Panyu Residents Victorious in Blocking Planned Incinerator, Expected to Meet 30% Recycling Target in Return

To some, the surge of public action to oppose a planned incinerator in south China’s Panyu city may indicate growing popular environmental awareness, concern and activism in China. To others, the protests are testament to China’s growing urban wealth and the push for “not in my backyard” (NIMBY) movements that often accompany it.

Whether motivated by property values or public health, recent outcries have not been conducted in vain.

Citizen resistance has succeeded in blocking the government’s construction plans, confirmed when district Party secretary Tan Yinghua said in a meeting with local residents yesterday that the entire project would “start from the beginning.” The government pledged transparency and public engagement throughout all steps of the re-planning process, including the environmental assessment, feasibility study, and location decision, according to a report by state-run Xinhua media.

Both foreign and domestic media outlets credit this outcome to the public push back that began last month.

Government, Backed into a Corner on Public Incinerator Concerns, Pushes Back

Beijing municipal officials recently announced plans to continue with seven incinerator projects in the Beijing area, despite protests of nearby residents.

As we have reported before, Beijing’s trash is growing at approximately 8% annually, though the city is capable of treating just over half of what it tosses. Currently, 90% of Beijing’s solid municipal waste is sent to area landfills.

Though source waste reduction, improved recycling programs and more active resident seperation are among the many options available for addressing the problem, local and central level officials have prioritized the building of more incineration plants as their preferred approach.

This stance, combined with a lack of regulatory oversight and monitoring necessary to ensure the plants’ safety and environmental standards, has stirred dissatisfaction among local residents, and prompted vocal protests unseen in years past.

Chinese Solar Company Plans U.S. Manufacturing Plant

China-based solar producer Suntech Power announced plans this week to build a manufacturing facility in the United States to serve the growing U.S. market for large-scale utility projects and to take advantage of government incentives.

China Floats Carbon Tax Plan as a Means to Curb Emissions

The Chinese government is considering imposing a pro rata carbon tax on coal and fossil fuels such as gasoline, jet fuel, and natural gas, Finance Ministry official Su Ming has told the country’s state-run media.

Bloomberg’s Ambitious Plan to Improve Energy Efficiency in NY Buildings

New York Mayor Bloomberg harnessed the green power of Earth Day to unveil a plan that would require NYC buildings – responsible for 80% of the city’s emissions – to undergo regular energy audits and retrofits, as needed, in order to become more energy efficient.

Guardian Article on China Emissions Plan Amounts to Wishful Thinking

Those who stumbled across the recent Guardian article “China Considers Setting Targets for Carbon Emissions” probably did not fall off of their seats like I did. But at the very least you might have involuntarily raised an eyebrow, or two, and thought “huh, now that’s a game changer.”

For people who monitor developments in climate negotiations religiously, this article was practically heaven sent. But, upon closer examination, it proved little more than a manipulated quote and a very sexy, if misleading argument.

Shanghai to Pilot China’s First Municipal Emissions Exchange

Annual CO2 Emissions

Shanghai, often recognized for its free-market tendencies and environmental leadership, is introducing China’s first municipal trading mechanism as a means to curb pollution. Last Friday, in advance of a major carbon trade industry event taking place in Beijing this week, word began surfacing in the Chinese media that Shanghai plans to pilot an emissions trading scheme that will involve more than 300 companies’ trading “pollution discharge rights.”

Climate Change and Deforestation Engaging in Vicious Cycle of Destruction

Most of you know by now that deforestation, and the emissions that cleared forestlands add to the atmosphere, exacerbates climate change. But it may come as a surprise to learn that the opposite is true. New scientific findings suggest that climate change is threatening remaining forests more dramatically than previously suspected.

Seeing the Forest for the Trees: Shaping Financing to Prevent Deforestation

The Waxman-Markey bill signals Washington’s intentions to pony up to fund deforestation prevention as part of overall climate legislation. But will climate scientists, C-15 negotiators, developing countries and environmental groups agree on an international forest protection program that everyone, including the trees, can live with?

Clinton Climate Initiative to Pay $20m for Empire State Building Efficiency Retrofit

Former President Bill Clinton and Mayor Bloomberg appeared at a press conference on the Empire State Building’s 80th floor today to announce a cooperative initiative between the Clinton Climate Initiative and other partners to help green New York’s 78-year old signature building.

Talk of Carbon Tariff Flatly Rejected by China, Prompts ‘Protectionist’ Charges

One day after China’s top climate official, Li Gao, requested that his country’s export sector be exempt from greenhouse gas emissions reductions, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced the possibility of levying a carbon tariff on countries that do not match US greenhouse gas emissions restrictions.

China Taking Uncooperative Stance on G20, Climate Treaty Terms

The G20 Global Summit, which will take place in the UK in April, stands to be an important factor in determining China’s stance on climate change commitments as Copenhagen draws near.

China’s “Green Economy”: A New Revolution in China?

A “green economy” can be built in China in less than 20 years, argues a new McKinsey report. The new study, “China’s Green Revolution,” offers the most comprehensive quantitative analysis to date of China’s abatement cost curve.