New trade arrangement incentivizes power operators to be more energy-efficient. By Paul A. Davies, R. Andrew Westgate, Qingyi Pan, and Jacqueline J. Yap On January 1, 2021, the long-awaited China Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) commenced operation, with 2,225 coal-fired power plants participating. Under this new ETS, China’s power operators will have to buy emissions permits … Continue Reading
The Chinese Communist Party’s policy plans include an increased focus on climate change and a more open trade environment. By Paul Davies, Ethan Prall and Andrew Westgate The Central Committee, the top-level authority of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), recently concluded its Fifth Plenary Session and created China’s 14th Five Year Plan (the Plan). The … Continue Reading
President Xi Jinping promises to reduce carbon emissions in speech before the UN General Assembly. By Paul A. Davies, Michael D. Green, R. Andrew Westgate, and Jacqueline J. Yap On 22 September 2020, during a speech before the UN General Assembly, President Xi Jinping announced China’s commitment to become carbon neutral by 2060 and reaffirmed … Continue Reading
China’s MEE is seeking comment on new chemical regulation framework, which includes a comprehensive environmental risk assessment. Paul A. Davies, Ethan Prall, and R. Andrew Westgate In January 2019, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) issued a draft Regulation on Environmental Risk Assessment, and Control of Chemical Substances (the Chemical Substances Regulation or CSR) … Continue Reading
By Paul Davies and Andrew Westgate Earlier this month, during a round of surprise inspections, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Environmental Protection Zhao Yangmin publicly shamed the city officials of Langfang, a city in Hebei province, for failing to take action after a severe pollution warning was issued on April 2, 2017. Deputy Minister … Continue Reading
By Paul Davies and Andrew Westgate On 28 May, the State Council, China’s highest administrative body, released the Action Plan on Prevention and Control of Soil Pollution (currently available only in Chinese) to address one of the nation’s most difficult and pressing environmental issues. This ambitious plan, developed in the wake of increasing consciousness of soil … Continue Reading
By Paul Davies and Andrew Westgate On Sunday, China Central Television (CCTV), the country’s state-run broadcast network, aired a report claiming that nearly 500 students apparently developed illnesses (including leukemia) at a school built on contaminated land. Of the 2,451 students that attend Changzhou Foreign Languages School in Jiangsu Province, 493 (one in five) were … Continue Reading
