ENVIRONMENTAL CHINA
Issue 276, Nov 8th to Nov 21st, 2015
By Hongfu Pan and Jonathan Gong
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OPINION
China: A Vision of Green Democracy (Pulitzer Center, 11/16/2015) In 2010, while filming
in China, Gary Marcuse recorded a key interview with Qu Geping, a senior government official
who was the founder and former director of China's Environmental Protection Agency .
Gray Air And Green Bonds In China (Forbes, 11/18/2015) Last Friday morning on my drive
to Beijing Capital International Airport, the air was so thick with pollution from carbon
intensive coal consumption that you could see it gently pushing against the buildings and
enveloping the endless stream of cars on the road. It was noticeably worse than the day before.
Checking on my phone, I found that the Air Quality Index (AQI) was over 300, putting it in
the ‘Hazardous Zone’ of between 300 and 500. There are times when the AQI in Beijing can
reach a ghastly and astonishing 1,000. Bad air in Beijing is hardly a surprise to anybody who’s
been there and it is a fact well known by people all over the world.
Official Figures for Major Smog Pollutant Last Year 'Off by Half' (Caixin, 11/18/2015)
The government underreported by half last year's emissions of a pollutant from burning coal
that plays a major role in the smog covering many of China's big cities, an expert says.
Kicking China's coal habit — and helping to save the planet? (PRI, 11/20/2015) The
rewards have been high, but so has the cost — to the environment, to global warming and to
human life. Some 1.6 million Chinese die prematurely each year from conditions related to air
pollution, says a recent study.
RESEARCH AND CIVIL SOCIETY
China decries Shenyang pollution called 'worst ever' by activists (BBC News, 11/10/2015)
Chinese state media and netizens have criticised high pollution levels in the northeast city of
Shenyang, which activists have said could be the "worst ever" air quality seen in the country.
China smog around 50 times WHO recommendations (Times of India, 11/09/2015) A
swathe of China was blanketed with dangerous acrid smog on Monday after levels of the most
dangerous particulates reached around 50 times World Health Organisation maximums, with
energy use for heating blamed as winter sets in.
Air Pollution Threatens China Anew (Yibada, 11/11/2015) Major cities in China will need to
cope with thick smog in the next five days as the country records extreme levels of air
pollution, according to a report by China Daily. Aside from the northeastern provinces of
Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning, the smog has also reached 20 other cities, according to Luo
Ti, head of the Environmental Monitoring Department under the Ministry of Environmental
Protection.
China's air has improved this year, boosting Beijing's status as it heads into climate
meeting (Newser, 11/12/2015) Lawyer Wu Congsi has asthma and keeps air purifiers
whirring away in his office, home and car to counter Beijing's hazardous smog. He prefers to
stay inside unless the sky is blue. But this year, he's been able to regularly walk the 15 minutes
or so to work.
China's Terrestrial Populations Down by 50 Percent, According to WWF
Report (Yibada, 11/13/2015) The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and China Council for
International Cooperation on Environment and Development jointly released a report
detailing the current status of biodiversity in animal populations in China. Titled "Living
Planet Report, China 2015," the report paints the situation in the country as dire.
China Plows Ahead With Coal Plants as Smog Envelopes Northern Cities (Radio Free
Asia, 11/13/2015) China is continuing to commission coal-fired power plants despite a
renewed “airpocalypse” in its northern cities this winter and in the face of declining demand
for energy, according to a recent report.
NGOs Win China's First Public Interest Environmental Lawsuit (Diplomat, 11/14/2015)
The first public interest case taken under China’s new environmental law has ultimately
proved successful, providing a model for similar action elsewhere, but getting cases heard in
central and western China remains difficult.
Millions of Abandoned Mobile Phones Poison China's Environment (Yibada, 11/17/2015)
China currently has a mobile phone waste problem, with consumers replacing their old
mobile phones as frequently as every 8-12 months, resulting in 80 million mobile phones
being abandoned every year, according to a report by news outlet xkb.com.cn.
China’s pollution in the spotlight (Independent on Line, 11/18/2015) Obscured by polluted
haze, workers are putting the finishing touches to towering smokestacks on a
multi-billion-dollar coal-to-oil plant in China that will pump out vast amounts of carbon
dioxide when in operation.
Alarming new 'superbug' gene found in animals and people in China (thanhnien news,
11/19/2015) A new gene that makes bacteria highly resistant to a last-resort class of
antibiotics has been found in people and pigs in China - including in samples of bacteria with
epidemic potential, researchers said on Wednesday.
China coal mine fire traps 22 underground (thanhnien news, 11/21/2015) A fire at a
coal mine in China's northeastern province of Heilongjiang has trapped 22 people
underground with rescue efforts now underway, state media reported on Saturday.
CORPORATE SECTOR
China: going green (Business Recorder, 11/11/2015) China's ongoing economic
transformation isn't just structural in nature. The shift seems increasingly "green" as well.
Under the new five-year plan, the Chinese Communist Party has announced significant policy
changes that aim to move the energy-guzzling, heavily-polluting economy towards cleaner
and greener economy.
Addressing environmental challenges in the steel and automotive industries (Steel
Times, 11/18/2015) Reinforced cross-industry collaboration between the steel and automotive
industries to address environmental challenges Chongqing, China, 18 November 2015.
GOVERNMENT
China shifts course on carbon emissions, promises action ahead of Paris climate
talks (US News, 11/09/2015) China has changed course and emerged as a leader in curbing
greenhouse gas emissions six years after it was accused of obstructing the last high-level
climate talks in Copenhagen.
People power in China: Ordinary citizens can now successfully sue polluters (Asian
correspondent, 11/13/2015) AS the world’s most populous country, as well as — by some
measures — largest economy, it is logical that China should be the biggest polluter and emitter
of greenhouse gases on Earth. This is especially true in light of its recent, breakneck
industrialization and urbanization.
China Exclusive: Environmental official publishes sequel to smog
novel (Global Post, 11/19/2015) A Chinese environmental regulator has
published a new sequel after his first novel about smog gained national
attention. Li Chunyuan, deputy director of the Environment Protection
Bureau in Langfang city, Hebei Province, made his name as an author after his
first novel, "Smog Is Coming," was published last June. It has sold 30,000
copies and excerpts published online have received 100 million page views.