Environment, Biodiversity & Pollution~
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A decade of rising forest cover in China
Originally posted 27 July 2022 Ten years is a short period of time in human history but diligent people, with the support of good governance, can create miracles in that short time. A veteran journalist with China Daily reviews the afforestation measures China has taken in the past decade to expand forest cover. Chinese leaders Continue reading
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Rich nations must pay climate damages
At the UN climate summit in 2021 – COP26 in Glasgow – a group of largely developing nations representing six out of every seven people in the world called for developed countries to commit to pledging funds for loss and damage. However, this call faced opposition from large Western economies particularly the US and EU – and, ultimately, Continue reading
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China’s plan to clean up ‘new pollutants’
“This is a significant step forward for China’s chemical regime.” Liu Jianguo, Associate Professor, Peking University Hopes are high that a Chinese action plan will help control chemicals with ongoing harmful effects. In 2014, China declared a “war on pollution”. Since then, air quality has improved significantly, with nationwide levels of PM2.5 – harmful fine particles Continue reading
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China’s new solar semi-satellite drone
In a big step toward green development, China has built its first solar-powered large unmanned aerial vehicle. The drone successfully carried out its maiden flight on Saturday. It took off from an airport in Yulin, northwest China’s Shaanxi province and landed smoothly after 26 minutes airborne with all systems operating normally, according to a report Continue reading
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China chairs Biodiversity Convention on
China currently holds the rotating Presidency of the Conference of Parties to the UN Convention on Biodiversity (CBD). This is the first time China has overseen a major UN intergovernmental negotiation on the environment. The first meeting in the current round of Conference of Parties (COP15) of the CBD was officially opened by China in Continue reading
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Extreme heat and global climate
China recently braved its strongest heatwave. Europe is also suffering from heatwaves and the worst drought in 500 years. What’s behind the high temperatures? And what does this extreme heat tell us about global climate change? What is going to be the impact on agriculture and food security? “A a very important facet is that Continue reading
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Historic droughts trigger power shortages in China’s Yangtze basin
Since mid-June, China has been facing the most intense and enduring heat waves since records began in 1961, according to the National Climate Centre. In the past week, the middle and lower Yangtze River basin has experienced exceptionally hot and dry spells in what is supposed to be the flood season, forcing provinces to suspend Continue reading
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Environmental noise affects mate choice in animals: Chinese study
Chinese researchers have discovered that noise influences mate choice based on visual information in animals via cross-sensory interference, according to the Chengdu Institute of Biology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Animal communication is often hampered by noise interference, while little is known about its cross-modal effect and how animals weigh unimodal and multimodal courtship Continue reading
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China: national soil survey to protect arable land
Published 2022/08/07 After rapid development and intensive farming, China is to carry out a new national soil survey to help with its food security and carbon targets. Black soil in North East China is some of the most fertile in the world, but the has been damaged by over-cultivation says Chinese Academy of Sciences. China Continue reading
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Chinese research: Global warming of 2.0C could ‘double’ flooding costs in China compared to 1.5C
Economic losses from flooding in China at 2C of global warming could be double those at 1.5C, research suggests. The study was by a group of researchers at the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, and the College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Continue reading
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China’s farmers embrace rooftop solar power
China has vowed to accelerate the installation of clean energy. Rooftop solar installations have emerged as a major force to achieve that. Nearly 53 gigawatts of solar capacity were added in 2021, with more than half coming from rooftop installations. Experts say that the promotion of rooftop solar panels can contribute to China’s rural vitalization, Continue reading
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China appoints 1.2 million ‘forest chiefs’ in over one year
Xinhua reports that China has achieved its goal of establishing the “forest chief” scheme as scheduled, with nearly 1.2 million “forest chiefs” appointed in over a year, the forestry authority said on 14 July 2022. With the comprehensive implementation of the scheme, the country’s management of forest and grassland resources has strengthened, said Xu Jide, Continue reading
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Biodiversity conservation in Tibet: China releases over 2.6 million native fish
A total of 2.65 million fish have been bred and released this year in southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, including six fish species endemic to the Lhasa River, to further aid local aquatic biodiversity conservation. Currently, 71 species (including subspecies) of indigenous fish can be found in Tibet. Tsedrum, president of the Tibet Academy of Continue reading
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China solves difficult environmental issues through central inspections
China recently wrapped up a new round of central environmental inspections. In recent years, a number of environmental problems of strong public concern have been addressed through the inspections. The recently completed inspections were the sixth batch of second round of central environmental inspections. In recent years, a number of environmental problems of strong public Continue reading
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South-South cooperation: China helps 38 developing countries vulnerable to climate change to face challenges of green transition
China takes concrete action to tackle global warming through cooperation. The past two months have seen China taking a series of concrete actions to enhance South-South climate cooperation, namely projects among developing nations. Small island states, which are particularly vulnerable to global warming, are among China’s major concerns. China has reached 43 agreements with 38 Continue reading
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The West sabotages Bonn climate talks – Global South betrayed yet again on ‘historical responsibility’
Let us not forget that global climate change is a problem largely created by the West through its carbon-intensivbe industrialisation over the past two centuries. At a time when the collective West is channeling hundreds of billions of dollars into Europe to prolong a futile war, it has once again done everything it can to Continue reading
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World facing climate catastrophes – China hit by floods
Levels of rainfall not seen since the early 1960s. Authorities across much of southern China have issued weather advisories for heavy rain and severe flooding. Over 80 rivers have already seen waters exceed warning levels after days of heavy rains. Over 1.79 million people in central China’s Hunan Province have been affected by heavy rain and more Continue reading
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Ancient Forest Discovered in Remote China Sinkhole
Chinese scientists from the Institute of Karst Geology of the China Geological Survey have uncovered a “lost world” at the bottom of a massive sinkhole in China. The cave exploration team discovered a giant karst sinkhole in south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, bringing the number of such sinkholes in the county to 30. The Continue reading
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US anxiety to push decoupling with China in mineral supply chains ‘a dangerous signal’
Source: Global Times, Jun 16, 2022. Washington is using NATO to prepare for an all-out conflict with its strategic competitors, which could spark World War III, said analysts, as the US is pushing decoupling or reducing reliance on China in fields like critical mineral rseources. Since NATO will adopt a new Strategic Concept for the Continue reading
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China to establish national park at Qinghai Lake, Tibet
Qinghai (青海), which literally means ‘blue sea’, is an inland province in central west China, adjacent to Xinjiang, Tibet, Sichuan, and Gansu. It is famed for its spectacular scenery, multi-ethnic minority culture, and rich Buddhist heritage throughout the region. China has nominated Qinghai Lake for the World Heritage List where its is currently on the Tentative List (the first stage Continue reading
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China’s first international journal on grassland science starts publication
China’s first international academic journal on grassland science has begun publication, highlighting the roles of grassland science in sustainable development, according to Lanzhou University. Grassland Research is co-sponsored by the Chinese Grassland Society and Lanzhou University. It publishes forefront research on rangelands, forages and sown pastures, as well as amenity grassland and ecosystems, said Lanzhou Continue reading
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Water imbalance in Third Pole to pose “great challenge to water resources in downstream regions” – scientists
Rapid climate warming has caused water imbalances in the Third Pole region, leading to greater water demand in densely populated downstream countries, according to a new study. With the largest global store of frozen water after the Antarctic and Arctic, the Third Pole region, located in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, is home to headwaters of over Continue reading
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China’s environmental journey: 1972 Stockholm
The Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment, in June 1972, was the first major United Nations event featuring the People’s Republic of China. It helped shape the country’s understanding of environmental issues ever since. In 2022, China was set to host a major UN environmental conference, after a delay of more than a year due Continue reading
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Editorial Statement
About China Environment News Global environmental crisis is the product of centuries of Western exploitation of the land, natural resources and labour of the Global South. Seriously tackling the global ecological crisis must involve a global redistribution of power and wealth from the West to the Global South. We unequivocally acknowledge this will require nationally appropriate forms of Continue reading
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