14/05/2020

India’s carbon emissions fall for first time in four decades

A view of clear blue and white skies, clean air in the city during the nationwide lockdown to curb spread of coronavirus (Covid-19) at sector-30 near Delhi-Gurugram expressway on April 20, 2020 in Gurugram, India.Image copyright GETTY IMAGES

India’s CO2 emissions have fallen for the first time in four decades – and not just as a result of the country’s coronavirus lockdown.

Falling electricity use and competition from renewables had weakened the demand for fossil fuels even before the coronavirus hit, according to analysis by the environmental website, Carbon Brief. However, it was the sudden nationwide lockdown in March that finally tipped the country’s 37-year emissions growth trend into reverse.

The study finds that Indian carbon dioxide emissions fell 15% in March, and are likely to have fallen by 30% in April.

Virtually all of the drop-off in power demand has been borne by coal-fired generators, which explains why the emissions reductions have been so dramatic.

India emissions fall chart

Coal-fired power generation was down 15% in March and 31% in the first three weeks of April, according to daily data from the Indian national grid.

But even before India’s sudden coronavirus lockdown, the demand for coal was weakening.

The study finds that in the fiscal year ending March 2020, coal deliveries were down by around 2%, a small but significant reduction when set against the trend – an increase in thermal power generation of 7.5% a year set over the previous decade.

Indian oil consumption shows a similar reduction in demand growth.

Vehicles move through DLF Cybercity during nation wide lockdown amid Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic in GurugramImage copyright GETTY IMAGES
Image caption The nationwide lockdown finally tipped a 37-year emissions growth trend into reverse

It has been slowing since early 2019.

And, once again, the trend has been compounded by the impact of the Covid-19 lockdown measures on the transport industry.

Oil consumption was down 18% year-on-year in March 2020.

Meanwhile, the supply of energy from renewables has increased over the year and has held up since the pandemic struck.

This resilience the renewables energy sector shows in the face of the sudden reduction in demand caused by coronavirus is not confined to India.

Media caption Delhi smog disappears during India’s lockdown

According to figures published by the International Energy Agency (IEA) at the end of April, the world’s use of coal was down 8% in the first quarter of the year.

By contrast, wind and solar power saw a slight uptick in demand internationally.

A key reason that coal has taken the brunt of the fall in electricity demand is that it cost more to run on a day-to-day basis.

Once you have installed a solar panel or a wind turbine, operating costs are very low and, therefore, tend to get priority on electricity grids.

This photo taken on December 7, 2017 shows Indian labourers loading coal onto trucks at an open mine in Dhanbad in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand.Image copyright GETTY IMAGES
Image caption India’s use of coal has plummeted, in line with that of other countries

Thermal power stations – those powered by coal, gas or oil – by contrast, require you to buy fuel in order to generate power.

But analysts warn that the decline in fossil fuel use may not last.

They say when the pandemic subsides, there is a risk that emissions will soar again as countries attempt to kick-start their economies.

The US has already started to relax environmental regulations and the fear is other nations could follow suit.

However, the analysis from Carbon Brief suggests there are reasons to think India could buck this trend.

The coronavirus crisis has brought the long-brewing financial troubles in the Indian coal sector to a head, and the Indian government is finalising a relief package which could top 900bn rupees ($12bn; £9.6bn).

But, at the same time, the government is talking about supporting renewable energy as part of the recovery.

Wind turbines generate electricity in Punniyavalanpuram, Tamil Nadu, India.Image copyright GETTY IMAGES
Image caption Renewables have the economic edge in India, offering far cheaper electricity than coal

Renewables have the economic edge in India, offering far cheaper electricity than coal.

The report claims that new solar capacity can cost as little 2.55 rupees per kilowatt hour, while the average cost for electricity generated from coal is 3.38 rupees per hour.

Investing in renewables is also consistent with the country’s National Clean Air Programme, launched in 2019.

Environmentalists hope the clean air and clear skies Indians have enjoyed since lockdown will increase public pressure on the government to clean up the power sector and improve air quality.

Source: The BBC

13/05/2020

Xi Focus-Quotable Quotes: Xi Jinping on eco-protection

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, checks the ecological protection work of the Fenhe River in Taiyuan, capital city of north China’s Shanxi Province, May 12, 2020. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

BEIJING, May 13 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping attaches great importance to ecological conservation and environmental protection. He has spoken of the issue on many occasions. The following are some highlights of his quotes.

— Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets.

— Ecological conservation and environmental protection are contemporary causes that will benefit many generations to come.

— A sound ecological environment is the basic foundation for the sustainable development of humanity and society.

— We should adhere to the integrated protection and restoration of mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes and grasslands, and coordinate efforts to strengthen ecological and environmental protection in river basins with efforts to promote an energy revolution, green production and lifestyle, and economic transformation and development.

— A good ecological environment is the fairest public product and the most accessible welfare for the people.

— The quality of the eco-environment is the key to building a moderately prosperous society in all respects.

— Economic development should not be achieved at the cost of the ecology. The ecological environment itself is the economy. Protecting the environment is developing productivity.

— We shall protect ecosystems as preciously as we protect our eyes, and cherish them as dearly as we cherish our lives.

— The history of civilizations shows that the rise or fall of a civilization is closely tied to the quality of the ecological environment.

Source: Xinhua

13/05/2020

Xinhua Headlines-Xi Focus: Xi stresses achieving moderately prosperous society in all respects

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, learns about poverty alleviation efforts at an organic daylily farm in Yunzhou District of Datong City, north China’s Shanxi Province, May 11, 2020. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

— Xi stressed addressing the difficulties faced by enterprises in resuming production and operation.

— Xi underscored lifting the remaining poor population out of poverty.

— Xi required implementing pro-employment policies.

TAIYUAN, May 12 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping has stressed efforts to complete building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and ride on the momentum to write a new chapter in socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during an inspection tour in north China’s Shanxi Province.

Xi called for efforts to overcome the adverse impacts of the COVID-19 epidemic and make greater strides in high-quality transformation and development to ensure that the target of poverty eradication is reached and the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects is completed.

During the tour from Monday to Tuesday, Xi inspected work on coordinating the regular epidemic response with economic and social development, and on consolidating the poverty eradication results.

While visiting an organic daylily farm in Yunzhou, Datong City, on Monday, Xi said what he cares about the most after poverty eradication is how to consolidate the achievements, prevent people from falling back into poverty, and make sure rural people’s incomes rise steadily.

He said an important benchmark to evaluate an official’s job performance is to see the amount of good and concrete services he or she has delivered to the people.

When visiting a community of relocated villagers, Xi said relocation is not only about better living conditions but also about chances to get rich. He called for follow-up support to residents with tailor-made rural business projects to ensure sustainable development.

Highlighting that whether the people can benefit shall be a top concern, Xi demanded more supporting policies be put in place in terms of industrial development, financing, agricultural insurance, among others.

Xi applauded the strenuous efforts made by primary-level officials on helping people fight poverty.

At the home of villager Bai Gaoshan, Xi chatted with Bai’s family as they sat on a “kang” — a bed-stove made out of clay or bricks in north China.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, learns about poverty alleviation efforts in a village of Xiping Township in Datong City, north China’s Shanxi Province, May 11, 2020. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

Xi said the CPC wholeheartedly seeks happiness for the Chinese people, having stopped collecting agricultural taxes and fees, helping the impoverished rural residents with housing and medical service, training them with skills, and finding ways for them to live a prosperous life.

“I believe our villagers will enjoy better days ahead,” Xi said.

On top of that, he called for consolidating achievements in poverty alleviation, and then focusing on rural vitalization to ensure a better life for rural residents.

He then went on to visit the 1,500-year Yungang Grottoes, a “treasure house” of artifacts featuring elements blending Chinese and foreign cultures, as well as cultures of China’s ethnic minorities and the Central Plains.

Xi stressed that historical and cultural heritages are irreplaceable precious resources, and protecting them should always be put in the first place in tourism development.

Noting that tourism should not be over-commercialized, Xi said tourism should become a way for the Chinese to understand and appreciate the culture of the nation and enhance their cultural confidence.

The historical implications of communication and integration behind the Yungang Grottoes should be further explored to enhance the sense of community for the Chinese nation, said Xi.

During a research tour in a stainless steel manufacturer in the provincial capital Taiyuan on Tuesday morning, Xi said products and technology are the lifeline of businesses, calling for more efforts in technological innovation to make a greater contribution to the development of advanced manufacturing.

He also called on businesses to strictly implement epidemic prevention and control measures to ensure the safety and health of their workers, while promoting the resumption of work and production to make up for the time lost.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, waves to workers during a research tour in a stainless steel manufacturer in Taiyuan, capital city of north China’s Shanxi Province, May 12, 2020. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

Later on, Xi went to check the ecological protection work of the Fenhe River in the city, and urged the incorporation of environment protection, energy revolution, green development, and economic transformation.

After hearing the work reports of the CPC Shanxi Provincial Committee and the provincial government on Tuesday afternoon, Xi stressed that no relaxation is allowed in epidemic prevention and control, noting that efforts should be made to guard against both imported infections and domestic rebounds, improve regular prevention and control mechanism, and prevent new outbreaks.

Xi called for efforts on more promptly and effectively addressing the difficulties faced by enterprises in resuming production and operation, on solid implementation of all the policies and measures for expanding domestic demand, and on strengthening the competitiveness and quality of the real economy, especially the manufacturing industry.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, speaks with workers during a research tour in a stainless steel manufacturer in Taiyuan, capital city of north China’s Shanxi Province, May 12, 2020. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

Continuous efforts should be made to promote the adjustment and optimization of China’s industrial structure, and scientific and technological innovations should be greatly enhanced to continue achieving breakthroughs in new infrastructures, technologies, materials, equipment as well as new products and business models, Xi said.

He stressed overcoming the difficulties and obstacles facing reforms in key areas, including state-owned enterprises and assets, the fiscal, tax, and financial system, business environment, the private sector, domestic demand expansion, and urban-rural integration.

Xi also highlighted efforts to improve the country’s system and mechanism for opening-up.

China will uphold the concept that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets, and steadily implement the national strategy for ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River basin, he said.

More should be done to accelerate institutional innovation and strengthen the implementation of institutions to help form a green way of production and living, he said.

Efforts should be made to solidify the foundation for the development of agriculture and rural areas, beef up policy support for grain production and lift the remaining poor population out of poverty, Xi said.

Authorities should adhere to the people-centered development philosophy and ensure the bottom line of people’s livelihood, Xi said. He added that efforts should be made to implement pro-employment policies and facilitate the employment of key groups such as college graduates, veterans, rural migrant workers and urban people facing difficulties.

Efforts should be expedited to improve the weak areas in the public health system exposed by the epidemic and shift the focus of social governance to the primary levels, Xi said.

The rich and colorful local history and culture as well as revolutionary cultural resources should be fully drawn on and used to promote cultural advancement, Xi said.

He stressed consistent efforts to promote core socialist values to guide Party cadres as well as the public to enhance morality, cultivate good ethics and strengthen cultural confidence.

Xi also called for efforts to improve the Party’s political ecosystem, strictly observe the Party’s political discipline and rules and fight against corruption and undesirable conduct.

Source: Xinhua

13/05/2020

Coronavirus: bamboo shortage forces Canada to send two giant pandas back to China

  • Calgary Zoo to ship pair back home after pandemic upends delivery of essential fresh produce
  • Er Shun and Da Mao refuse to eat some of the centre’s locally sourced supplies
The Calgary Zoo cannot guarantee supplies of fresh bamboo for its giant pandas.Photo: Calgary Zoo
The Calgary Zoo cannot guarantee supplies of fresh bamboo for its giant pandas.Photo: Calgary Zoo
A Canadian zoo has decided to send two adult giant pandas back to China because the

coronavirus pandemic has disrupted essential deliveries of fresh bamboo.
The Calgary Zoo said it previously had bamboo flown in from China directly, but was forced to switch to domestic supplies after flights were cancelled.
The pandas had refused to eat some of the local product, which had been degraded by longer delivery times, and the supplies could be disrupted without warning, the zoo said.

“Knowing a second wave of Covid-19 is likely, and the bamboo supply chain challenges will continue to negatively impact the zoo’s ability to bring bamboo to the giant pandas, the Calgary Zoo feels it’s critical to move the beloved giant pandas back to China where there are abundant local sources of bamboo as soon as possible,” the zoo said on Tuesday.

Giant pandas in Hong Kong mate naturally for the first time in a decade
Giant pandas feed almost exclusively on fresh bamboo and each adult chews through about 40kg (88 pounds) of the plant every day.
“We believe the best and safest place for Er Shun and Da Mao to be during these challenging and unprecedented times is where bamboo is abundant and easy to access,” Calgary Zoo president and chief executive Clément Lanthier said, referring to the two pandas. “This was an incredibly difficult decision to make but the health and well-being of the animals we love and care for always comes first.”
Er Shun and Da Mao arrived in Canada in 2014 as part of a 10-year agreement between Canada and China. They spent five years at the Toronto Zoo and arrived in Calgary in March 2018 with their cubs, Jia Panpan and Jia Yueyue.

It is unclear whether the cubs will be sent to China as well.

The zoo said the pandas would be deeply missed by staff, volunteers, donors and visitors from around the world. Although in-person farewells were not possible during the zoo’s temporary closure, the public could see the pandas online through PandaCam, it said.

In all, 58 giant pandas in 17 countries are on loan from China, according to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Sichuan province.

Finland is the most recent recipient, taking delivery of a pair in January 2018, while 

Bei Bei, who was on temporary loan to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in the United States

, was the last giant panda to return to China, in November 2019.

Source: SCMP
11/05/2020

Xi inspects north China’s Shanxi Province

TAIYUAN, May 11 (Xinhua) — Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, on Monday inspected north China’s Shanxi Province.

On Monday afternoon, Xi visited an organic daylily farm in Yunzhou District of Datong City, and a village in the city’s Xiping Township to learn about poverty alleviation efforts.

He then went to the Yungang Grottoes to learn about historical and cultural heritage protection efforts.

(Xinhua/Li Xueren, Xie Huanchi, Liu Bin)

Source: Xinhua
11/05/2020

Mt. Qomolangma remeasuring team to work on route to peak

(InTibet) CHINA-TIBET-MOUNT QOMOLANGMA-REMEASUREMENT-ROAD CONSTRUCTION (CN) Members of a road construction team depart from the advance camp at an altitude of 6,500 meters of Mount Qomolangma in southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, May 10, 2020. A road construction team will work on a route to the peak of Mount Qomolangma on May 12 if weather conditions permit. China initiated a new round of measurement on the height of Mount Qomolangma, the world’s highest peak, on April 30. The measurement team consists of members from the Ministry of Natural Resources and the national mountaineering team. (Xinhua/Sun Fei)

MOUNT QOMOLANGMA BASE CAMP, May 10 (Xinhua) — A road construction team will work on a route to the peak of Mount Qomolangma on May 12 if weather conditions permit.

In order to complete missions of building a route to the peak and transporting materials to camps below 8,300 meters above sea level, members of road construction and transportation teams departed for a camp at an altitude of 7,028 meters from the advance camp at an altitude of 6,500 meters at 7:00 a.m. Sunday.

The members eliminated potential safety hazards along the route and arrived at the camp at 2:00 p.m.

On May 12, a total of 12 guides will depart from the camp at an altitude of 7,028 meters to transport materials to another camp.

China initiated a new round of measurement on the height of Mount Qomolangma, the world’s highest peak, on April 30. The measurement team consists of members from the Ministry of Natural Resources and the national mountaineering team.

Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, Chinese surveyors have conducted six rounds of scaled measurement and scientific research on Mount Qomolangma and released the height of the peak twice in 1975 and 2005, which was 8,848.13 meters and 8,844.43 meters respectively.

Source: Xinhua

11/05/2020

Xi sends greetings to nurses ahead of Int’l Nurses Day

Marks caused by the mask are seen on the face of a nurse at the Fuzhou Pulmonary Hospital in Fuzhou, southeast China’s Fujian Province, Jan. 31, 2020. (Photo by Wang Yi/Xinhua)

BEIJING, May 11 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, has sent greetings to nurses across the country ahead of International Nurses Day, which falls on May 12.

Source: Xinhua

11/05/2020

Coronavirus: China car sales mark first gain in almost two years after restrictions are eased

  • Sales in April hit 2.07 million units in the world’s biggest car market, up 4.4 per cent from a year earlier, according to the country’s largest industry association
  • The number of new energy vehicles (NEVs) sold fell for a tenth straight month to The global industry has been hit hard by the health crisis, but there is growing optimism of improvement in business in China as the country has largely contained the outbreak and started easing lockdown measures. Photo: AFP
The global industry has been hit hard by the health crisis, but there is growing optimism of improvement in business in China as the country has largely contained the outbreak and started easing lockdown measures. Photo: AFP

China’s monthly car sales rose for the first time in almost two years in April, industry data showed, as more customers visited showrooms after the economy began to open up and authorities loosened coronavirus-related travel restrictions.

Sales in April hit 2.07 million units in the world’s biggest car market, up 4.4 per cent from a year earlier, according to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, the country’s largest industry association.

This follows a 43 per cent drop in March and a sharper 79 per cent plunge in February

 as the pandemic pummelled demand. Monthly sales in China last rose in June 2018.

The number of new energy vehicles (NEVs) sold fell for a tenth straight month to 72,000 units, the data showed. NEVs include battery-powered electric, plug-in hybrid and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles.

The global industry has been hit hard by the health crisis, but there is growing optimism of improvement in business in China as the country has largely contained the outbreak and started easing lockdown measures.

Volkswagen reported positive China sales in April, while General Motors’ China ventures saw double-digit year-on-year growth last month.

Source: SCMP

11/05/2020

Indian, Chinese border troops in brief skirmish on northeast Indian border, India says

KOLKATA (Reuters) – Indian and Chinese troops on border patrol duties had a brief skirmish in Sikkim, a northeastern Indian state bordering China, the Indian Defence Ministry said on Sunday, blaming both sides for the incident.

“Aggressive behaviour by the two sides resulted in minor injuries to troops. The two sides disengaged after dialogue and interaction at the local level,” the ministry said in a statement.

The Indian daily Hindustan Times, citing a military source, said four Indian soldiers and seven Chinese troops were injured when some of the soldiers exchanged blows during the confrontation, which it said took place on Saturday and involved some 150 soldiers.

The Defence Ministry said the incident took place in the Nakula area but did not give details of how it started, or what caused the injuries.

China’s Ministry of Defense could not be immediately reached for comment on Sunday.

India and China have often accused each other of intrusions into each other’s territories, but clashes are rare.

There is still deep mistrust between the two countries over their festering border dispute, which triggered a brief war in 1962.

Hundreds of troops from both sides were deployed in 2017 on the Doklam plateau, near the borders of India, Bhutan, and China after India objected to Chinese construction of a road in the Himalayan area, in the most serious standoff in years.

Source: Reuters

10/05/2020

Global COVID-19 cases top 4 mln — Johns Hopkins University

The United States suffered the most from the pandemic, with 1,305,199 cases and a death toll of 78,469.

NEW YORK, May 9 (Xinhua) — Global confirmed COVID-19 cases topped 4 million on Saturday, reaching 4,004,224 as of 4:32 p.m. (2032 GMT), according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

According to the CSSE, a total of 277,860 people worldwide have died of the disease.

Police officers walk past closed retail stores along Broadway in New York, the United States, on May 8, 2020. (Photo by Michael Nagle/Xinhua)

The United States suffered the most from the pandemic, with 1,305,199 cases and a death toll of 78,469. Countries with over 150,000 cases included Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom, Russia, France and Germany, according to the CSSE data.

Source: Xinhua

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