Environment, Biodiversity & Pollution~
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Will China’s smart tech help stem global biodiversity loss?
Global conservation foundation, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has an ongoing partnership with Shenzhen-bsed Huawei, and wants more tech firms to help with wildlife monitoring efforts. In October 2023 Huawei and the IUCN signed a strategic cooperation agreement of Phase 2 of a joint effort to use technology to help protect biodiversity. A task Continue reading
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Can China’s ‘ecological redlines’ help other countries hit conservation goals?
China’s experience of drawing up protected areas and satellite cooperation with Brazil can boost progress towards 2030 targets, scientist Gao Jixi tells Dialogue Earth Around the world, differing financial capabilities and a lack of regional cooperation mean that the availability of biodiversity data varies wildly between countries. Many developing nations are unable to assess the state of Continue reading
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Hot Oceans, Rising Climate Concerns: Chinese scientists raise the alarm
In 2023, the world’s oceans hit their hottest temperatures ever recorded, a silent yet significant milestone that speaks volumes about the state of our planet. On January 11, 2024, a startling report was published in Advances in Atmospheric Sciences by an international research team of 34 scientists from 16 institutions worldwide, led by the Institute of Atmospheric Physics at Continue reading
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China and West are driving in opposite directions on electric cars
Top German carmaker VW has reported a 26% year-to-date rise in fully-electric car sales in China—offset by a fall in sales, also of 26%, of the same products in the United States. Sales in Europe also fell, by 14%. The gap is widening, third quarter figures reveal. VW, maker of luxury brands Porsche and Audi, Continue reading
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Ongoing US nuclear contamination of the Pacific Islands
Forget China: the U.S. is Its own worst enemy Pacific Island countries see U.S. treatment of the Marshall Islands as fundamentally unjust – not only in the past, but in the present – and it has severely damaged their perceptions of the United States. The United States is competing with China for influence and access in the Continue reading
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Large-scale solar plants have positive environmental effect on desert areas: Chinese scientists
A research team led by scientists from China’s Xi’an University of Technology has assessed the ecological and environmental effects of large-scale PV development in desert areas. The research found that big solar power plants have a positive impact on the ecological environment of desert areas. The study was conducted at a 1 GW solar park Continue reading
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China leads the world in green hydrogen
In 2022, China set a target of producing up to 200,000 tonnes (t) of “green hydrogen” per year by the end of 2025, to help achieve its “dual-carbon” goal. A Norway-based research company reports China is projected to “exceed that volume” by the end of 2024. In the article below Carbon Brief looks at China’s green hydrogen production Continue reading
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China’s ESG rules approach maturity after 20 years
China’s first policy on environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance reporting – the Announcement on Corporate Environmental Information Disclosure – was issued by China’s State Environmental Protection Administration in 2003. It encouraged and supported enterprises to disclose environment-related information. Twenty years later, in December 2023, the State Council released its Opinions on Comprehensively Promoting the Construction of a Beautiful Continue reading
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China Unveils Most Advanced Hydrogen Train in the World
China is making waves in hydrogen energy technology with the launch of the CINOVA H2, the country’s first intelligent hydrogen-powered intercity train. Developed by CRRC Qingdao Sifang Co., this groundbreaking train was unveiled at the International Rail Transit Technology Exhibition in Berlin on September 24, 2024. Achieving “zero carbon” emissions, the CINOVA H2 outperforms international counterparts Continue reading
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China’s renewable boom puts ambitious climate goals in reach: CREA
China’s rapid deployment of clean energy has made it possible for the nation to achieve more ambitious goals to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. CREA is an Helsinki-based nonprofit think tank, founded in 2019 to conduct independent research on energy and air pollution. China Continue reading
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Shenzhen has nearly twice as many supercharging stations as gas stations
Shenzhen — the city where BYD is headquartered — has become the first city in China to see the number of supercharging stations outnumber gas stations, as well as the number of charging guns outnumber gas guns, the Shenzhen Economic Daily report noted. Shenzhen has seen the number of supercharging stations in the city nearly Continue reading
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Uganda: Chinese hydro project spurs green energy development
On September 26, 2024 Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni commissioned the Chinese-built 600 MW Karuma Hydropower Station and the 400 kV transmission line of the Karuma Interconnection Project in the midwestern Ugandan district of Kiryandongo. Karuma is Uganda’s largest hydro-power plant and the second major Chinese-built hydro project in the country. Uganda joined the Belt and Road Continue reading
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Chinese-Australian researchers develop new recycling process for PV modules
A Chinese-Australian research team use deep eutectic solvents (DESs) to separate ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) adhesive films from end-of-life solar panels. The low cost method achieved a 100% EVA separation rate with an aluminum removal efficiency of 98.4%. The team comprised scientists from Kunming University of Science and Technology, China and the University of New Continue reading
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Food security in China and the impact of climate change
As the global climate changes, extreme climate events, such as heatwaves, droughts, and flooding, are becoming more commonplace. Like many countries, China has suffered from extreme climatic events in recent years and climatic extremes combined with EI Niño effects have exposed vulnerabilities in its agricultural landscape. Climate change poses a great challenge to global food Continue reading
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Marine Eco-Environmental Protection in China – A White Paper
On September 2, 2024 China Environment News published an article on the release of the White Paper. Guilherme Ferreira has brought to our attention that the full text of this important policy document is now available (see link below). We have also updated our earlier post. The following is the Preface to the White Paper: Continue reading
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Xi Jinping urges more efforts in ecological conservation and green development in Yellow River basin
In China Ecological Civilization newsletter on Substack, Sep 12, 2024, Ying Xue writes: On the afternoon of September 12, during the inspection of Shaanxi and Gansu, Chinese President Xi Jinping presided over a symposium in Lanzhou City, Gansu Province, on comprehensively promoting ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin. In October 2021, China issued the “Outline Continue reading
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China’s decarbonization of aluminum and steel: what it means for renewable energy
China is pushing its steel and aluminum industries to adopt cleaner methods by incorporating them into its carbon emissions trading system (ETS). China’s recent move to include aluminum and steel in its ETS marks a pivotal moment for industries that depend on these materials, particularly renewable energy. Aluminum production in the United States is dropping Continue reading
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China’s EV exports maintain upward trend
China’s electric vehicle (EV) industry has demonstrated remarkable resilience and growth, even as the global market faces a temporary stagnation in demand. Last year, China’s EV exports surged by 70% compared to the previous year, reaching an impressive $34.1 billion. This growth is underscored by the domestic sales ratio of “new energy vehicles” (NEVs), which Continue reading
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Malaysia’s new hydrogen-powered rapid transit vehicles roll off production line in China
The first two units of the Autonomous Rapid Transit (ART) hydrogen vehicle for the Kuching Urban Transportation System (KUTS) project in Malaysia will be delivered to Kuching by the end of the year, according to the Sarawak Transport Minister Datuk Seri Lee Kim Shin. Lee noted that sustainability objectives were high on the list of Continue reading
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EV joint venture with China changing the face of Cuban transportation
Cubans across the country have started using Chinese-made electric cars and scooters. They are seen as a more cost-effective mode of transport, as fuel prices remain high and public transport unreliable. The South China Morning Post, reports that to increase the presence of electric vehicles, China’s Tianjin Dongxing Industrial, along with Cuban state-owned company Minerva, created Continue reading
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China-built world’s most powerful off-shore wind turbine was “unfazed” by Super Typhoon Yagi
Super Typhoon Yagi battered the OceanX platform emerges unfazed. Designed by Chinese wind firm Minyang Smart Energy and constructed Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding Company and China State Shipbuilding Corp. The platform was launched in April 2024. The OceanX, which is made from ultra-high performance concrete, features a single-point mooring system for durability, cost-efficiency, and typhoon stability. Continue reading
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China recovering from typhoon Yagi: strongest since 1949
Dozens killed in Vietnam, China, Philippines Yagi, the strongest autumn typhoon to land in China since 1949, hit Hainan on Friday, leaving at least four dead and 95 injured. China’s southernmost province of Hainan is recovering from the aftermath of Super Typhoon Yagi, with workers fixing damaged facilities and draining streets of floodwaters as airports Continue reading
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While Bombs Fall, China Powers Hope with Solar in Gaza
China’s low-cost solar panels are bringing light and hope to Palestinians living under the shadow of war in Gaza. In Gaza’s refugee camps, besieged by Israeli occupation forces, one of the most crucial survival tools may come as a surprise: solar panels. While food and water are essential to life, in Gaza, a city under siege, Continue reading
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Vicious circle of air pollution and climate-change induced wildfires has global impact
PM2.5 DECLINING IN CHINA SAYS WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANISATION World in a vicious cycle of climate change, wildfires and air pollution – causing spiraling negative impact on human health, ecosystems and agriculture, says WMO. Fine particle air pollution declined in China last year as emissions linked to human activity dropped, the UN’s World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) Continue reading
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Kenyan environmentalists work to revive degraded river by planting Chinese bamboo
A Kenyan evironmental group, Kirinyaga Bamboo Environmental Guardians, were convinced that planting trees along the riverbanks could help restore the environment. They sought to tackle the degradation of Kiringa River, a once-pristine waterway long revered by the local community. The riverbanks suffered from severe soil erosion, water levels dwindled and pollution worsened due to climate Continue reading
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Chinese scientists grow soybeans in space to help advance agricultural technology
Endeavors to grow soybeans in space may bear fruition, says Hong Kong biologist. Recently, a research team from a Chinese university successfully sent samples of soybean bacteria to the nation’s Tiangong Space Station via the Tianzhou-6 cargo spacecraft. The project is the first Hong Kong agricultural research project to be launched into space, opening a Continue reading
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Conservation scientists in China’s Yunnan promote biodiversity with economic benefits
“Preserving wild species is a shared responsibility of all humanity.” In southwest China’s Yunnan Province, researchers say they have found ways to better promote conservation among the public. From the heart of Yunnan CGTN reporter Zhao Chenchen discovers how locals are turning efforts to protect wild species into paths toward high-quality development. Known for its rich Continue reading
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China to advance high-quality BRI ties with Africa
China will take further steps including deepening partnership in emerging fields, such as green development and the digital economy, to promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation with African countries in the coming years, according to a new report released on Thursday. Officials said the cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative has brought mutual benefits Continue reading
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China publishes white paper on conservation of marine ecosystems
China has recently unveiled a comprehensive white paper titled “Marine Eco-Environmental Protection in China”, to present China’s ideas, actions and commitments in global governance of the marine eco-environment. The white paper elaborates on the practices of China’s eco-environment protection. First, China’s development of a legal system for marine eco-environmental protection provides a model for global Continue reading
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China commits to strengthening controls on illegal building to protect farmland
Chinese authorities have committed to tough measures to safeguard arable land by releasing case studies involving the confiscation and disposal of illegal buildings and structures. The Supreme People’s Procuratorate (SPP) and the Ministry of Natural Resources have published four typical cases from Sichuan, Guangxi, Hebei, and Heilongjiang. An SPP official noted that removing illegal buildings Continue reading
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Tonga gets new wind power project – funded and built by China
Funded by China through its aid program a wind power project is under construction by the Energy China Gezhouba Group in Tonga. It’s expected to be completed and handed over to the government of Tonga by November. The project aims to be a major contributor to the Government of Tonga’s goal of transforming its energy Continue reading
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Chinese agrivoltaics project in Japan operational
KYOTO, Japan, Aug. 26, 2024 — Trina Solar Co Ltd, a Chinese photovoltaics company founded in 1997, announced the commercial operation of its latest agrivoltaics project, located in Fukuchiyama, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. The project is will generate 2,700 MWh of clean energy annually, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 1,760 tons each year. Macau Business Media reports that this Continue reading
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Biodiversity of China’s Yangtze River improves
Government report finds number of native fish and protected wildlife species up over previous year, but there is much room for improvement. The Yangtze – China’s longest river and a critical habitat for aquatic life – is showing signs of ecological improvement, the latest government report says, while warning that there is still a long way to Continue reading
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Climate change induced ‘natural disasters’ continue to hit China
Extreme weather events continued across China over recent weeks. These “natural disasters” cost China nearly 元77 billion yuan ($10.7bn) last month – the biggest amount of losses for the month of July since 2021. EXTREME WEATHER A “once-in-a-century flood” was recorded by the Zhimenda hydrological station along the Yangtze River in south China, reported China Daily. Continue reading
China Environment News 