Environmental China, January 22nd to January 28th, Issue 44

OPINION

Genetically modified rice and corn to grow in China, then the world (Singularity Hub, 1/26/2010) China grows a lot of rice – about 60 million tonnes a year. It also consumes most of that, only exporting around 1% of its crop. So, high demand for production with little fear of export restrictions? Sounds like a recipe for genetic modification.

PUBLIC SECTOR/NGOs

The revival of bicycles in Beijing (Xinhua, 1/28/2010) Commuting in China's big cities is a daunting experience. The phrase "rush hour" takes on a whole new meaning, and an ominous one, in a city like Beijing which has 20 million residents and 4 million private cars. Congestion and pollution are serious problems.

China publishes new pollution targets (China Economic Review, 1/26/2010) China will meet its binding target to reduce sulfur dioxide and chemical oxygen demand - an indicator of water pollution - by 10% of 2005 levels in 2010, reported state media.

Chinese and American scientists meet to discuss environmental causes of cancer (NCI Cancer Bulletin, 1/26/2010) Earlier this month, researchers from science and public health organizations in China and the United States, including NCI, met in Guangzhou, China, to discuss specific research goals and possibilities for collaboration in cancer epidemiology, environmental monitoring, and tobacco control, and how to foster translational research in these areas.

China spends billions to study dinosaur fossils at sites of major discoveries (Washington Post, 1/26/2010) What killed the dinosaurs? Scientist Wang Haijun thinks the answer may be buried inside a 980-foot-long ravine in the Chinese countryside 415 miles southeast of Beijing where hundreds of the creatures may have huddled in the final moments before their extinction.

Officials feel heat over waste incinerator (China Daily, 1/26/2010) Authorities of Gaoming district in Foshan, Guangdong province, yesterday vowed to firmly oppose the construction of an industrial waste incinerator if the plant threatens the environment and health of its residents.

China grows thirstier (Global Post, 1/26/2010) Tang Huizhong has watched the water levels in the local river drop over the last 10 years until barely enough remains for fish to make their way upstream.

Hundreds protest S. China project over pollution worries (Reuters, 1/25/2010) Hundreds of protesters in southern China donned masks to protest a planned incinerator plant, the latest grassroots initiative to target polluting projects in the region.

CORPORATIONS

CNPC to splash $10b on gas business (The Standard, 1/29/2010) CNPC (Hong Kong) (0135) says it will invest around HK$10 billion this year, mainly on developing its natural gas business.

4-star stocks poised to pop: China Green Agriculture (The Motley Fool, 1/27/2010) Based on the aggregated intelligence of 145,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, organic fertilizer supplier China Green Agriculture (NYSE: CGA) has earned a respected four-star ranking.

Goldman Sachs’ China problem (Forbes, 1/27/2010) Although Google's declaration that it is no longer willing to censor searches in China gets all the headlines, another American giant, Goldman Sachs, is locked in its own battle there. When oil prices were soaring, Shenzhen Nanshan Power signed oil derivatives contracts with Goldman's commodities-trading subsidiary, J. Aron, to help it hedge against rising prices. When oil prices plummeted last year, Nanshan's bets went south. Nanshan is now refusing to pay the $80 million it owes, because it says the contracts were signed by officials who didn't have signing authority.

China Nuclear National Corporation to acquire uranium mine in Niger (Alibaba, 1/26/2010) China Nuclear National Corporation (CNNC) International Ltd. will acquire 37.2 percent of shares of NIG Azelik uranium mine in Niger at a cost not to exceed HK$414 million($53.42 million), the company announced on Monday.

Chinese medicine market sought for cane toad poison (BBC News, 1/26/2010) Australia's most notorious pest, the pervasive and poisonous cane toad, could soon end up on dinner tables and in medicinal treatments in Asia.

Peabody beats analyst estimates as China demand soars (Business Week, 1/26/2010) Peabody Energy Corp., the largest U.S. coal producer, said fourth-quarter profit beat analysts’ estimates because of growing demand from China.

GOVERNMENT

Pollution will be controlled during Expo (China Daily, 1/29/2010) Enterprises within 300 km of Shanghai in the Yangtze River Delta will be subject to production control during the six-month World Expo if the city's air quality falls below standards, local environmental protection authorities said yesterday.

Africa asks China to make greater efforts to find climate change (Addis Ababa, 1/28/2010) The deputy chief of the African Union, Erastus Mwencha, on Wednesday asked to China to make more efforts in the fight against climate ch ange, which has had tragic consequences on African agriculture.

China sets up energy agency headed by PM (The Washington Post, 1/28/2010) China has set up a government agency headed by Premier Wen Jiabao to better coordinate energy policy, as world's second-largest power consumer faces growing domestic demand and struggles with shortages.

China to invest 12 bln yuan into rural environment protection in three years (Xinhua, 1/28/2010) China's central government plans to spend 12 billion yuan (1.76 billion U.S. dollars) on rural environment protection in the three years to 2012, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said in a statement on its website Thursday.

Hu inspects reconstruction in quake-hit Sichuan (China Daily, 1/27/2010) Chinese President Hu Jintao concluded a three-day tour to the quake-hit Shaanxi province on Tuesday, calling for more efforts to beef up reconstruction with high quality.

China unveils new rules to fight marine pollution (Port World, 1/27/2010) China has unveiled its first detailed regulations to fight marine pollution from ships. The provisions are expected to have a significant impact on ship owners.

China’s Cabinet says pollution situation still serious (Reuters, 1/27/2010) hina still faces a serious threat from pollution despite recent government efforts to clean up, the Cabinet said on Wednesday, adding the country would step up investment in environmentally friendly industries.

China to take actions on biodiversity conservation in 2010 (People’s Daily, 1/26/2010) China will step up measures to conserve biological diversity (biodiversity) this year, Minister of Environmental Protection Zhou Shengxian said Tuesday, warning conservation remains a major challenge.

China’s odd climate-change remark (UPI, 1/26/2010) China's top climate-change negotiator said he was keeping an open mind on whether global warming was man-made or the result of natural cycles.

Beijing mayor says city faces serious pollution (Reuters, 1/25/2010) Beijing's mayor Guo Jinlong said on Monday that the Chinese capital faces an "extremely serious" pollution problem, unveiling a target for "blue sky days" below the number achieved for all of 2009.

China rejects $27.9 billion of polluting projects (Bloomberg, 1/25/2010) China, the world’s biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, rejected 190.48 billion yuan ($27.9 billion) of project proposals last year because of concern they will worsen pollution, the environment agency said.