On January 10, China's top planning agency announced plans to launch a series of subsidy-free wind and solar projects this year to address an $18 billion payment backlog. The projects will generate renewable power for sale at the same prices as non-subsidized coal-fired power plants and will not be required to comply with capacity quota restrictions. According to the National Development and Reform Commission, the new policy will further boost income from solar projects by cutting land costs and promoting new market mechanisms like green certificate trading.

On October 29, the Chinese government announced that it is legalizing the use of rhino horn and tiger bone for medical and cultural purposes, reversing a 25-year ban on both products. Rhino horn and tiger bone can now be obtained from farmed rhinos and tigers for medical purposes, and rhino and tiger products that qualify as "cultural relics" can be traded. Illegally obtained products, however, will be confiscated, and all illegal trade will be subject to severe crackdowns.

On October 11, the Shanxi government announced plans to establish "no-coal zones" in Datong, a major coal-producing city in the province, to curb pollution. The "no-coal zones," in which the storage, sale, and direct combustion of all kinds of coal will be prohibited, will cover 39 square miles of the city. As a result, households in Datong will switch to cleaner gas heating this winter. For the full story, see https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-china-pollution-coal/china-coal-city-….

China's transport and environment ministries are drafting a plan to replace heavy-duty diesel trucks with vehicles that burn cleaner fuel. The proposals being considered include replacing vehicles with more modern trucks using a higher grade of diesel called National Five and using electric trucks or ones that run on liquefied natural gas. The plan is expected to take effect in 2020 and be implemented in the country's smoggiest northern regions.

Shanxi province, a major coal mining hub in China, plans to curb industrial manufacturing output voluntarily over the next three winters. The province seeks to lower its sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions by more than 20 percent by 2020 from 2015 levels, which goes beyond the national requirement of cutting emissions by 15 percent, and match national targets on reducing hazardous particles in its 11 cities. Shanxi also plans to cut coal consumption and boost clean energy use for heating during the winter by adding natural gas supplies and eliminating small coal-fired power plants.

China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment has approved a new plan to tackle growing pollution threats in the country's rural areas. The new plan will aim to clean up contaminated rural land and drinking water, and improve waste management throughout China's countryside. The plan also mandates cuts in fertilizer and pesticide use, and improved recycling rates.

China's cabinet has launched a new cross-ministerial leadership group to tackle pollution around Beijing. The group will assist in creating a "coordination mechanism" to tackle pollution in and around the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. The group will be headed by the vice-premier Han Zheng, and environment minister Li Ganjie, the mayors of Beijing and Tianjin and the governor of Hebei province will serve as deputies. For the full story, see https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-china-pollution/china-cabinet-launche….

In an effort to crack down on officials who are engaging in "perfunctory" environmental protection work, China has ordered inspectors to keep their eyes peeled for perfunctory, superficial, or fraudulent environmental rectifications. Inspectors have been reviewing authorities' responses to environmental violations previously uncovered during a central government probe. In the first half of June, 641 firms were fined a total of 58 million yuan ($8.92 million) for failing to properly rectify violations, and 58 people were detained. A second round of inspections is underway.

Hebei, the steel heartland of China and the country's smoggiest province, has a new plan to encourage enterprises to cut pollution and carbon emissions, upgrade technology, and improve efficiency. Under the new "pace setter" plan, enterprises from industrial sectors like steel, cement, glass-making, coking, and waste-to-energy can obtain "pace setter" status by adopting stricter than necessary emissions standards or implementing a "green supply chain" system. When an enterprise obtains "pace setter" status, it will then be exempt from production curbs during periods of poor air quality.

In March, a major smog indicator rose by more than a quarter in the industry-heavy Beijing-Tianjin-Heibei region. The Ministry of Ecology and Environment worries this is due to the end of a six-month anti-pollution campaign, which ended on March 15. The campaign required Chinese cities to reduce fine particulate matter levels by lowering industrial output, traffic, and coal use. The restrictions successfully reduced pollution output while they were in effect, but now that the campaign is over, there is increased concern that pollution levels will revert.