China Environmental Law

A discussion of China’s environmental and energy laws, regulations, and policies

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Entries from October 2008

China’s Energy Report 2008

October 31st, 2008 · No Comments

If you want further information about China CO2 emissions you can purchase a copy of China’s Energy Report 2008 prepared by researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

According to NewScientistEnvironment (CELB is much too cheap to spring for the $48 purchase price)
The report, China Energy Report 2008, says that, by 2020, China’s burning of fossil fuels [...]

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China’s Climate Change Negotiation Stance

October 30th, 2008 · 1 Comment

Following up on yesterday’s post, I’ve compiled a few more sources that articulate China’s post-Kyoto climate change negotiation stance.
The most authoritative articulation of China’s position is probably found in its latest submission to the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action under the [United Nations Framework] Convention [on Climate Change] (AWG-LCA).  Filed on September [...]

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China’s White Paper on Climate Change

October 29th, 2008 · 7 Comments

The State Council Information Office issued a white paper today entitled China’s Policies and Actions for Addressing Climate Change.  In the words of the press release the paper
describes that China actively participates in worldwide efforts to address climate change, earnestly observes the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol, and plays a [...]

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Greenlaw

October 27th, 2008 · 1 Comment

There is a promising new addition to the China environment blog space: Greenlaw.  It is a “joint service of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) China Project and the China Environmental Culture Promotion Association (CECPA).”  It focuses primarily on environmental protection and public participation, but covers broader topics from time-to-time.  It launched a new format on [...]

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Hubei Smelter Update

October 24th, 2008 · 2 Comments

The Hubei vanadium smelters continue to drive news coverage in China.  The facts as to how many smelters were shut down and how many continue to operate (illegally) change slightly with each story so its difficult to know exactly what’s going on. 
It appears, however, that my original conclusions that at least some local governmental departments [...]

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Black Pearl

October 23rd, 2008 · 4 Comments

The Pearl River stretch which flows through Guangzhou has been polluted by “dirty and disgusting black water from an upper river branch,” reports the Yangcheng Evening News. 
No hyperbole here; that river is running black:

This problem has occurred on several occasions over the last two years, but “there are still no convincing explanations as to how [...]

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Correction

October 22nd, 2008 · No Comments

For those of you who may have sunk millions of dollars on Beijing gasoline arbitrage schemes based on the price figures we originally reported in Kudos to Beijing: Gasoline & Diesel Prices Increased, we apologize, but, of course, can assume no liability for your losses in such a foolish venture.  If you’re interested we’ve update [...]

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Tags: miscellany

Lies, Damn Lies

October 22nd, 2008 · No Comments

China loves the plan and the percentage. It embraces “scientific development” and numerical goal-driven government. And yet numbers in China are frequently untethered from the reality they are supposed to represent. Subordinates have generally felt free to tell their superiors what they think the superior wants to hear because of the lack of an effective [...]

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Beijing: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

October 20th, 2008 · 4 Comments

I travelled to Beijing today for a (non-public, or I would have listed on the Events page) clean energy forum.  I’ll respect the private nature of the forum, but I can give you a visitor’s impression of the northern capital.
The Good
1. Traffic.  We didn’t brake once from the airport to our destination inside the second ring [...]

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Tags: miscellany

Environmental Cartoons

October 18th, 2008 · 1 Comment

Orient Today’s Saturday cover featured caricatures of two Vice Governors of Henan Province promoting energy conservation and pollutant reductions.  The cartoons were originally published in a booklet that was “distributed to government departments, including administrative offices, public security bureaus, courts and procuratorates.”  By Western standards, the images contain neither remarkable visuals nor sidesplitting humor, but Chinese [...]

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