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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)
Saying goodbye to a throwaway consumption culture
An economy based on recycling and upgrading products is already attracting the support of a growing number of global businesses, including Coca-Cola and Unilever. According to The Circular Economy 100 Programme at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, in Europe alone there is an estimated US$650 billion of value that could be captured through circular economic substitution of materials in products with with three to 10 year life spans. (China Diologue)
Smart city technology investment in Asia Pacific to total $63 billion from 2014 through 2023, forecasts Navigant Research
With its large number of densely populated megacities and rapidly growing economies, the Asia Pacific region is a primary driver of global urban development trends. It is also the home of some of the most ambitious attempts to direct and channel those trends to national development goals, including China’s 104 nationally selected smart city demonstration projects. (Sys-Con Media)
Concerns over graphite pollution in China may affect battery supply security
Mining activities for graphite, a material used in electric car batteries and consumer electronics, are leading to polluted rain and wastewater discharges in China. The pollution has prompted China to suspend operations and many of its graphite mines, leading to concerns among battery makers over supply security. (The Australian/Wall Street Cheat Sheet)
China reveals blueprint to expand urbanisation
On Sunday China's leaders revealed a plan for a multiyear round of state-led infrastructure construction that they hope will prop up the economy, as they move 100m more people from the rural areas into the country's growing cities. The "National New-type Urbanisation Plan", envisions a massive building programme of transport networks, urban infrastructure and residential real estate from now until 2020. (Reuters/Xinhua)
China's PV plants hungry for financing
The road is destined to be bumpy for China's slowly recovering photovoltaic (PV) sector as power stations face a capital crunch, with banks reluctant to lend due to fears over risk. The capital demand for station construction is predicted to be around 60 billion yuan (9.79 billion USD) per year. (Global Times)
China's geothermal energy could replace coal
China's geothermal energy potential roughly equals 853 billion tonnes of standard coal, and has the potential to replace coal in energy consumption, the country's energy regulator said on Thursday. (Xinhua)
Hareon Solar teaming with Shanghai Electric Power on 800MW of PV projects
Hareon Solar and Shanghai Electric Power are to collaborate on the construction, financing and sales of PV power plants in China totalling around 800MW. (PV Tech)
China sticks with coal gasification to curb smog despite potentially big rise in CO2 emissions
While experts worldwide have opened fire on China's move to produce natural gas from coal, Chinese policymakers appear to be standing by their decision. During a recent press conference in Beijing, Wu Xiaoqing, Vice Minister of China's Ministry of Environmental Protection, told reporters that "central and western China are rich in coal and have a bigger environmental capacity; we encourage adopting coal-to-gas technology there.” (Climate Wire)
