Environmental issues of China[环境问题]

[skyridgeline]

Daily chart, May 26th 2011, 15:38 by The Economist online

[CoCoMilk]

These charts are amazing : D dang look at China's forest growth : o

[skyridgeline]

[ukiyo]

Panasonic Establishes First Recycling Factory in Chinese Market　
http://news.panasonic.net/archives/2011/0530_5431.html

Panasonic Corporation, Hangzhou DADI Environmental Protection Engineering Co., Ltd., DOWA Holdings Co., Ltd., and Sumitomo Corporation today announced they have reached an agreement to form a jointly-held company in China , Panasonic DADI DOWA Summit Recycling Hangzhou Co., Ltd.(proposed name;"Panasonic Hangzhou DADI") that will recycle home appliances and electronics.

In China, an ordinance on the collection, processing, and management of waste electrical and electronic products was enforced by the government on January 1, 2011 with an aim to promote proper and safe disposal of waste home appliances. The ordinance applies to five types of electrical and electronic products including TVs, refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners and personal computers.

The amount of waste home appliances has been on rise in China, as the country's recent economic growth spurred the use and upgrading of electronic products among consumers. In Zhejiang with a population of about 50 million, approximately 2.9 million units of waste home appliances were collected in a 12-month period from 2009 to 2010, and the amount is expected to increase further.

The new recycling company will collect and disassemble used home appliances and electronics and sell recovered materials in compliance with the Chinese ordinance and aims to be a model company for China with advanced recycling technologies. Panasonic will be the first Japanese consumer electronics manufacturer to enter the Chinese recycling market.

The new company will purchase the five types of waste home appliances from collection companies, disassemble them by using its advanced recycling technologies and facilities, and sell recycled materials to refining companies, plastics recyclers and manufacturers. With the establishment of Panasonic Hangzhou DADI, the four companies look to contribute to environmental conservation and efficient use of recycled materials in the country.

[crskyline]

I think use fine is more effective than use rewards here.

[skyridgeline]

The Chinese city of Shenzhen is adding 1500 all-electric buses and taxis to its existing public transport fleet, which is already the largest zero-carbon fleet in the world.

- http://www.energyefficiencynews.com/policy/i/4893/ (28 February 2012)

[zmcha5765]

CPPCC National Committee members, the first chief designer of the Shenzhou spacecraft Qi Faren during the two sessions, said in an interview that the “Long March” carrier rockets are expected in 2014 starts, will be China’s future space station construction and lunar exploration project, “three” provide capacity to protect.

http://www.cnkaleidoscope.com/hainan...rocket-launch/

[big-dog]

Beijing to invest $636b in water-related projects

Updated: 2012-03-15 07:12

By Fu Jing in Marseille, France (China Daily)



China's Minister of Water Resources Chen Lei said the government is planning to invest $636 billion through 2020 in various projects to harness water and prevent related disasters.

Chen said the investment will mainly be channeled from various levels of government, while some of the projects are open to foreign investors.

"Investment will be scaled up in the coming decade and a water financing mechanism with a public budget and revenue as a major channel shall be set up," Chen said at the Ministerial Conference of the World Water Forum, which began on Monday.

No other country in the world faces more challenges in harnessing water than China, he said. The country has a large population with poor access to water, uneven distribution and frequent natural disasters such as floods and droughts.

He said China will continuously strengthen its water resources planning system and consolidate integrated water resources management.

To address water safety, Chen said the Chinese government has decided to speed up the construction of rural water supply projects so that they are completed by 2015.



Meanwhile, he said China will implement a strict water resources management system, create a society that prioritizes water and soil conservation and rehabilitation and intensify the protection of rivers and lakes.

The investments will be used to treat heavily polluted rivers and lakes and to enhance the recovery of water ecosystems in ecologically fragile areas, while attaching great importance to the effects of construction on the environment.

Chen made the commitments after 80 ministers from participating countries at the World Water Forum made a common declaration.

The declaration emphasizes the acceleration of the implementation of obligations linked to human welfare, water and sanitation, the guarantee of well being and health and focusing on the most vulnerable. They also insisted on improving wastewater management.

The ministers agreed that a global approach toward water, energy and food security will guarantee sustainable economic growth and job creation.

According to UN figures, an estimated 884 million people worldwide do not have access to safe water. Almost 1.5 million children die every year from water-borne diseases. Population growth, increasing urbanization, chemical pollution and invasive species are the main factors contributing to the deterioration of water quality. The consequences for the environment and for mankind are considerable, according to the UN.

Population growth is expected to lead to increases in global food demand and energy consumption, so it is evident that there must be a socioeconomic dimension considered when approaching water management, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization said in a report published at the forum.

Contact the writer at fujing@chinadaily.com.cn.
source

[skyridgeline]

Wikipedia

[skyridgeline]

With sales expected to reach over 30 million units in 2012, electric bicycles are the world’s best-selling electric vehicles. Rapidly accelerating urbanization, the increasing need for low-cost transportation in developing markets, and expanding opportunities for new market entrants are all helping to drive e-bicycle sales. Despite significant business challenges outside the Asia Pacific region, the market for electric bicycles is expected to grow strongly over the next several years. According to a new report from Pike Research, the worldwide market for e-bicycles will increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.5% between 2012 and 2018, resulting in global sales of more than 47 million vehicles in 2018. China is anticipated to account for 42 million of these e-bicycles that year, giving it 89% of the total world market. The e-bicycle market is anticipated to generate $6.9 billion in worldwide revenue in 2012, growing to $11.9 billion in 2018

- pikeresearch.com

[big-dog]

Development, urbanization threaten wetland

Updated: 2012-05-14 07:26

By Wang Qian in Beijing and Zheng Jinran in Ergun, Inner Mongolia (China Daily)

The Ergun wetland in North China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region is one of the largest in Asia. CHEN DIANJIE / FOR CHINA DAILY



Although the Ergun Wetland Protection Zone attracts more than 1 million domestic and foreign tourists every year, local forestry authorities struggle to balance operating costs for the zone, one of the largest in Asia.

"Besides the costs for daily protection and maintenance, the budget for infrastructure construction is far above our means," said Zhen Guang, head of the Ergun city forestry bureau in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

But money problems are relatively easy to solve, because Zheng is applying for State-level wetland protection zone status, which will bring funding from the State Forestry Administration.

Lack of a national wetland protection law, however, has become the major barrier for wetland preservation across the country, experts said.

"China does not have a national law exclusively for wetland protection. Therefore, local governments have no rights to punish wetland violators, which speeds up the urbanization of wetlands," said Niu Zhenguo, a professor of the Institute of Remote Sensing Applications under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

He added it is common for factories and villas to be built on wetlands or for dams and bridges to choke off the water.

Experts explained that the cost for 1 square meter of land reclamation from wetlands is less than 300 yuan ($47), much less than the price of land available through the market.

At the end of March, media reported that nearly 100 villas were built in Hebi National Wetland Park, Central China's Henan province.

With money to be made, many wetlands have vanished.

Wetland losses from the total 91 national protected wetland zones was about 8,152 square kilometers (almost equivalent to the area of eight Hong Kong) from 1978 to 2008, according to a four-year-assessment by the institute, which was released in February.

Nearly 80 percent of the wetland had been poorly protected, especially those areas located along the Yangtze River and the coast, the assessment said.

A wetland is a land area that is saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, which plays the ecological roles of water purification, flood control and shoreline stability.

Wetlands are also considered the most biologically diverse of all ecosystems, serving as home to a wide range of plant and animal life, such as migratory birds.

Ma Guangren, director of the Wetland Conservation and Management Center of the State Forestry Administration, told China Youth Daily in April that the severe drought in five provinces in Southwest China was partially triggered by wetland losses.

"It is like an unknown world full of surprises for us to discover," Niu said, adding that protecting wetlands is like passing a treasure on to future generations.

Research shows that 1 hectare of wetland can purify the excess nitrogen and phosphorus from 100 hectares of farmland, which is the most effective way to filter out agriculture pollution and industrial sewage.

Fortunately, the authorities have become aware of the importance of wetland. The culmination of ten years of work, a national wetland protection regulation is expected to be launched before 2014, Ma said.

About 11 provinces and autonomous regions had launched provincial or regional wetland preservation regulation as of October, according to the center.

Zhen in Ergun said that Inner Mongolia is carrying out the strictest wetland protection measures this year and investing in wetland preservation programs.

Beijing publicized the draft of the capital's wetland protection regulation online recently, which said that anyone who reclaims wetland will be given a maximum fine of 5,000 yuan per sq m.

The draft said activities such as taking bird eggs, collecting peat, picking wild vegetables, introducing harmful species and blocking water resources are strictly banned in wetland areas.

Jiangxi province, home to Poyang Lake, a crucial winter habitat for migratory birds, is also expanding its wetland protection regulation coverage from the lake area to the whole province on May 1.

Regulations state that a fine of at least 50,000 yuan will be levied on those who discharge industrial waste or domestic garbage into the lake and the wetland area.

"The current protection is for the future sustainable and scientific development of the resource and environment," Niu said.

Zheng Yaomin from the Institute of Remote Sensing Applications said that under the frame of wetland protection regulation with proper supervision, commercial activity, such as building entertainment facilities and fishing, could take place in wetland areas, so protection and profit are balanced.

Robert McGinnes, a British independent wetland expert, said that protecting wetland does not mean putting up a fence to keep everyone out, but rather it is about wisely using the wetland for its benefits.

According to the first national wetland survey, released in 2003, China has nearly 4 million hectares of wetland with about 1,700 species of wild animals.

The second national survey started in 2009 and is expected to be finished this year.

In 1992, China joined the International Convention on Wetlands and designated seven wetland sites as the "Wetlands of International Importance", known as Ramsar sites.

Contact the writers at wangqian@chinadaily.com.cn and zhengjinran@chinadaily.com.cn

[Heludin]

So, after reading a good portion of this thread where are we standing on the world stage? Not that I'm Chinese but I do support good efforts.

[excqnn]

Dear all Chinese forumer, greeting from Indonesia. Can I ask you a favor, I need the information regarding China's Green Building such as amount of green building in China. If you have the information regarding those issues please let me know! Thanks!

[big-dog]

Sorry I don't have such data. Anybody else can find the data?

[big-dog]

Real time air pollution data:

http://www.aqicn.info/?map&lang=en

A couple of Chinese large cities are pretty bad in the chart. By comparison the air in Malaysia is so good. New Delhi India is 500?! I didn't expect that.

[VECTROTALENZIS]

No country has ever industrialised without bad air. China's air is comparable to other countries in the same stage. For instance Japan had bad air in the 60s and 70s and Korea and Taiwan in the 70s, 80s, and 90s.

[andyvia]

Originally Posted by excqnn

Dear all Chinese forumer, greeting from Indonesia. Can I ask you a favor, I need the information regarding China's Green Building such as amount of green building in China. If you have the information regarding those issues please let me know! Thanks!

This is a quote from an annual report of the ministry of housing and urban-rural development. It says that 353 projects have been awarded green building tag in China by the end of 2011 with total construction area of 34.88 million square kilometers.

住建部公布的《2011年全国住房城乡建设领域节能减排专项监督检查建筑节能检查情况通报》显示，截至2011年底，全国共有353个项目获得了绿色建筑评价标识，建筑面积3488万平方米，其中2011年当年有241个项目获得绿色建筑评价标识，建筑面积达到2500万平方米。

http://news.dichan.sina.com.cn/2012/11/13/597560.html

[big-dog]

good job andyvia.

Originally Posted by VECTROTALENZIS

No country has ever industrialised without bad air. China's air is comparable to other countries in the same stage. For instance Japan had bad air in the 60s and 70s and Korea and Taiwan in the 70s, 80s, and 90s.

I agree. I feel China may have passed the worst point of time in terms of air pollution. From the chart and from my personal experience big cities such as Shanghai, Suzhou are getting better air year by year.

From the chart we may roughly summarize that Changchun, Jinchang (dunno where it is) and Chengdu are among the worst polluted areas of China (index above 200).

[big-dog]

Originally Posted by skyridgeline

Wikipedia

You can see the public bikes in Shanghai as well. It must be a project being rolled out recently now every district has parking spots for those bikes.

[skyridgeline]

...And the provincial government of Guangdong aims to develop a total of 8,770 kilometers of greenways throughout the province by the year 2015

- Updated: 2012-11-10 08:09 By Zhan Lisheng in Guangzhou ( China Daily)

bmfbm.com


By smooth-traveller




From Macau border to Zhuhai Sun Yat-sen University Campus (Zhuhai section of GD GREEN WAY #1):

Uploaded by roychoi07 on Feb 4, 2011 (biking starts @ 1:52)