Science, Technology, Heritage & Architecture~
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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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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 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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NEW BOOK: People’s China at 75 – The Flag Stays Red
Marking the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, saw the launch of a new book: People’s China at 75 – The Flag Stays Red. Edited by Friends of Socialist China co-editors Keith Bennett and Carlos Martinez, and published by Praxis Press, the book brings together different perspectives and understandings of the trajectory… Continue reading
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Top Chinese scientists abandon US positions – universities losing hundreds of billions of dollars
Research and Development (R&D) is a major profit center for the top universities in the United States. Besides the nearly $100 billion they earn in grants from the US government and private sources, university-based researchers create patents and inventions that generate many more billions annually. China is the largest foreign source of scientists and researchers… 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-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 urges the US to maintain ‘stable policy’ on climate change
China’s top diplomat Wang Yi urged Washington not to let overbroad definitions of national security stand in the way of climate change cooperation as he met visiting US climate envoy John Podesta, who was in China for bi-lateral talks with his counterpart Liu Zhenmin, China’s special envoy for climate change. “Climate change dialogue and cooperation are… 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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China leads world in nuclear energy innovation
China is 10 to 15 years ahead of the US in ability to deploy fourth-generation nuclear reactors at scale, says major US think-tank. The US Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF) has published a report entitled “How Innovative Is China in Nuclear Power?” which says that China has become the world’s leading proponent of nuclear… 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 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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Madagascar – China’s hybrid rice helps food security for African nation
Average yield of Chinese hybrid rice in Madagascar trials two to three times more than local rice varieties. A prolonged period of exceptional droughts in the African island nation of Madagascar since 2019 reduced agriculture production, placing about 1 million people on average in food insecurity, among which 250 000 suffered a famine situation. Madagascar… Continue reading
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Leading US scientist to move to China?
One of the world’s greatest living research scientists, retired Harvard University chemist and nanoscientist Professor Charles Lieber, is considering a move to China, according to the Hong Kong based South China Morning Post. In 2011, Professor Lieber was named the leading chemist in the world for the decade 2000–2010 based on the impact of his… 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
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Impact of US-China Science Rivalry
The Scientific Cold War is real, and we’re all losing. New study reveals how US-China tensions are slowing global research. Many in the academia have voiced the concern that the counter-productive, politically-motivated investigations scrutinizing the cooperation between the world’s 2 major science powerhouses would eventually backfire and hamper the progress of science research. However, few… Continue reading
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China – Weather extremes lower rice yield
How climate change is driving up food prices. China is a major producer of cereals – growing more rice and wheat than any other country in the world. Based on the findings of a joint 2023 study by scientists from China, Germany, France and Cyprus, published in the journal Nature, the chart below shows that extreme rainfall cut rice yields… Continue reading
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‘Nuclear terrorism’ – Ukraine attack on Kursk nuclear power plant
CGTN Global reports that Russia on Friday (Aug 23, 2024) accused Ukraine of trying to attack the Kursk nuclear power station in what it called an act of “nuclear terrorism”, days before the head of the United Nations atomic watchdog is due to visit the site. The nuclear plant is located in the Kursk region of… Continue reading
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How China is winning the Green Energy race
China’s perceived march towards global domination appears to be ruffling some feathers in the Western world, writes David Borlace on his program, Just Have a Think. He notes, China’s version of the industrial revolution has lifted hundreds of millions out of abject poverty, but it is still held up by some as the greatest modern sin… Continue reading
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China’s booming EV market boosts growth in charging infrastruture
China’s electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure continued to increase in the first half (H1) of this year, thanks to the rapid expansion of the country’s EV market. By the end of June, the total number of charging piles in China reached 10.24 million units, an increase of 54 percent year on year, Zhang Xing, a… Continue reading
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Nord Stream sabotage was major environmental crime
RUSSIA DISMISSES GERMAN NARRATIVE ON NORD STREAM BLASTS AT UN Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that it is “clear” that the United States ordered the 2022 attacks on the Nord Stream gas pipelines. “It is clear that to carry out such a terrorist attack, there was a command from the very top, as they… Continue reading
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Xi praises environmental volunteers promoting water conservation
Chinese President Xi Jinping has encouraged environmental volunteers to promote water conservation and contribute to the modernization of harmony between humanity and nature. Ahead of China’s second National Ecology Day that fell on Thursday last week, Xi made the remarks in a letter to the volunteers for the Danjiangkou Reservoir in Shiyan City, central China’s… Continue reading
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China’s deep-sea manned submersible Jiaolong conducts scientific research in Western Pacific
In Chinese mythology, Jiaolong is a dragon often depicted as a scaled, hornless, and aquatic creature. The submersible was named after the mythical creature because of its ability to explore the depths of the ocean. China’s deep-sea manned submersible Jiaolong conducted a deep-diving operation in the Western Pacific Ocean on Sunday 18 August 2024, with… Continue reading
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China launches new scientific expedition to Qinghai-Xizang Plateau
Scientific surveys valuable for safeguarding ecology on “roof of the world”. China’s second Qinghai-Xizang Plateau scientific expedition and research has produced a series of world-class original findings, providing scientific support for the ecological security of the plateau. China launched a scientific expedition in Lhasa on Sunday to investigate the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau — known as Asia’s… Continue reading
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Builders of Malaysia’s mega railway project join hands to rehabilitate mangrove forest
Chinese and Malaysian companies building Malaysia’s mega rail project have planted mangrove tree saplings in a mangrove forest near Malaysia’s Port Klang, a move to strengthen the values of protecting the environment. The East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) is a 665 km-long railway project being developed by the state-owned Malaysia Rail Link (MRLSB), which is… Continue reading
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Climate-Resilient Ocean Governance in the People’s Republic of China
Focused on the People’s Republic of China (PRC), this article looks at how climate change impacts coastal ecosystems and marine biodiversity. In an era of global connectivity and shared environmental challenges, the linkages between oceans and climate change are becoming increasingly apparent. Oceans have the great potential to exacerbate or mitigate climate change and its… Continue reading