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24 SEPTEMBER 2019
China pledges new impetus in climate efforts after 2020
China will inject new impetus into climate change efforts after 2020, and use its Belt and Road initiative to boost cooperation in the fight against global warming, State Councillor Wang Yi, the country’s top diplomat, said in a statement
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/09/china-pledges-impetus-climate-efforts-2020-190924030719252.html
11 JULY 2019
China has made major progress on air pollution. Wuhan protests show there’s still a long way to go
28 FEBRUARY 2018
Can China take the mantle on climate change leadership?
Beijing’s action on climate change so far has been driven primarily by domestic concerns rather than international pressure or concerns about the global effects of climate change. It has shown a reluctance to shoulder leadership at the United Nations. But technological and economic changes in China and a shift in statements made by Chinese leaders suggest that China could play a greater leadership role over time
http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2018/02/28/can-china-take-the-mantle-on-climate-change-leadership/
25 NOVEMBER 2017
Li Keqiang: China will work with France on climate change
China is ready to work with France in a joint and positive effort to deal with climate change while maintaining multilateralism and an inclusive world economy, Premier Li Keqiang said when meeting with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian at the Great Hall of the People
https://www.chinadailyasia.com/articles/97/115/30/1511585735288.html
27 JUNE 2017
China’s ‘clean coal’ power: A viable model or cautionary tale?
Efforts to develop higher efficiency coal plants are being held back by regional differences in energy development writes
https://www.chinadialogue.net/blog/9876-China-s-clean-coal-power-A-viable-model-or-cautionary-tale-/en
2 JUNE 2017
After Trump turns back on climate, China and EU vow to push Paris deal forward
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and officials representing the union sign agreement committing the two sides to fully implement the accord
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2096721/after-trump-turns-back-climate-china-and-eu-vow-push
5 MARCH 2017
China’s Premier Li Keqiang vows to tackle chronic air pollution
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is pledging to make the country’s smoggy skies blue again and “work faster” to address pollution caused by the burning of coal for heat and electricity
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-06/china-premier-li-keqiang-vows-to-tackle-air-pollution/8328884?section=world
9 JANUARY 2017
China: Beijing forms special police team to combat smog
China has announced plans to set up an “environmental police” force tasked with enforcing pollution restrictions across the capital Beijing in a bid to improve the city’s notorious air quality
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/01/china-launch-environmental-police-force-170108155055619.html
https://asiancorrespondent.com/2017/01/china-beijing-special-police-team-combat-smog/
30 NOVEMBER 2016
How China’s climate revolution can stop global warming
With or without the cooperation of the US government, nations around the world have begun to take collective action against climate change. Could a new cap-and-trade market in China set a global example?
http://www.dw.com/en/how-chinas-climate-revolution-can-stop-global-warming/a-36580195
5 NOVEMBER 2016
China pledges 18% carbon emissions cut by 2020
China’s cabinet issued a new climate plan targeting an 18-percent cut in carbon emissions by 2020 compared to 2015 levels, the same day that the Paris Agreement of nearly 200 countries took effect
http://www.chinadailyasia.com/nation/2016-11/05/content_15521581.html
3 SEPTEMBER 2016
US, China ratify Paris climate deal, setting stage for G20
China and the United States ratified the Paris agreement to cut climate-warming emissions on Saturday (Sep 3), marking a major step toward the enactment of the pact as early as the end of the year and setting the stage for other countries to follow suit
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/us-china-ratify-paris-climate-deal-setting-stage-for-g20/3097676.html
http://www.asiapacificstar.com/index.php/sid/247340065
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/03/breakthrough-us-china-agree-ratify-paris-climate-change-deal
23 APRIL 2016
China hopes to formally join climate change agreement before September
China announced on Friday that it will finalize domestic legal procedures to ratify the Paris Agreement on climate change before the G20 Hangzhou summit in September this year.
https://asiancorrespondent.com/2016/04/china-hopes-to-formally-join-climate-change-agreement-before-september/
http://www.chinadailyasia.com/nation/2016-04/23/content_15421601.html
9 JANUARY 2016
Beijing to shut 2,500 firms this year to fight pollution
Beijing will close 2,500 small polluting firms this year in its latest effort to combat pollution, state news agency Xinhua reported on Saturday, citing the municipal government
http://www.chinadailyasia.com/nation/2016-01/09/content_15370133.html
19 DECEMBER 2015
China and Climate Change: Three Things to Watch After Paris
China has made its promises. Will it now deliver?
http://thediplomat.com/2015/12/china-and-climate-change-three-things-to-watch-after-paris/
30 NOVEMBER 2015
COP21: China’s climate efforts far from sufficient
China is one of the biggest polluters in the world. The Asian economic giant, however, says it is committed to tackling the issue as the UN climate conference kicks off in Paris. But how difficult will that be for China?
http://www.dw.com/en/cop21-chinas-climate-efforts-far-from-sufficient/a-18884289
http://edition.cnn.com/videos/world/2015/11/30/climate-change-in-china-explainer-sater-liveshot-cnn-today.cnn
25 NOVEMBER 2015
China defends coal use ahead of Paris climate summit
China’s special envoy on climate change, Xie Zhenhua, has defended the country’s decision to build more coal-fired power plants ahead of a global climate summit in Paris next week
http://edition.cnn.com/2015/11/25/asia/china-climate-xie-zhenhua/index.html
2 NOVEMBER 2015
France, China agree on climate change checks
China and France agreed Monday that an international deal to tackle climate change to be negotiated in Paris should include checks on compliance, in what visiting French President Francois Hollande called a “historic” step forward
http://www.english.rfi.fr/asia-pacific/20151102-france-and-china-agree-checks-emissions-cutting-compliance
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/china-and-france-seek-fiv/2234168.html
http://www.france24.com/en/20151102-hollande-china-climate-cop21-talks
19 AUGUST 2015
Climate: China’s emissions overestimated
The United Nations and other international bodies have vastly overestimated China’s greenhouse gas emissions over the last decade or more, according to a study released Wednesday
http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-climate-chinas-emissions-overestimated-2015-8?IR=T
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/aug/19/chinas-carbon-emissions-may-be-lower-than-thought
14 AUGUST 2015
Study: China’s Air Pollution Kills 1.6 Million a Year
A Berkeley Earth study of newly released air quality data from 1,500 sites across East Asia has found that airborne particulate matter contributes to 1.6 million deaths per year in China. That is equivalent to about 4,400 per day, and makes up approximately 17% of all deaths in China
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/14/world/asia/study-links-polluted-air-in-china-to-1-6-million-deaths-a-year.html?smid=tw-share&_r=1
27 MARCH 2015
China’s Never-Ending ‘War on Pollution’
On March 16, the Beijing municipal government announced it would close the last of its major coal-fired generating stations. By next year, China Huaneng Group’s 845-megawatt plant will cease operations. The capital city shuttered another one in 2014 and two more last week
http://worldaffairsjournal.org/blog/gordon-g-chang/china%E2%80%99s-never-ending-%E2%80%98war-pollution%E2%80%99
7 MARCH 2015
China takes Under the Dome anti-pollution film offline
The authorities in China have a removed from websites a popular documentary which highlights the country’s severe pollution problem.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-31778115
http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-china-blog-31689232
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6X2uwlQGQM&t=22
5 FEBRUAY 2015
Heavy smog caused over 250,000 premature deaths in 2013: report
Heavy air pollution in 31 provincial capitals and municipalities in the Chinese mainland could have caused some 257,000 premature deaths in 2013, according to a report released on Wednesday.
http://en.people.cn/n/2015/0205/c90882-8846574.html
7 JANUARY 2015
China encourages environmental social groups to sue
China on Wednesday granted public interest groups more power to sue those that flout environmental protection laws, the country’s highest court said, as Beijing steps up efforts to curb pollution that regularly chokes major cities.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/455000/china-encourages-environmental-social-groups-to-sue
17 DECEMBER 2014
China’s glaciers retreat 18.5% since 1950s
The area of western China covered by glaciers has decreased by 18.5 per cent since the late 1950s, equivalent to the size of Cyprus, a recent survey shows
http://www.asianewsnet.net/Chinas-glaciers-retreat-18-5-since-1950s-69176.html
12 NOVEMBER 2014
US, China climate deal boosts hopes of global pact
A surprise deal between the United States and China on Wednesday could be a breakthrough moment in decades-long efforts to secure a global climate change pact, environment experts said
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/442978/us-china-climate-deal-boosts-hopes-of-global-pact
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-30015545
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2014/11/china-us-set-ambitious-gas-emission-goals-2014111241634365214.html
6 NOVEMBER 2014
Report: Africa ivory smuggled on China visit
Chinese officials and businesspeople used a state trip by President Xi Jinping and other high-level visits to smuggle ivory out of Tanzania, an environmental watchdog has said.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2014/11/report-africa-ivory-smuggled-china-visit-2014116163317314744.html
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/441780/chinese-officials-buying-illegal-ivory
22 OCTOBER 2014
China’s coal use falls for first time this century, analysis suggests
Drop of 1-2% in amount of coal burned offers ‘a window of opportunity’ to bring climate change under control, say Greenpeace energy analysts
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/oct/22/chinas-coal-use-falls-for-first-time-this-century-analysis-suggests
22 OCTOBER 2014
How China is changing Environment (in good)
By John Papon
19 OCTOBER 2014
Masks donned at smog-hit Beijing marathon
Many competitors withdraw from race as pollution soars far above maximum levels recommended by World Health Organisation
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2014/10/masks-donned-at-smog-hit-beijing-marathon-20141019155016863606.html
21 SEPTEMBER 2014
China’s per capita carbon emissions overtake EU’s
New data on carbon shows that China’s emissions per head of population have surpassed the EU for the first time.
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-29239194
15 SEPTEMBER 2014
Chinese sturgeon ‘on brink of extinction’
The wild Chinese sturgeon is at risk of extinction, state media reported, after none of the rare fish were detected reproducing naturally in the polluted and crowded Yangtze river last year.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/11097343/Chinese-sturgeon-on-brink-of-extinction.html
4 SEPTEMBER 2014
Waking the Green Tiger : The birth of China’s environmental movement
Editor’s note: The following article was originally published on website chinadialogue (requires proxy) in 2013, but remains relevant to an array of issues facing Yunnan today. It is reposted here in its entirety.
http://www.gokunming.com/en/blog/item/3312/waking_the_green_tiger_the_birth_of_chinas_environmental_movement
3 JULY 204
China sets up specialised pollution tribunal
China’s Supreme Court has set up a special tribunal to deal with environmental cases, it said Thursday as Beijing pushes a green agenda with public discontent over pollution rising
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/418757/china-sets-up-specialised-pollution-tribunal
30 JUNE 2014
Special report: The victims of China’s soil pollution crisis
Rapid industrialisation has left a legacy of soil pollution that is damaging health and livelihoods in villages across China
https://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/7073-Special-report-The-victims-of-China-s-soil-pollution-crisis
12 JUNE 2014
China says over 20,000 people charged with environmental crimes last year
Chinese state prosecutors charged more than 20,000 people with environmental crimes last year and made more than 7,000 arrests, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Thursday
http://news.asiaone.com/news/asia/china-says-over-20000-people-charged-environmental-crimes-last-year
12 MAY 2014
China detains 60 people over incinerator protest
China detained 60 people on Monday for their role in a violent demonstration that prompted officials to promise to suspend construction of a waste incinerator, local police said.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/409422/china-detains-60-people-over-incinerator-protest
10 MAY 2014
Protesters in east China clash with police over waste incinerator plan
Protesters in eastern China clashed with police at a rally against plans to build a huge waste incinerator that residents fear will be harmful to their health and add to pollution.
http://news.asiaone.com/news/asia/protesters-east-china-clash-police-over-waste-incinerator-plan
25 APRIL 2014
China’s NPC adopts revised Environmental Protection Law
The Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress (NPC), the country’s top legislature, has voted to adopt revisions to the Environmental Protection Law. The revised Environmental Protection Law is the first change to the legislation in 25 years.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/video/2014-04/25/c_133289139.htm
Beijing bans the hunting and trading of 420 animal species at risk of extinction
After years of requests from the international community Beijing recognizes this practice as a “global threat”. It involves pandas, rhinos, pangolins and sharks: used in traditional medicine or considered “treats” these animals are in danger of disappearing. The penalties for violating the new law range from 3 to 10 years in prison
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Beijing-bans-the-hunting-and-trading-of-420-animal-species-at-risk-of-extinction-30916.html
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/apr/25/china-rare-animal-products-eat-jail-sentences
23 APRIL 2014
China says more than half of its groundwater is polluted
Nearly 60% of China’s underground water is polluted, state media has reported, underscoring the severity of the country’s environmental woes
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/apr/23/china-half-groundwater-polluted
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/406247/60-of-china-underground-water-polluted-report
18 APRIL 2014
Report: One fifth of China’s soil contaminated
Conducted between 2005-2013, it found that 16.1% of China’s soil and 19.4% of its arable land showed contamination
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-27076645
http://asiancorrespondent.com/121826/china-one-fifth-of-countrys-farmland-polluted/
12 APRIL 2014
China water contamination affects 2.4m after oil leak
China’s biggest oil company has been blamed for water contamination affecting over 2.4 million people in Lanzhou
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-27002602
9 APRIL 2014
Can China win the war on air pollution?
Coal and cars are the culprits largely responsible for the thick, soupy air that frequently envelops cities like Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai — rendering their skylines invisible and turning day into night. Not surprisingly, this air is dangerous to breathe
http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2014/04/09/can-china-win-the-war-on-air-pollution/
31 MARCH 2014
Hundreds protest against Chinese chemical plant
Hundreds of protesters in southern China marched against a chemical plant and environmental degradation on Sunday, in a demonstration that the Maoming city government called a “grave violation” by criminals causing chaos
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/31/chinese-protest-chemical-plant-maoming
5 MARCH 2014
China to ‘declare war’ on pollution
China’s prime minister has vowed to tackle the country’s environmental crisis, making a “war” on pollution one of his nine “major tasks” for 2014
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/10677947/China-to-declare-war-on-pollution.html
26 FEBRUARY 2014
China smog sees face masks sell out
China’s biggest online face mask sellers are running out of stock, with consumers rushing to protect themselves against smog that has shrouded swathes of northern China for an entire week
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2014/02/china-smog-sees-face-masks-sell-out-20142265560623493.html
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/“Even-Mao-is-wearing-a-mask”-in-smog-choked-China-30412.html
12 FEBRUARY 2014
China to set up $1.65bn fund to tackle air pollution
The Chinese government said on Wednesday said it will set up a 10 billion yuan ($1.65bn) fund to fight air pollution, offering rewards for companies that clean up their operations.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/feb/12/china-air-pollution-fund
1 JANUARY 2014
Pollution Threatens China’s Food Security
A Reuters report this week noted that nearly 3.33 million hectares (eight million acres) of Chinese farmland are too polluted to grow crops. The article, which was re-posted by the state-run China Daily news site, quoted Wang Shiyuan, China’s vice minister of land and resources
http://thediplomat.com/2014/01/pollution-threatens-chinas-food-security/
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/387529/no-show-for-pakistan-musharraf-in-treason-case