To subscribe (free of charge), please send an email to mingming.liu@cai-asia.org

Issue No. 12

AIR QUALITY

CAI-Asia’s City Workshop paves way for stronger Air Quality Management in China (May 8, 2012)
China is entering a new phase in air quality management to address the unfinished business of air pollution in Chinese cities. The 8th China City Air Quality Management (AQM) Workshop brought together 16 Chinese cities, 3 provinces and leading research institutes and universities to discuss new AQM approaches and zoomed in on how PM2.5 pollution levels can be reduced under the revised national ambient quality standards of the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) released last February.
Organized by the Foreign Economic Cooperation Office (FECO) of MEP and the Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities (CAI-Asia), with strong support from Energy Foundation and Fu Tak Iam Foundation, this workshop was the 8th of the series of city AQM workshops started by CAI-Asia and FECO-MEP in 2005.
English Link: http://cleanairinitiative.org/portal/node/8418

304 Chinese die from indoor air pollution a day (May 10, 2012)
Indoor air population causes an average of 304 deaths per day in China, China Youth Daily reported Thursday, quoting a survey.
The survey, released by the China National Interior Decoration Association, shows 111,000 Chinese people are dying from indoor air pollution every year.
The average Chinese citizen does not have a clear idea of indoor air pollution, which poses an invisible threat to people's health, said the association.
English Link: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2012-05/10/content_15257255.htm

US consulate in Shanghai monitoring city's air quality at PM2.5 (May 15, 2012)
The US consulate in Shanghai began publishing hourly air pollution reports at its office that provides data often in conflict with official air quality reports.
An air-quality monitor that measures suspended particulates with a diameter of 2.5 micrometer was set up at the consulate on Huaihai Road.
"The monitor is an unofficial resource for the health of the consulate community," the consulate said on its website.
English Link: http://www.globaltimes.cn/NEWS/tabid/99/ID/709472/US-consulate-in-Shangh...

Beijing reveals atmospheric ozone levels for the first time (May 13, 2012)
The city's environmental authority started publishing daily readings of ozone levels in the air over the weekend, in line with China's new edition of air quality guidelines.
Concentration of ozone, an odorous, pale blue gas, in the ambient air was not public information until the Ministry of Environmental Protection in February sanctioned the new national guidelines of air quality assessment.
The eight-hour average from 9 pm Friday to 8 pm Saturday was 121 micrograms of ozone per cubic meter, according to Beijing Municipal Environmental Monitoring Center. The ministry-approved standard has set the cap at 160 micrograms for urban areas.
English Link: http://www.globaltimes.cn/NEWS/tabid/99/ID/709229/Beijing-reveals-atmosp...

City poised to release PM2.5 data (May 9, 2012)
Shanghai is ready to release readings of fine particle pollution, or PM2.5, in June, and stricter management of vehicle exhaust and measures to control flying dirt from construction sites and can also be expected, Shanghai environmental officials said yesterday.
Shanghai has been putting monitoring equipment in more sites to add to the previous 24 local spots to monitor PM2.5, which is fine particulate matter 2.5 microns or less in diameter. The new sites are "national spots" set up for the central government. All readings will be averaged into a single citywide figure this month, said Zhang Quan, director of the Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau.
So far, Shanghai has been releasing 24-hour real-time PM2.5 combined measurements from just one spot in Putuo District and one spot in Zhangjiang, Pudong New Area since March as a trial.
English Link: http://www.shanghaidaily.com/nsp/Metro/2012/05/09/City%2Bpoised%2Bto%2Br...

Beijing to eliminate heavy polluters (May 9, 2012)
Beijing plans to eliminate 66 highly polluting enterprises this year in an effort to improve the city's air quality, the municipal environmental protection bureau said Wednesday.
During the next five years, the city will eliminate 1,200 heavy polluters in order to reduce emissions, according to bureau official Zheng Zaihong.
Zheng cited monitoring statistics stating that 22 percent of the city's fine particulate emissions come from local industries, adding that it is of "paramount importance" for the city to eliminate highly polluting enterprises.
English Link: http://www.china.org.cn/environment/2012-05/09/content_25344175.htm

ENERGY

Electricity prices to depend on more factors (May 12, 2012)
Local pricing authorities are expected to take more factors into consideration when fixing residential electricity prices, including family size and likely price fluctuations, amid a recent round of electricity pricing hearings.
Beijing, Shanghai and the provinces of Zhejiang, Hubei and Jiangsu Friday held hearings concerning the electricity "ladder pricing program," a model crafted by the National Development and Reform Commission to reduce electricity consumption by charging more per unit to families who consumed more.
English Link: http://www.globaltimes.cn/NEWS/tabid/99/ID/709061/Electricity-prices-to-...

NDRC lowers retail gas, diesel prices 3% (May 10, 2012)
China's top economic planning agency said on Wednesday it will cut gasoline and diesel prices by 3 percent per metric ton for the first time since October after international crude price declines since late March.
Gasoline and diesel prices will be reduced by 330 yuan ($52) and 310 yuan per ton respectively from Thursday, said the National Development and Reform Commission.
The latest cut means China's gasoline and diesel prices will be 9,650 yuan per ton and 8,820 yuan per ton.
English Link: http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2012-05/10/content_15255362.htm

TRANSPORT

City wants to move buses faster with green lights (May 15, 2012)
Shanghai’s buses are expected to get traffic signal priority as the city moves ahead on plans to further develop public transportation.
"We should insist on the concept of giving public transportation the priority despite the difficulties of current traffic conditions," Zhu Weiming, deputy director of the Shanghai Public Security Bureau, said in an interview yesterday.
Zhu said testing is planned on urban roads. The priorities include prolonging green light times or shortening the red light span when a bus approaches to enable it to pass quickly.
English Link: http://www.shanghaidaily.com/nsp/Metro/2012/05/15/City%2Bwants%2Bto%2Bmo...

Beijing's limit on car licenses to stay (May 2, 2012)
Beijing will limit car usage based on license plates a long-term policy in order to reduce the number of vehicles on the roads and address air pollution, the government said.
In 2011, the capital began to limit car usage through a system based on license plate numbers that keeps one-fifth of potential vehicles from being used downtown on weekdays.
According to an announcement released by the municipal government of Beijing on Tuesday, the city has set a target of a year-on-year decrease of 2 percent in the density of major pollutants this year.
English Link: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2012-05/02/content_15190971.htm

CLIMATE CHANGE

Chinese cities 'near top' of world carbon emissions list (May 4, 2012)
Several major Chinese cities have some of the world's highest per capita carbon footprints, a World Bank report said on Thursday.
Greenhouse gas emissions (measured in tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per capita) in Tianjin, Shanghai and Beijing far exceed those of cities such as Paris, Tokyo, London, Barcelona and Jakarta.
Industry and power generation are major contributors in Chinese cities, largely because coal dominates the nation's energy use.
English Link: http://www.ecns.cn/2012/05-04/14222.shtml

OTHERS
WWF: Living Planet Report (May 15, 2012)
The Living Planet Report is the world's leading, science-based analysis on the health of our only planet and the impact of human activity. Its key finding? Humanity's demands exceed our planet's capacity to sustain us. That is, we ask for more than what we have. The latest edition of the Living Planet Report was released in May 2012.
English Link: http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/all_publications/living_planet_report/

Step by step, making a difference (May 11, 2012)
Eco-warrior says China making good progress on several environmental issues, despite challenges
In the last five years Ma Jun has often come out with maps on water, air and solid waste pollution in China, along with the continuous campaigns for blue skies in Beijing.
But one of China's most famous green warriors has of late been known for his relentless campaigns against global brands like Apple and several other IT giants. The Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs (IPE), a non-profit organization headed by Ma, has accused Apple and other companies of causing rampant heavy metal pollution in China.
English Link: http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/weekly/2012-05/11/content_15265312.htm

Hong Kong Int'l Airport pledges to be world's greenest airport (May 8, 2012)
The Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) and 40 business partners Tuesday pledged to make Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) the world's greenest airport, the first commitment of its kind worldwide.
The airport community announced at a ceremony Tuesday it achieved a 10 percent reduction in carbon intensity in 2011, on track with its goal pledged in 2010 to lower HKIA's carbon intensity 25 percent from 2008 emission levels by 2015.
English Link: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2012-05/08/c_131575518.htm

Small is more beautiful for Chinese cities (May 3, 2012)
Small and medium-sized cities are more livable than big cities such as Beijing and Shanghai in terms of air quality, waste treatment capacity and built environment, according to newly published research by Urban China Initiative.
UCI, a think-tank jointly launched by Tsinghua University, McKinsey & Company and Columbia University, gauged the sustainability of 112 major Chinese cities using 17 indicators in four categories — society, economy, environment and resources.
Beijing ranked first in terms of sustainability thanks to its heavy investment in social welfare — including social security, education and healthcare — and its economic achievements.
English Link: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2012-05/03/content_15203158.htm