If that headline doesn’t drive traffic to this site, I don’t know what will!
Shanghai as we have previously discussed prepares three-year plans for the environment. Major items to be included in Shanghai’s 4th Three-year action plan (2009-2001) were addressed in this post. At the “Call for Green China” conference, however, Lin Weiqing of the Shanghai Academy of Environmental Science (SAES) provided some indication of what Shanghai’s plan in the 2012-2015 period would look like.
First, Shanghai will be moving from a project-oriented plan (x number of new wastewater treatment plants) to an objectives-oriented plan (reduce x pollutant by y percent). Here are the major objectives (Mr. Lin did not provide reduction amounts or percentages):
Objective 1: reduce vehicle emissions, reduce VOC emissions, reduce the risk to public health from O3 and haze conditions.
Objective 2: Cut SO2, NOx, Hg, and Dust in power plant emissions. (He said that Shanghai power plants currently emit 1.5 tons of Hg everyday. Initial efforts in reducing NOx and HG will take the form of “demo projects” at select power plants).
Objective 3: Reduce N and P emissions (through improved operation of WWTP and more efficient environmental management at industrial parks), focus on eutrophication management, especially the clean-up campaign of Dianshan Lake.
Objective 4: Reduce rainfall runoff, improve water quality of city rivers and canals. (The city plans to increase the “green” coverage area and reduce impervious areas to reduce runoff and CSO (combined sewer overflow) discharges).
Finally, there will be a component devoted to “Energy saving and low carbon economy.” Efforts in support of this component will take the form of improved public transport capacity and a “demo project of energy saving and low carbon emission buildings.” These efforts should be encouraged, of course, but those who believed that perhaps China would commit to some form of major carbon constraints in its most developed areas (a type of sectoral approach) as part of a Copenhagen deal will find little support in these plans.
2 responses so far ↓
1 kykdidge // Jun 3, 2009 at 10:09 am
“Objective 2: Cut SO2, NOx, Hg, and Dust in power plant emissions. (He said that Shanghai power plants currently emit 1.5 tons of Hg everyday.[)]”
That seems a extremely high. If his estimate is correct, Shanghai power plants emit approximately 10% of total global mercury emissions (All US coal-fired power plants combined emit 43.5 metric tons/year.)
2 cmcelwee // Jun 3, 2009 at 10:14 am
It seemed high to me too, but I didn’t realize it was THAT high. One most always view China environmental statistics somewhat skeptically (although they usually err in the opposite direction), and this came through an interpreter as well, so who knows what the real figure is.
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