China Environmental Law

Like many others, I have spent more time than I should have rummaging through the Google-hosted, old Life magazine photographs of China.  Since I’m based in Shanghai, I went first to the pictures of the “Pearl of the Orient.”  Most are from the end of the Japanese occupation to the point of “liberation.”  They are all [...]

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China announced again on Tuesday that it reduced pollutant emissions in the first half of 2008.  Did the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) officials conclude that insufficient attention had been paid to this story when it was first released two months ago, or did they assume that everyone had forgotten about it so why not recycle [...]

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I recently had the pleasure of meeting two Fulbright scholars studying in China, both of whom are involved in environmental issues, and both of whom are writing blogs.
First up (in alphabetical order) is Geoff Lewis and his blog China Green Buildings.  As the blog name suggests, Geoff’s primary interest is the “future of green buildings [...]

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Is there any money in China’s recently announced stimulus plan for energy and the environment?  Yes, quite a bit, but the details are still sketchy.  Much of what is reported below was gleaned from articles at China Stakes which has done a great job covering the details of the stimulus package.
General Package
Under the Plan at least [...]

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First, apologies for my light posting record recently.  I’ve been really swamped, but things are easing up a little now.
You may recall a post earlier this month with the subheading “One Bad Apple?“  That question has now been answered, there are at least two (alleged) bad apples and there may be more; things are getting [...]

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At a forum last week in Shanghai devoted to the “Legal Provision for Building a Environment-Friendly Society,” the inadequacies of China’s environmental laws were discussed.  According to my favorite source for news and opinions, the Shanghai Daily (this link will soon be dead and the article will be behind a pay wall), Bie Tao, a senior [...]

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Back from two days at the Joint US - China Cooperation on Clean Energy Forum.  We were hit with a barrage of information (I mean that in a good way), and it is hard to succinctly summarize the forum “take-aways.” 
More information on the details of the conference can be found at the following locations:
CleanerGreenerChina.  Rich [...]

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I’m heading to Beijing tomorrow for JUCCCE’s ”China Energy Forum: Partnering on Solutions.”  If you’ll be there, look me up.

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Sorry folks computer problems this morning have put me behind schedule on everything.  Only time for a short post.
It appears that Premier Wen Jiabao did not take the opportunity during his address this morning at the UN cosponsored climate change conference in Beijing to propose any bold new Chinese initiatives.  The initial news reports have [...]

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The Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) has issued a proposal for internal reforms and power delegations.  The October 30 release provides details as to MEP’s internal departments and the scope of their responsibilities.  While there are no earth-shaking surprises, the document provides an interesting glimpse into the workings of MEP and how it interacts with local [...]

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