China
CHINA DELAYS NOTIFICATION OF MEKONG RIVER DISRUPTION TO DOWNSTREAM NEIGHBORS
01/11/2021
Update Volume
51
Update Issue
1

On January 6, China notified the Mekong River Commission (MRC), whose Member States include Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, that it would be holding back the Mekong’s water flow for 20 days. China’s statement on the matter was delivered one day after the new U.S.-funded Mekong Dam Monitor found that disruptions to the river’s water level caused by operation of China’s Jinghong Dam had begun on December 31.

CHINA DECLARES IT WILL ACHIEVE FULL CARBON NEUTRALITY BY 2060
09/28/2020
Update Volume
50
Update Issue
28

Last Tuesday, while addressing the United Nations General Assembly, President Xi Jingping shocked global observers with a bold announcement: China has promised to strengthen its commitments under the Paris Climate Accords, declaring that it will achieve peak emissions before 2030 and full carbon neutrality by 2060 (Reuters).

COUNTRIES GRAPPLE WITH SURGE IN PLASTIC WASTE POLLUTION DUE TO COVID-19
06/01/2020
Update Volume
50
Update Issue
16

The coronavirus pandemic has dramatically increased reliance on single-use plastics, resulting in a plastics pollution crisis faced by many countries around the world. A French environmental nongovernmental organization recently released a video showing masks and gloves littering the seabed of the Mediterranean Sea.

NEW CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK SPOTLIGHTS DANGERS OF WILD ANIMAL TRADE
01/27/2020
Update Volume
50
Update Issue
3

A recent coronavirus outbreak in Asia has been linked to illegal wildlife trade in a seafood market in Wuhan, China, according to Chinese government officials (The Guardian). The virus has killed at least 25 people and sickened over 800 in Asia, as well as one person in the United States who had recently traveled to Wuhan.

CHINA EXPANDS COAL CAPACITY, THREATENING PARIS CLIMATE GOALS
11/25/2019
Update Volume
49
Update Issue
34

While most of the world works to reduce reliance on coal, China has expanded its coal-powered generation to a level equal to the generating capacity of the European Union. According to a United States-based research group, Global Energy Monitor, China raised its coal-firing capacity by 42.9 gigawatts (gW), or 4.5%, in the last 18 months. In the same period, the rest of the world cut its coal power capacity by 8.1 gW. Coal plants currently under construction in China add another 121.3 gW—enough to power all of France.

CHINESE COURT TO ESTABLISH NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL FUND
03/25/2019
Update Volume
49
Update Issue
9

The Supreme People's Court, China's supreme court, is planning to establish a national environmental fund this year. The fund, which would use money collected in fines from polluting firms to help pay for environmental restoration, is being established in response to proposals from delegates of China's parliament. The court is currently engaging in discussions with other government departments to draft rules that clarify how the fund should be used.

CHINA ANNOUNCES PLAN TO TACKLE ILLEGAL LEAD RECYCLING
01/28/2019
Update Volume
49
Update Issue
3

China's environment ministry has announced a new plan to tackle illegal lead recycling and increase the collection rate of lead acid batteries for recycling to 70% by 2025. It is estimated that the country produces around 3.3 million tons of waste lead batteries every year, and less than 30% of the batteries are properly recycled. Under the new plan, companies that produce recycled lead from waste batteries will be entitled to preferential tax policies.For the full story, see https://www.nasdaq.com/article/china-plans-crackdown-on-illegal-recycli….

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