleanup effort by China prior to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Snake with clawed foot found in China (Popular Science, 9/17/2009) Just because most mutants don't gain special powers doesn't make them any less interesting. Case and point, this snake discovered the other day in Southwest China. Looking at the picture, you should be able to figure out what makes this snake different from most.

Water ‘tops list’ of Chinese environmental problems (Edie Newsroom, 9/16/2009) A poll carried out by water US-based awareness charity Circle of Blue suggested that people living in China are less concerned about climate change than they are about water.

Lead pollution hits Fujian (Radio Free Asia, 9/16/2009) Authorities in the southwestern Chinese province of Fujian said they would get a team of experts together to test local children’s blood for lead following protests by angry parents outside government offices.

Beijing birth defects rise again (BBC News, 9/15/2009) The birth defect rate rose again in the Chinese capital Beijing last year, mirroring increases elsewhere in the country, according to figures.

China key to protecting endangered species (People’s Daily, 9/15/2009) Unfortunately, over the years, China has contributed significantly to the decreasing population of many animals, eating such "delicacies" as bear's paw, shark's fin, tiger bones and cubilose. People consume these exotic items not only because of the traditional belief in their medicinal and nutritional value, but also because consumption of such expensive foods shows ff one's wealth and social status.

China’s August power generation rises to a record (Bloomberg, 9/11/2009) China’s power generation rose to a record in August after the domestic economic recovery spurred demand from businesses and factories.

Drought worsening water shortages in Chongqing (Bernama, 9/11/2009) Sustained hot weather is continuing to cause havoc in most areas of southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, said the local drought control watchdog Friday.


Novel on-off switch mechanism stops cancer in its tracks (PhysOrg.com, 9/11/2009) A tiny bit of genetic material with no previously known function may hold the key to stopping the spread of cancer, researchers at Yale School of Medicine and Sichuan University in Chengdu, China report in two papers in the September 7-11 issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Study: Wind could cut China’s emissions by 30 percent (US News, 9/10/2009) China could cut its emissions by 30 percent in the next two decades if it switches to wind power to meet about half of its electricity demands, a U.S. study published Thursday said.

CORPORATIONS

Broken wind (The Sun, 9/17/2009) Plans for the world's biggest wind farm off Britain's coast have been blown off course - by faulty windmills built on the cheap in China.

China Sewage Treatment Industry Report, 2009 - Investment Increased from RMB8.74 Billion in 2003 to RMB25.74 Billion in 2008 (Business Wire, 9/15/2009) Bolstered by State policies, the construction of local sewage treatment plants progresses rapidly. Sewage disposal rose from 46.82 million cubic meters in 2003 to 82.95 million cubic meters in China in 2008. And, the pace of development is speeding up.

Hearts and minds as important as oil finds (The National, 9/17/2009) Referring to the China National Petroleum Corporation’s (CNPC) work at the Ahdab field, the first post-2003 oilfield development contract signed with Baghdad, the reports have highlighted dissatisfaction among the local population and the project’s direct neighbours that they are benefiting so little from a multibillion-dollar development.

Future Fuels Announces `Near-Zero` Emissions Technology Sharing Agreement with TPRI`s GreenGen of China (Reuters, 9/17/2009) Future Fuels has entered an agreement to exchange and share technical information with China`s Thermal Power Research, Inc. (TPRI). Owned by a consortium of electric utilities, TPRI`s majority stakeholder is China`s largest power company, Huaneng Power Group (NYSE:HNP).

China to be the first target market for Organa’s OGS-E (Market Watch, 9/16/2009) Organa Gardens International Inc. reports the Company has targeted the China market as its first point of entry into the hydroponics organic market. The Company is in discussions with a China-based company to manufacture and distribute the Company's Organa Garden Systems-Enterprise (OGS-E).
IBM Green City Lab aims for Chinese government deals (PCWorld, 9/16/2009) IBM will develop green city planning applications with a Chinese municipality that it could sell in other government deals in China, the company said Wednesday.

Soon to be made in China: Electric Vehicle Charge Points (Earth2Tech, 9/16/2009) Nearly half of the electric car charging equipment installed worldwide by 2015 will be heading to China, according to a recent report from Pike Research. Today an announcement from Scottsdale, Ariz.-based charging infrastructure company ECOtality indicates that China’s role in the electric car charging boom will encompass not only installing the equipment domestically, but also building it for international deployment. Down the road, when you pull up to a charge point, there’s a good chance it could have been made in China.

China’s auto industry shifts into high gear (The Christian Science Monitor, 9/13/2009) As General Motors emerged from bankruptcy and launched the new LaCrosse under its surviving Buick brand this summer, the car showcased a unique feature: an interior that was entirely designed in China.

China’s leading oil producer to triple natural gas production (Xinhua, 9/13/2009) Daqing Oilfield, China's No.1 terrestrial oil producer, is expected to triple its natural gas production while stabilizing crude output in the years to come.

China could be $1 trillion green tech market (AP, 9/10/2009) China potentially could be a $500 billion to $1 trillion a year market for environmentally sustainable "green technologies," a group of businesses and experts said in a report Thursday that urges governments to ease the way for such initiatives.

GOVERNMENT

China to curb production overcapacity amid green efforts: official (Xinhua, 9/17/2009) A Chinese official vows on Thursday to curb the country's production overcapacity and avoid repetitious construction of projects that are less environmental-friendly.

Beijing to ban tap water for water landscaping (ChinaCSR, 9/17/2009) Beijing is now soliciting public opinions on a new rule on water pollution prevention which states that no tap water shall be used for water landscape sites.

Shenyang aims to clean up its image (Financial Times, 9/17/2009) Shenyang – once one of China’s most polluted cities – is planning a big green project as it competes with other Chinese cities to fulfill Beijing’s environmental ­targets.

China issues regulation to curb marine pollution by ships (Xinhua, 9/17/2009) China's State Council, or the Cabinet, issued a new regulation Wednesday targeting prevention and remedies for marine pollution caused by ships.

China plants trees to tackle climate change (Xinhua, 9/17/2009) China has afforested land of over one million Mu (66,000 hectares) with money from the China Green Carbon Fund, said a forest administration official Thursday.

India fails to make headway with China on saving tigers (Times of India, 9/17/2009) Recent talks between India and China on saving the critically endangered tiger were "not a great success", minister for environment and forests Jairam Ramesh admitted on Thursday.

Tibet’s environment chief: Nature is more important than gold (China Daily, 9/17/2009) Tibet has implemented strict environmental protection policies making it so in no projects can be approved unless they pass an environmental assessment, said Zhang Yongze, director of the Tibet Autonomous Regional Environment Protection on Saturday.

US seeks to bring China, India on board on Climate Change (Livemint, 9/17/2009) The White House on Thursday emphasised on the need to have countries like India and China on board on climate change, which it said is crucial for success of the Copenhagen meet in December on the issue.

China joins international environmental conventions (China CSR, 9/17/2009) Zhou Shengxian, the minister of the Ministry of Environmental Protection of China, disclosed at a recent global environmental forum that China has joined more than 50 international environmental conventions and established an internal management mechanism to fulfill these conventions.

China to support grassland protection in Tibet (People’s Daily, 9/17/2009) Reporters recently learned from Tibet's financial departments that the Ministry of Finance has allocated 200 million yuan of special funds to support the establishment of pilot grassland protection reward systems in five pilot counties and two comparison counties in Tibet. The financial rewards will be directly issued to households by local financial departments.

Enel to share CCS technology with China (Energy Risk, 9/16/2009) Italy's largest power company Enel has signed an agreement with China to share the carbon capture and storage technology piloted at its Federico II Plant in Brindisi, Italy. An agreement was signed on September 14th between the Chinese Ministry for Science and Technology and the Italian Ministry for the Environment and Enel to promote clean coal technology.

Energy saving lights adopted for Tiananmen Square (ChinaCSR, 9/16/2009) As part of the renovation of the landscape lighting of the Chinese capital for the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, thousands of energy saving lights have been adopted for Beijing's Tiananmen Square.

China and Macau to develop island (BBC News, 9/15/2009) The authorities in Zhuhai, southern China, have announced a detailed blueprint of plans to develop Hengqin island.

China plans massive high-speed rail expansion: state media (The Nation, 9/10/2009) China plans to build 42 high-speed railway lines by 2012 in a massive system overhaul, part of its efforts to spur economic growth amid the global downturn, state media have reported.