China Environmental Law

China’s Measures for the Disclosure of Environmental Information, adopted by MEP, become effective tomorrow (May 1) (now under “Laws & Regulations” in right sidebar). We have alluded to them previously, and will spend a little more time with them today. These MEP regulations operate in conjunction with (although they were promulgated before) the general Disclosure of [...]

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An article in yesterday’s Shanghai Daily suggests that China has upped its 2020 wind power goal to 100 GW (from the current target of 30 GW). Don’t get too excited just yet. Let’s look at the article (which appears to be a piece of original reporting by SD) calmly and rationally. First, the only source for [...]

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Yang Chaofei, director of the policy, law and regulations department at the Ministry of Environmental Protection (and a very nice man, by the way) announced this weekend that the feedback process on the draft amendment to the regional planning Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) regulation would be finalized by Wednesday and “then be submitted to relevant authorities [...]

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On this Sunday I will leave with several pictures of Huang Shan (Yellow Mountains). I would definitely put Huang Shan on my places to see in China (it’s a fairly easy drive from Shanghai). It is a quintessentially Chinese landscape; upon seeing it you will realize that what had seemed to be fantastic exaggerations of towering peaks in many Chinese paintings were in [...]

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There’s a great story about Zhao Zhong, a grassroots environmentalist in Gansu Province, in the English language version of the Economic Observer magazine.  This article provides a less fawning description of Mr. Zhao and his Green Camel Bell group than has appeared in some Western media. Nevertheless, although his organization appears to lack focus (it is [...]

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Although the little joke in our March 16 post about “air pollution from burning stores and cars” caused by the March 14 events in the TAR was meant to be just that, a little joke, it appears that indeed the events of that day ruined an otherwise unblemished record of good air quality in the [...]

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The “work agenda” for the Standing Committee of the NPC (SC) was recently approved. No big surprises on the environmental front.  The SC will discuss “the amendment or adoption of 18 laws, hear seven work reports and conduct reviews on the implementation of five laws in 2008.”
As we noted previously, the Circular Economy Law is up [...]

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There are few commentators on China’s environmental legal regime who would not single out reticence at the local level as a major factor in the lax enforcement of China’s environmental laws.  I’ve used the fairly neutral word “reticence” because the reasons for local inaction are varied and range from outright corruption to a sincere desire [...]

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Between personal appearances, receptions, and blog signings on this most holy and sacred day of the environment, I don’t have time to write much.  Check out this article from Shanghai Daily which reports on local reactions to Earth Day. My favorite interviewee is Mr. Liu:
Liu Huaidong, 49, streetside gardener
Q1: What does Earth Day mean to you? Is [...]

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Article 9 of the new amendments to the Water Pollution Prevention and Control Act, as previously discussed (go to “Categories” on the left sidebar and select “water pollution”), require that a discharger meet:

standards for water pollutant discharge, and
the total control target for major water pollutant discharge.

Chapter IV (Section One)
These standards referenced in Article 9 cover [...]

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