Issue 38, December 4th to December 11th, 2009

OPINION

Green Leap Forward has a great series of posts on China’s involvement at Copenhagen.

Growing China industry helps clean energy boom (WWF, 12/11/2009) Clean energy technology is on track to become the third largest industrial sector globally with a rapidly increasing share taken up by China, predicted a WWF report released at the UN climate summit in Copenhagen today.

How to cooperate on climate (Chinadialogue, 12/10/2009) A deal between the American state of California and China's Jiangsu province provides a promising model of international partnership. Linden Ellis reports.

Young China’s long green march (Chinadialogue, 12/09/2009) The work of the country’s largest youth environmental movement is only beginning, writes Huo Weiya. Students’ sense of not doing enough provides an impetus to keep going.

Profit from China’s terrible problem (Street Authority, 12/09/2009) An unprecedented level of industrial expansion during the past two decades has not only made China wealthy. It's made the country really dirty. Now comes the clean up.

Why the best legacy of Copenhagen could be a stronger China (Treehugger, 12/08/09) The slight prospects for a deal at Copenhagen are already being pinned largely on the US and China. But with Obama's hands tied behind his back partly by the US Congress, with China already demonstrating leadership on renewable energy and energy efficiency efforts, and with both the developing and developed world hanging on Beijing's every word, the success or failure of Copenhagen will in large part depend upon China.

Zhu Zhu pets made in China disaster versus American Green Toys (Everything PR, 12/07/2009) Zhu Zhu Pets are made in China, in the least safe environment you can imagine. They are designed for children aged 4 and up, although on several sites the manufacturer recommends this product for children aged 3 – recommendation that does not comply with their own testing reports, made available by the company AFTER our editorial yesterday. According to this report, the toys were first tested in April 2009 – it is very possible that one toy in particular doesn’t comply with these safety norms, considering how many were recently produced to satisfy the public demands.

China’s big investment in alternative energy source for US is worrisome (Lubbock Avalanche Journal, 12/04/2009) China's big leap into the U.S. renewable energy market by putting up more than a billion dollars for a wind farm in West Texas is disturbing on several levels.

PUBLIC SECTOR/NGOs

Climate change creates environment of poverty in China (Xinhua, 12/10/2009) In the last four years, global warming has been blamed for worsening droughts around Liaoning, with a summer drought in 2006,a spring drought in 2007 and an autumn drought in 2008.

New book chronicles China’s green movement (China Daily, 12/10/2009) China's first bilingual collection on climate change and environment protection, a joint effort of China Daily journalists and columnists, has been published this week in conjunction with the Copenhagen summit.

Chinese see environment as biggest security threat (Newsweek, 12/10/2009) What does China see as its greatest threat? Beijing may finger the U.S., but a new poll of Chinese public opinion shows that people on the ground are more worried about the environment and domestic woes than geopolitical ­enemies.

China to resettle at least 440,000 for water project (AFP, 12/09/2009) China will resettle at least 440,000 people to make way for a massive and much-delayed project aimed at diverting water to meet growing demand in the parched north, state media said Wednesday.

Beijing explores new ways to dispose of bio wastes (CCTV, 12/09/2009) There have already been around 400 tons of leaves that have fallen alongside the streets of Shijingshan District this winter. Instead of being mixed with domestic waste and buried on landfill sites like in the past, the leaves have been used to feed oxen and sheep at a livestock farm whose owner came to sanitation stations and asked for the leaves.

Berkeley lab experts assist in the greening of China (Science Daily, 12/08/2009) Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory scientists Lynn Price and Nan Zhou expected the long banquet and endless toasting. What they did not expect on a recent trip to a cement plant in central China was a three-hour variety show by the factory employees, complete with folk dancing, song-and-dance numbers and comedians. Even more surprising were the lyrics to one of the songs: "I started to listen closely and realized they were singing about closing inefficient factories, next year's clean production targets and so on," said Zhou.

Macao finds water saving campaign is worth its salt (Xinhua, 12/08/2009) Irene Kan sighs with relief when she reads the "green" classification for the salinity of Macao's drinking water. The 25-year-old office clerk in downtown Macao checks tap water salinity level on the Macao government website every day.

Higher lung cancer risk in eastern China: study (Reuters, 12/07/2009) People in eastern China likely have a higher risk of developing lung cancer than those in western China because of extensive burning of biomass fuels in homes and factories, according to a study.

CORPORATIONS

Chinese car market overtakes that of United States (AP, 12/11/2009) China has overtaken the U.S. as the world's biggest market for automobiles, the first time any other country has bought more vehicles than the nation that produced Henry Ford, the Cadillac and the minivan.

Longest power project completed in China (CCTV, 12/11/2009) Stretching nearly 2,000 kilometers, the power-transmitting project covers the longest distance in the world. The project starts in Sichuan province, where rich water resources there will be used to generate electricity.

Peanut shells, corn stalks: China’s alternative to coal? (Taiwan News, 12/11/2009) Mountains of peanut shells are spread out across Shengchang Bioenergy's property on the outskirts of Beijing. Local farmers drive in and out, unloading dried corn stalks in exchange for a small fee.

China’s Longyuan in strong debut (Financial Times, 12/11/2009) Shares in China Longyuan Power Group, Asia's largest wind power generator, rose 9.4 per cent on their Hong Kong debut yesterday to HK$8.93 in a sign of robust investor appetite for the renewable energy sector.

Evergreen only plans to grow in China (Boston Herald, 12/11/2009) Evergreen Solar Inc. - championed as the state’s green energy leader - now says that it’s only going to expand in China. To survive, spokesman Chris Lawson said, Evergreen needs China’s deep subsidies and cheap labor.

China ups ante on carbon emissions with new Picarro contract (Venture Beat, 12/10/2009) Picarro, maker of a system that measures the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere to a surprisingly accurate degree, has landed a major contract to provide the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) with twice the number of systems as expected.

China’s rail program receives $1 billion boost in funding from ADB (Asian Development Bank, 12/10/2009) The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is to receive up to $1 billion from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in a landmark program to support cleaner, safer and more energy efficient railway services in poor southwest regions of the country.

Chinese Environmental Protection Industry, 2008-2009 – new report released (PRNewswire, 12/10/2009) From January to November of 2008, the sales value of the special equipment manufacturing industry for environmental protection and social public security was RMB 103.410 billion, growing by 27.66% YOY. The growth rates of special equipments for environmental protection and social public security fell by 9.66% YOY and 12.08% YOY.

Siemens seeks China growth (Wall Street Journal, 12/09/2009) Siemens AG, hoping to capitalize on China's growing demand for green technology, said Tuesday its environmental business accounted for a significant proportion of around 2 billion yuan ($293 million) worth of new orders it has signed in the past few days with Chinese firms.

Turkmenistan-China gas pipeline nearly operational (The Seattle Times, 12/09/2009) A natural gas pipeline linking Turkmenistan and China is nearly operational and President Hu Jintao will attend an inauguration ceremony during a visit to the central Asian nation this weekend, a senior Chinese diplomat said Thursday.

Skystar Bio-Pharmaceutical acquires exclusive aquaculture vaccine technology and provides operational update on facility development (MarketWire, 12/09/2009) Skystar Bio-Pharmaceutical Company (NASDAQ: SKBI) ("Skystar" or the "Company"), a China-based producer and distributor of veterinary medicines, vaccines, micro-organisms and feed additives, today announced that it has purchased an exclusive aquaculture vaccine technology from and signed a collaborative research and development agreement with China's Fourth Military Medical University ("FMMU") for RMB 8 million (approximately US $1.2 million), granting Skystar exclusivity on the patent through 2012.

Chinese eco-farm turns chicken poop into usable power (ABC, 12/09/2009) Billed by state media as an ecological farm, it was first set up nine years ago by a private Chinese agribusiness firm to raise chickens and supply Chinese consumers with organic eggs. With the use of imported technology, this pioneering eco-farm now turns chicken poop into biogas and electricity and plays a role in China's effort to reduce its carbon emissions. In its own way, this farm is part of China's search for a model of sustainable agriculture with clean energy.

Dow Corning wins award for corporate social responsibility in China (Webwire, 12/09/2009) Dow Corning Corporation, a global leader in silicones, silicon-based technology and innovation, has won the 2009 American Chamber of Commerce Shanghai’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Award.

Husky Energy finds big gas field off China (Reuters, 12/08/2009) Husky Energy Inc (HSE.TO), Canada's No. 3 integrated oil company, said on Tuesday it has tapped into another big gas field off China's coast similar to its massive Liwan discovery in 2006, one of the biggest-ever gas finds off the country's shore.

CNOOC may double oil, gas production off South China (Bloomberg, 12/07/2009) Cnooc Ltd., China’s biggest offshore oil explorer, may double its crude oil and natural gas production in the western part of the South China Sea to meet rising energy demand in the country.

Chana Auto launches China’s first electric only powered vehicle (People’s Daily, 12/07/2009) Benni-I electric cars, China's first electric-only powered vehicles, started rolling off the production line at Chana Auto Company's Chongqing Yubei Plant December 6. This model will be officially put on sale in the second half of next year, said Chana Auto president Xu Liuping.

China’s Shandong to get 10 million tons/year crude via Rizhao pipeline (Dow Jones, 12/07/2009) Independent refineries in China's Shandong province will be receiving 10 million tons a year of crude oil from the Middle East by mid- 2011, easing a shortage of feedstock for production of fuel oil, the China Chemical Industry News said Monday, citing an official from the local industry association.

Chinese group to build biomass geothermal plants in Pakistan (Power Group, 12/04/2009) China's A-Power Energy Generation Systems and Shenyang Power Group (SPG), a subsidiary of A-Power, have signed agreements with Pakistan Amraas International on two separate distributed generation projects in Pakistan.

China’s Sinopec secures gas from Exxon Mobil (BBC, 12/04/2009) China's second biggest oil and gas company has secured a 20-year supply of gas from Papua New Guinea.

GOVERNMENT

China boosts auto trade-in subsidies (CCTV, 12/11/2009) Something else that's likely to boost car-sales, although this time through higher subsidies encouraging car owners to trade what they have for a new model. With older models often less energy efficient, this move could both drive up sales in new cars while helping protect the environment.

China’s Hu to woo Central Asia energy suppliers (Reuters, 12/11/2009) Chinese leader Hu Jintao will mark a new milestone in Beijing's quest for control over Central Asia's energy resources when he inaugurates a new gas pipeline from Turkmenistan next week.

China’s human rights development moves ahead with abolishment of shooting execution (Xinhua, 12/11/2009) A northeastern Chinese province announced Thursday that shooting as a means of death penalty execution had become something of the past within its jurisdiction.

China races to invest in green energy (Washington Times, 12/11/2009) Regardless of the outcome of this month's climate talks in Copenhagen, China is sprinting ahead in an effort to develop renewable energy sources - especially solar and wind power - to ease its reliance on carbon-rich coal.

China’s pollution to double by 2050, US not to fund emission control costs (Domain-b.com, 12/10/2009) The US chief negotiator at the UN climate summit said the US would not hand over money to China and other developing nations to subsidise their efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions. He also said the developing nations would not be allowed to be exempted from demands that they burn less fuels.

China delays controversial incinerator after protests (Reuters, 12/10/2009) Authorities in China's southern city of Guangzhou have put off plans to install a garbage incinerator after hundreds of people protested, saying its location posed a health hazard.

Chinese province uses Japan loans in ecosystem improvement for inland lake (Xinhua, 12/10/2009) The northwestern province of Qinghai is progressing with ecosystem improvement for the Qinghai Lake, China's largest inland lake, with Japanese government loans, local economic planning agency said Thursday.

China struggles to fuel its nuclear energy boom (Reuters, 12/10/2009) China is driving ahead with an ambitious program to expand its atomic energy capacity over the next decade, raising questions about its ability to find the uranium it will need, at home or abroad.

China to continue resource products pricing reform (Xinhua, 12/10/2009) China will continue resource products pricing reform next year to promote energy saving and emissions reduction while efforts would be made to guarantee that people's livelihood not affected by price fluctuations, a senior economic planning official said Thursday.

Governments turn to cloud seeding to fight drought, but money and science post obstacles (LA Times, 12/10/2009) On a mountaintop clearing in the Sierra Nevada stands a tall metal platform holding a crude furnace and a box of silver iodide solution that some scientists believe could help offer relief from searing droughts.

Chinese delegation pushes population control at Copenhagen (Lifenews.com, 12/10/2009) The Chinese delegation to the international climate change summit isn't pushing reducing carbon emissions or promoting recycling as a way of protecting the environment. Instead, Chinese officials say population control is an important part of promoting environmental policies.

China: Climate change or hot air? (BusinessWeek, 12/09/2009) On the wooded hills outside the city of Harbin in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang, Chinese developers are building towering wind turbines that will spin day and night to generate clean electricity. The project represents the hope that China, which recently surpassed the U.S. as the world's largest source of greenhouse gases, has truly embraced environmentalism.

China to close steel mills failing environmental limits (Bloomberg, 12/09/2009) China, the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, set new environmental and power standards for steelmakers and threatened closures to curb pollution and overcapacity.

Carbon-trading scheme undermined by Chinese projects (The Epoch Times, 12/08/2009) As the Copenhagen climate conference opens, the existing mechanism for carbon trading is drawing close scrutiny. The Chinese authorities’ misuse of the carbon credit scheme, CDM, has come to the surface, challenging the effectiveness of the global carbon trade in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Renewables to supply one-third of China’s energy by 2050 (Reuters, 12/06/2009) China's renewable energy strategy through 2050 envisions renewable energy making up one-third of its energy consumption by then, the China Daily said, as the upcoming Copenhagen conference on climate change highlights the world's dependence on fossil fuels.

China’s costly climate goals: report (AFP, 12/04/2009) China will need to invest up to 30 billion dollars a year to meet its goal of curbing greenhouse gas emissions, the state press said Friday, citing an academic study.

China denounces carbon tariff idea ahead of Copenhagen (Reuters, 12/04/2009) China's official news agency has denounced proposals for "carbon tariffs" on goods from big greenhouse gas emitting countries, saying on Friday that the idea could trigger trade battles with poor countries.

China jails officials over dam collapse cover-up (Reuters, 12/04/2009) China has sentenced 13 low-level officials to jail for an iron mine dam collapse just before the Olympic Games opened in Beijing last year, which was hushed up despite killing at least 43 nearby villagers.