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Chinese banks under “almost negligible” pressure to protect the environment
Companies and officials get blamed for pollution incidents, but rarely the financial bodies that lent the money, says senior state researcher Yuan Qingdan. (China Diologue)
China premier says environment protection will spur growth
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Sunday that efforts to improve the country's environment would create new business opportunities. "Environmental work and economic expansion shall be coordinated, because reducing production capacity creates huge business potential for new, green industries," Xinhua cited Li as telling a meeting. (Reuters)
China to introduce tiered gas prices for household users
China will introduce tiered natural gas pricing for residential use by the end of 2015, as the world's biggest energy user moves to reduce consumption and raise revenues for companies supplying city gas. The reforms are part of a broad plan by Beijing to bring regulated domestic fuel prices more in line with those on the global market. (Reuters)
Hanwha Solar to develop 100 megawatts of rooftop power in China
Hanwha SolarOne Co, the China-based photovoltaic manufacturing unit of South Korea's Hanwha Group, agreed to develop 100 megawatts of rooftop power systems in eastern China. The Wuxi New District Administrative Committee, in Jiangsu province, will provide rooftop space and facilitate government approval and grid connections. (Bloomberg)
China deploys drones to spy on polluting industries
The deputy minister of environmental protection, Zhai Qing said drones have recently been used in Beijing, Shanxi and Hebei provinces to inspect for pollution. While the drones are mainly used to gather evidence about environmental breaches they are also employed to evaluate the performance of local governments in enforcing environmental protection. Environmental campaigners say that while increased monitoring is good, there should be more focus on policy and legal reforms. (Guardian)
China's Shanghai aims for cleaner energy, lower CO2 growth
Shanghai will reduce the energy intensity of its economy by 3 percent this year through shifting from coal to natural gas and limit the growth of carbon dioxide emissions to 8.5 million tonnes, the city government said. (Reuters)
Beijing brings forward deadline for world's first thorium-fuelled facility
In an effort to reduce the number of coal-fired plants, the Chinese government has brought forward by 15 years the deadline to develop a nuclear power plant using the radioactive element thorium instead of uranium. (The Guardian)
Maker of in-wheel electric car motors goes to China
Protean Electric, an automotive start-up headquartered in Auburn Hills, Mich., is currently scouting sites for a manufacturing center in China and says the assembly line will be operational before the end of the year. The company expects its first customers to be Chinese automakers, who will use the motor in their plug-in hybrids or pure electric cars. (IEEE)
China vows to clean up 60 percent of cities by 2020
China pledged on Sunday that it will make sure that 60 percent of its cities meet national pollution standards by 2020, with pressure growing to make cities liveable as hundreds of millions of migrants are expected to relocate from the countryside. (Reuters)
280 million residents exposed to unsafe drinking water: MEP
An estimated 280 million people are using unsafe drinking water, according to a report released by China's environment authorities Friday. The report, issued by the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP), was based on a sampling survey conducted between 2011 and 2012 of 91,527 permanent residents aged 18 and above in 31 Chinese provincial-level regions to evaluate Chinese people's exposure to environmental risks. (Global Times)
