Environment, Biodiversity & Pollution~
-
China’s virtual power plants
Virtual Power Plants meet growing demand for clean energy China’s move towards a more sustainable energy mix has seen a rise in the construction of virtual power plants. These plants use advanced technologies and software systems to collect data of electricity generated from distributed sources, such as rooftop solar power facilities, power storage systems, and Continue reading
-
China’s new National Park Institute
China’s Leap Forward in Ecological Conservation. In a groundbreaking move, China will see a new batch of university students enroll this September at the freshly constituted National Park Institute, a first-of-its-kind academic institution dedicated to the preservation and development of the country’s natural ecosystems. Operating under the aegis of the Beijing Forestry University, the National Park Continue reading
-
China releases climate Blue Book 2023
Multiple Climate Change Indicators Reach New Heights in China. During the “Climate Change and Extreme Weather Response” theme forum at the 2023 Ecological Civilization Guiyang International Forum, the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) unveiled the China Climate Change Blue Book for 2023. The CMA has released the Blue Book report annually since 2011. The comprehensive report Continue reading
-
Radiation in Fukushima fish unsafe
Radioactivity in Fukushima fish 180 times safe limit China has been been one of the most out-spoken critics of the release of radioactive wastewater from Japan’s damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant. Some parts of the Western media are just this week reporting that fish with cesium radioactive isotope levels up to 180 times the safe Continue reading
-
Extreme heatwaves are ‘new normal’
NO COUNTRY CAN ACT ALONE: CHINA On 24 July, 2023 Xinhua reported that since June, temperatures across the Northern Hemisphere have continued to rise, and many countries, gripped by the most intense heatwave, have issued high temperature warnings. Forecasts show that 2023 is likely to be the hottest year ever. Xu Huaqing, Director of China’s National Center Continue reading
-
Solar power capacity boosted in China
SOLAR SURGE China’s solar power installations are expected to “surge” this year, with “the projected new installed capacity being raised from 95-120 gigawatts (GW) to 120-140GW”, according to data released by the China Photovoltaic Industry Association (CPIA), China Daily reported. By comparison, new solar installation in the US was 20GW in 2022. The upgraded forecast came as data from China’s National Energy Continue reading
-
China drought cuts hydropower output
In major news for China’s electricity system and emissions – and for the world, on 17 July, China’s National Bureau of Statistics announced that despite overall electricity generation growing 3.8% year-on-year, hydropower output fell by nearly 23% in the first half of 2023 – the largest drop among all electricity sources. Hydro is China’s largest source of Continue reading
-
Protecting China’s ‘unofficial’ wetlands
Damage done to a wetland in the name of “environmental restoration” raises questions about how China’s lesser-known wetlands are protected. The coastal wetlands on the Linhong estuary, by the Yellow Sea in Lianyungang municipality, provide an important feeding ground and stopover for waterbirds migrating between East Asia and Australia. But in 2021, an “environmental restoration” Continue reading
-
US owes world climate reparations
US climate czar John Kerry recently visited a blistering Beijing for talks on climate change with his Chinese counterpart. The Chinese side expressed optimism over the talks. But the US side has been much more heavy handed. At the same time that Kerry was in Beijing, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan hit out at Continue reading
-
‘New American Century’- ecocide and war
Ecocide is the deliberate destruction of an environment so that it can no longer sustain life. The attempt by the United States to maintain its global domination and its fatally outmoded model of modernity for others to emulate could commit this in two ways. The former is already taking place and accelerating; providing a medium to long Continue reading
-
Ecocide, war and New American Century
Ecocide is the deliberate destruction of an environment so that it can no longer sustain life. The attempt by the United States to maintain its global domination and its fatally outmoded model of modernity for others to emulate could commit this in two ways. The former is already taking place and accelerating; providing a medium to long Continue reading
-
Small population plant species protected
China’s Yunnan sees progress in protecting plant species with extremely small populations Does a plant still have value for conservation if there are only a few found surviving in the wild? For botanists, the answer is definitely yes. In southwest China’s Yunnan province, they seek and protect rare plant species in the wild, introduce and Continue reading
-
China Biodiversity success: Milu Deer
China Biodiversity: Over 460 newborn Milu Deer born in Hubei Milu deer (Elaphurus davidianus) is listed as Class I National Key Protected Species of China. The species is Classified as Extinct in the Wild by the IUCN’s Red List. It is said to have became extinct a long time ago, perhaps 1800 years ago, and Continue reading
-
China-US relations: Climate diplomacy
What’s stalling China-U.S. climate cooperation? Can China and the U.S. set aside rivalry for climate action ahead of COP28? Will China and the U.S. meet halfway through climate diplomacy? China is becoming a leader in global climate governance and is on track to meet its 2030 wind and solar energy targets five years ahead of Continue reading
-
Ocean currents and climate change
Massive ocean currents, such as the gulf stream, move heat from one part of the planet to the other. This process, in part, helps to give Western Europe its mild winter climate. Cimate change is already having a visible effect on the world’s temperatures and scientists are starting to build a clearer picture of what Continue reading
-
Ecosystem Functions and Services
Understanding the difference between the two What is the difference between ecosystem functions and ecosystem services? This brief article describes the difference between these two often confused terms in environmental science and management. It aims to integrate and clarify the many definitions and viewpoints of ecosystem functions and ecosystem services currently available online. Ecosystem Definition “An Continue reading
-
China protects ancient trees
Science-based measures implemented to protect old, valuable trees in China. Cover photo: Tanzhe Temple, located in Mentougou District, Beijing, is the oldest Buddhist temple in Beijing. There is a tall and lush ginkgo tree （银杏树) in the temple yard, which is estimated to be more than 1,300 years old, and was named ‘Emperor Tree’ by Continue reading
-
China finds new way to recycle plastic
BEIJING — A Chinese research team has developed a new method of recycling polyethylene plastic waste that could cut costs while producing a range of useful petroleum-based materials, according to a paper published recently in the journal Nature Nanotechnology. Polyethylene plastic, which is one of the five main types of plastic, is highly stable and Continue reading
-
Nord Stream: China wants UN probe
A Chinese envoy to the United Nations on Tuesday reiterated the call for an objective, impartial and professional investigation into the explosion of the Nord Stream pipelines in September last year. The explosion “not only poses a direct threat to the security of transnational infrastructure, but also has a negative impact on the ecological environment Continue reading
-
China on Fukushima wastewater: ‘drink it’
UN nuclear watchdog and others who claim Japanese reactor’s wastewater is safe should drink it, a Chinese official has said Beijing has responded to the UN nuclear watchdog’s controversial support for plans by Japan to dump contaminated wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the Pacific Ocean by arguing that those who believe Continue reading
-
Warming shocks the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
Climate change is bringing heatwaves and drought, glaciers are melting faster, lakes are expanding and desertification is worsening. July 4, 2023 Editor’s Note: The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, in south-western China, is known as the “roof of the world”. It is home to more mountain glaciers than anywhere else on the planet and is the source of Continue reading
-
China bans Fukushima produce
China bans food imports from Fukushima, tightens scrutiny of seafood shipments from other parts of Japan Japan’s nuclear regulator granted approval on Friday for utility company Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco), which ran the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, to start the country’s controversial plan to dump a million tons of nuclear-contaminated wastewater into Continue reading
-
Japan ocean discharge threat to all
“The Fukushima accident is considered already as the largest manmade release of radioactive material into the ocean …. In Fukushima nuclear wastewater, tritium is not the only radionuclide of great concern. … Nuclear waste water contained other radioactive materials apart from tritium, such as Ruthenium 106, Cobolt 60 and Strontium 90. Although the concentration of these isotopes Continue reading
-
Protecting grasslands – China leads world
China’s grassland ecological compensation policy improves grassland quality and increases herders’ income The grasslands of China are a vital ecological and social-economic resource, covering 40% of the national area and serving as an ecological barrier in the north and northwest border of China. The grasslands have multiple functions, including adjusting climate, preserving water resources, fixing Continue reading
-
Ancient China green seaweed micro-fossils
Paleontologists have made a remarkable discovery in China -one billion-year-old micro-fossils of green seaweeds that could be related to the ancestor of the earliest land plants and trees that first developed 450 million years ago. A team of scientists from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology in China and the Department of Geosciences and Continue reading
-
China: Protecting grassland biodiversity
Pastures green China boasts some 400 million hectares of grassland, accounting for 42% of China’s total land area, making it the second-largest terrestrial carbon sink after forests in the country.Grasslands are distributed mainly in the temperate regions and the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Human activities and climate change have adversely impacted 90% of the country’s grassland areas, Continue reading
-
BRICS Summit 2023: Key Goals
AFRICAN LEADERS CALL FOR NEW GLOBAL FINANCIAL ARCHITECTURE On 22-23 June 2023 the UN Summit for a New Global Financial Pact was hosted by the French Government in Paris. The summit was attended by over 100 world leaders, including African leaders, China’s prime minister and Brazil’s president, with the goal of boosting crisis financing for low-income countries, Continue reading
-
China Environment News | MR Online
Published by MR Onlinefrom 2023/11/12 24 to 2022/08/25 Below are links to some articles in Monthly Review that were republished from China Environment News Source: https://mronline.org/guest…/cap-china-environment-news/… Courtesy of MRONLINE.ORG Continue reading
-
Hong Kong’s Green Transition
Hong Kong‘s 2023-24 budget takes action in the fight against climate change and proposes a number of new carbon neutrality measures to actively seize the opportunities under China’s “double carbon” strategy and accelerate Hong Kong’s development into an international green technology and financial center. Hong Kong is one of the first Asian cities to take Continue reading
-
Ukrainian sabotage – toxic ammonia cloud
Casualties reported among the civilian population “A Ukrainian and reconnaissance group” blew up the Togliatti-Odessa ammonia pipeline in Kharkov region on Monday night, the Russian Defense Ministry said on June 7. Casualties among the civilian population have been reported. Ammonia is used for a variety of industrial and agricultural purposes. It is a toxic gas Continue reading
-
China: Extreme heat & climate change
In August last year (2022) CEN reported on heat wave conditions hitting China. Similar conditions since hit India and South East Asia. Researchers at Tsinghua University and the Beijing Institute of Economics and Management said that this was no longer unusual, and stressed that “the world needs to adopt stronger climate change mitigation and adaptation Continue reading
-
Caring for China’s “water tower”
Sanjiangyuan bolsters biodiversity conservation efforts See Video: https://youtu.be/OweJqfjiEz4 Sanjiangyuan in Qinghai contains the headwaters of China’s three major rivers. China’s President Xi Jinping has consistently underlined the importance of preserving the area and has shown deep regard for its integrated ecological protection with improvements to local people’s livelihoods. The Sanjiangyuan area, located on the Qinghai-Tibet Continue reading
-
China protects special regions
Laws for the ecological protection of special regions In late April 2023 China’s top legislature adopted a law to protect the fragile ecosystem of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. This is the latest of China’s environmental laws for 4 key ecological regions. The first of be enacted was the Yangtze River Protection Law, followed by the Yellow Continue reading
-
Climate change heat waves ‘new normal’ ?
It’s not a mirage. Across China, heat waves are becoming more frequent, lasting longer, and getting hotter — with deadly consequences. For more than a month, much of China has been blanketed by extreme heat. From June 16 to July 9, local governments issued 1,372 high-temperature “code reds,” indicating temperatures are expected to rise above Continue reading
-
New Environmental History of Socialism
Review of: Salvatore Engel-Di Mauro, Socialist States and the Environment: Lessons for Ecosocialist Futures (London: Pluto Press, 2021), 288 pages, $26.95, paperback. Review by associate professor Andy Bruno. Starting in the late 1970s, a narrative emerged about the extreme levels of environmental damage in the Soviet Union and, by implication, most state-socialist countries. The explosion and initial Continue reading
China Environment News 