Another instance of the difference between public policy as dictated from Beijing and the lack of implementation by local authorities who have a different, and more selfish agenda.
See also:
05/09/2012
* Guangzhou Moves to Limit New Cars
NY Times: “It is as startling as if Detroit or Los Angeles restricted car ownership.
The municipal government of Guangzhou, a sprawling metropolis that is one of China’s biggest auto manufacturing centers, introduced license plate auctions and lotteries last week that will roughly halve the number of new cars on the streets.
The crackdown by China’s third-largest city is the most restrictive in a series of moves by big Chinese cities that are putting quality-of-life issues ahead of short-term economic growth, something the central government has struggled to do on a national scale.
The measures have the potential to help clean up China’s notoriously dirty air and water, reduce long-term health care costs and improve the long-term quality of Chinese growth. But they are also imposing short-term costs, economists say, at a time when policy makers in Beijing and around the world are already concerned about a sharp economic slowdown in China.
“Of course from the government’s point of view, we give up some growth, but to achieve better health for all citizens, it is definitely worth it,” said Chen Haotian, the vice director of Guangzhou’s top planning agency.
Nanjing and Hangzhou in east-central China are moving to require cleaner gas and diesel. Cities near the coast, from Dongguan and Shenzhen in southeastern China to Wuxi and Suzhou in the middle and Beijing in the north, are pushing out polluting factories. And Xi’an and Urumqi in northwestern China are banning and scrapping cars built before 2005, when automotive emissions rules were less stringent.
“There’s a recognition finally that growth at all costs is not sustainable,” said Ben Simpfendorfer, the managing director of Silk Road Associates, a Hong Kong consulting firm.
Facing public pressure to address traffic jams and pollution, municipal governments from across China have been sending delegations to Guangzhou. But the national government in Beijing is pushing back against further car restrictions because of worries about the huge auto industry, said An Feng, a senior adviser in Beijing to transportation policy makers.
“This has really become a battle,” Mr. An said.”
via Guangzhou Moves to Limit New Cars – NYTimes.com.
See also:
- https://chindia-alert.org/2012/08/27/car-plate-applicants-exceed-1m-in-beijing/
- https://chindia-alert.org/economic-factors/greening-of-china/
Related articles
- Chinese Cities Curb Car Sales (businessweek.com)
- Would-be car owners in China fear new restrictions (wantchinatimes.com)
- Guangzhou joins list of major cities limiting car sales (wantchinatimes.com)
29/07/2012
* China waste water pipeline scrapped after protest
BBC News: “Authorities in China say a project to build a waste water pipeline in the city of Qidong has been scrapped after a protest over pollution.
Demonstrators took to the streets of the city, north of Shanghai, and ransacked local government offices. They said the pipeline, proposed as part of a paper-making company, would pollute their coastal waters.
China has seen rising anger about environmental damage after three decades of rapid economic growth.
The thousands of protesters overturned cars as well as storming the local government offices and throwing documents from the windows. Items which the protesters allege are often received as bribes by officials – such as wine – were also seized from the offices, reports say.”
via BBC News – China waste water pipeline scrapped after protest.
Yet another example that ‘people power’ is beginning to affect decisions by local authorities in China.
See also: https://chindia-alert.org/2012/07/03/china-factory-construction-halted-amid-violent-protests/
03/07/2012
* China factory construction halted amid violent protests
BBC News: “Chinese officials have halted the construction of a copper alloy plant in Sichuan province following violent protests by local residents.
Local officials said large crowds of residents gathered on Sunday and Monday in Shifang city to protest against the plant on environmental grounds.
Both police and residents were injured in the clashes as bottles were thrown and cars damaged, they said.
Officials said they would now consult residents on the project.
Local authorities said hundreds of residents and students were involved in the protests, while state-run Global Times, quoting an unnamed police officer, said “several thousand” took part.
A statement on the incident on the city’s Sina Weibo account said the government would not restart the project “until the majority of people support it”.
This is not the first time that protests over the environmental impact of heavy industry plants have broken out in China.
In recent years, the public has become more aware of its rights – and more vocal when it comes to issues of public health.
While China has achieved astonishing economic growth in the past few decades, it has come at a huge environmental cost.
The country’s growing middle class worry about air and water pollution. They are concerned about the impact it will have on their children and are increasingly prepared to protest.
Last year, the authorities were forced to close a chemical plant in the north-eastern city of Dalian following similar protests.
Authorities face a huge challenge – they must balance the demand for continued economic growth against rising public anger over pollution.
“Work teams will be sent to all communities and schools to listen to people’s opinions and suggestions,” they added.”
via BBC News – China factory construction halted amid violent protests.
See also:
25/05/2012
* China to Spend $27 Billion on Emission Cuts, Renewables
Scientific American: “China’s central government plans to spend 170 billion yuan ($27 billion) this year to promote energy conservation, emission reductions and renewable energy, the Ministry of Finance said in a statement on its website on Thursday.
The ministry said China plans to promote more use of energy-saving products and low or no-emission power generation such as solar and wind. It also wants to accelerate the development of renewable energy, as well as energy-saving technologies, such as electric and hybrid cars.
China is the worlds biggest emitter of carbon dioxide CO2, followed by the United States. A report by the International Energy Agency IEA on Thursday said China spurred a jump in global CO2 emissions to their highest ever recorded level in 2011, offsetting falls in the United States and Europe.
However, its CO2 emissions per unit of GDP, or its carbon intensity, fell by 15 percent between 2005 and 2011, the IEA said, suggesting the world’s second-largest economy was finding less carbon-consuming ways to fuel growth.
Longer term, China is targeting cuts to its 2020 greenhouse gas emissions by 40-45 percent compared with 2003 levels and aims to boost its use of renewable energy to 15 percent of overall energy consumption.”
via China to Spend $27 Billion on Emission Cuts, Renewables: Scientific American.
Related pages/posts:
- https://chindia-alert.org/economic-factors/greening-of-china/
- https://chindia-alert.org/2012/01/20/chinese-climate-change-report-stark-and-honest/
- https://chindia-alert.org/2012/02/29/shanghai-to-spend-1-6b-to-curb-air-pollution/
Related articles
- Europeans Look To China For Renewable Energy Expansion (thinkprogress.org)
24/05/2012
* Landmark lawsuit demands compensation for pollution victims
Xinhua: “In a landmark lawsuit, two non-governmental organizations NGOs have demanded compensation of 10 million yuan (1.58 million U.S. dollars) from companies which dumped toxic chemicals in southwest China’s Yunnan Province.
Friends of Nature FON and the Chongqing Green Volunteer Association exchanged evidence with the defendant, Luliang Chemical Industry Co. Ltd. and Luliang Peace Technology Co. Ltd. in court on Wednesday. If the the NGOs win the case, the compensation will be used for environmental rehabilitation in the polluted areas in Qujing city, said Guo Jinghui, a spokeswoman of FON.
Qujing city’s environmental protection bureau also joined as plaintiff in the lawsuit, which was filed last September and accepted by the city’s Intermediate Peoples Court in October 2011. The court has set up a special environmental protection tribunal, but the trial date has not been confirmed, said Guo.”
via Landmark lawsuit demands compensation for pollution victims – Xinhua | English.news.cn.
Related posts: https://chindia-alert.org/2012/03/14/premier-wen-says-china-needs-political-reform-warns-of-another-cultural-revolution-if-without/
29/02/2012
* Shanghai to spend $1.6b to curb air pollution
China Daily: “Shanghai will spend 10.3 billion yuan ($1.6 billion) on air pollution reduction over the next three years, local environmental protection authorities said Wednesday.
The amount represents a 40-percent increase over the amount spent over the last three years combined, the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Environmental Protection said in a statement.
Shanghai will also begin using the PM2.5 air quality standard in June, a much stricter standard than the PM10 standard currently in place. The PM2.5 standard applies to fine particles thatare believed to pose greater health risks than larger particles.
Local environmental protection authorities will help coal-fired power plants cut emissions and help coal-fired boilers find clean energy sources, the statement said.
In addition, the city will implement the tighter National 5 vehicle emission standard, equivalent to the Euro 5 emission standard applied to passenger and light vehicles in EU member countries,in 2013 or 2014, it said.”
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2012-02/29/content_14723197.htm
Yet another piece of positive news about the environonment.
27/02/2012
* Thousands in lead-laden area to move
China Daily: “Thousands of villagers in the lead-contaminated regions of Lingbao, in Central China’s Henan province, are scheduled to move in May into newly-built houses that area safer distance from lead refineries, local government officials said.
Zhao Tie’an, head of Yuling township in Lingbao, told China Daily that the government has built 102 houses for the residents of Xiayao village, where 355 out of 364 children under age 14 were found to have excessive lead in their blood last July.”
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2012-02/27/content_14696184.htm
There seems to be a concerted effort by Government to counter the effects of pollution and corrusption. This is one of several actions announced in the last few weeks alone.
28/01/2012
* Cadmium discharge threatens 3.7m people in China
31/01/12 update: Seven chemical company officials arrested.
http://flashnewstoday.com/index.php/seven-detained-over-china-river-cadmium-spill/
27/01/12 – Reuters: “A cancer-causing cadmium discharge from a mining company has polluted a long stretch of two rivers in southern China, and officials warned some 3.7 million people of Liuzhou in the Guangxi region to avoid drinking water from the river.
“Pollution of waterways by toxic run-offs from factories and farms is a pressing issue in China, prompting authorities to call for policy tightening, though the problem shows no sign of going away.”
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/27/us-china-pollution-cadmium-idUSTRE80Q0IN20120127
and http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2012-01/30/content_14502146.htm
20/01/2012
* Law suit on pollution effects allowed
On 16 January, the Chinese government allowed a non-governmental organisation to lodge a suit concerning the probably causes of cancer in a village due to industrial pollution. This is the first such case and breaks new ground.
The reasons could be; a loosing up of court procedure in the face of increasing anger at industrial pollution bighting lives; an attempt at making owners of factories causing pollution to realise that not only the law is against them, but now non-governmental organisations can take up the cause of the little man in the village and, finally, it makes good press in the run up to leadership changes later in the year.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=china-cancer-village-tests-law-versus-pollution
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