Debate over China's economic responsibilities for climate change mitigation
Encyclopedia
This article documents the debate over China's economic responsibilities for climate change mitigation and mitigation of climate change in China
.
Both internationally and within the People's Republic of China
, there has been an ongoing debate over China's responsibilities, particularly since 2006, when China surpassed the US as
the country with the highest emissions rate for the main atmospheric gas in global warming
, carbon dioxide
(CO2)
(GDP), the lack of regulations strong enough to have an effect, the cumbersome delegation of responsibility for pollution problems, and China's refusal to commit to an emissions cap.
Experts who argue (as detailed below) that China should not be spending more, assert out that China is doing the most possible with its limited resources; they cite its low per capita
emissions, the world-class scale of some of its mitigation efforts, its success at keeping emissions growth significantly less than GDP growth, the significant chunk of China's emissions that are created by multinational businesses in China, the opposition from its own provincial and local officials to carrying out the environmental regulations, the short time-length of China's CO2 emissions compared to the 200-year history of the industrialized nations' emissions, and the hypocrisy of criticizing China for attempting to catch up with the West through the same CO2-emitting practices with which the West developed.
. Compared to the previous year, China's total emissions increased by 9% (to 6.2 billion tons of CO2), while emissions in the US decreased by 1.4% (to 5.8 billion), compared to the previous year,. China's increasing rate of emissions is heading toward a 50-100% increase above the current world total for CO2 emissions, by 20 years from now. The scientists warn that if China continues to increase its GDP at a rate of at least 7% per year, it will by then be emitting as much CO2 per year as the whole world emitted in 2007, -- 8 gigatons per year.
. They are aware as well that it is the world's poorest nations that will suffer most in the long run.
s and in letters to local officials, were increasing at a rate of 30% a year in 2006," and were projected to top 450,000 in 2007. Since presenting their first joint statement on the Kyoto Protocol in Bali in December 2007, Chinese non-governmental organizations (NGOs), in cooperation with international NGOs, have been assuming a more prominent role in efforts to mitigate climate change within China. NGO activity in China, however, remains restricted by tight government controls.
ing project—the 'Green GDP' -- has focused on the economic losses incurred by pollution. Begun in 2004 to incorporate the externalities of previously unaccounted-for environmental costs, the project soon produced results that were so much worse than anticipated that the program were quietly tabled in 2007.
, usually opt to pay the fine and continue polluting. Provincial officials themselves complain that the fines are too low to enable them to enforce the federal regulations.
(China's equivalent of the United States Environmental Protection Agency
), the water itself, in its specific functions or locations, comes under the control of three other separate ministries: Ministry of Construction (deals with sewage
), Ministry of Land and Resources (controls groundwater
), and Ministry of Water Resources
(manages water in general).
Indeed, the environmental damage in China is already costing its economy about 10% of its GDP, and is costing that in spite of the millions in venture capital
invested in China by foreign firms for mitigation projects under the Clean Development Mechanism
.
(since the US is not), China signed under an agreement that developing nations would not be required to reduce their emissions.
As of 2008, China's per capita emissions of were still one-quarter that of the US,. Though China continues to build emissions-intensive coal-fired power plants, its "rate of development of renewable energy
is even faster".
There is great interest in solar power in China
. The world's market share of China's photovoltaic units manufacturers had grown from approximately 1% in 2003 to 18% in 2007, one of the largest Chinese manufacturers of these devices being the wholly Chinese solar company (Suntech). Although the overwhelming majority of the photovoltaic units are exported, plans are under to increase the installed capacity to at least 1,800 MW by 2020. Some officials expect the plans to be significantly over-fulfilled, the installed capacity reaching possibly as much as 10,000 megawatt by 2020.
Due to the growing demand for photovoltaic electricity, more companies such as Aleo Solar, Global Solar, Anwell, CMC Magnetics,etc entered into this market and lower cost of PV cells would be expected.
Solar water heating
is already used extensively throughout the country.
China also has embarked upon a 9 million acre (36,000 km2) reforestation project—the Great Green Wall
-- that may become the largest ecological project in history; it's projected to be finished by 2010 at a cost of $8 billion. China has 5 major eco-cities in construction or completed. The capital city has, as well, car regulations more stringent than those in the US.
China points out that it is being punished for having become "the place where the US effectively outsources much of its pollution," and has buttressed its call for joint international responsibility for at least part of China's emissions, by making public, in Jan 2008, 130 violations of Chinese environmental law committed by multinationals in China.
cite violations by China's own companies as well—in this case, to illustrate the enormity of the task in front of them in getting compliance for environmental regulations which they see as very progressive. Regional and local officials have been taken to task for this.
For example, in 2006, Premier Wen Jiabao
issued a warning to local officials to shut down some of the plants in the most energy-intensive industries, designating at least six industries for slow-down. The following year, those same industries posted a 20.6% increase in output. In 2006 as well, the federal government began banning logging in some locations in order to expand its protection of forests, and at the same time restricted the size of cities and golf courses in order to increase land use efficiency. Yet many of the local officials responsible for carrying out the new regulations essentially ignored them.
Why, one might ask, is a strong central government such as China's not able to control maverick local and regional officials? The problem may have something to do with the fact that China's top environmental agency—the State Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) has barely one-hundredth the number of employees as the United States Environmental Protection Agency
, while attempting to enforce regulations over a similarly sized but much more populated land mass than the US.
Another reason for lack of compliance is apparently because local governments now have a chunk of funding for which they are not beholden to the central government, and are motivated to protect those funding sources which pollute, but pollute profitably.
As a result, SEPA's attempt to use local banks as a means of discouraging companies from carbon-intensive practices has followed a troubled path. Many local governments that have officially implemented the 'Green Credit' policy of loaning only to companies with green practices continue also to protect polluting firms that are profitable, and the banks in some provinces have yet to apply the policy at all.
Given all the above, it's perhaps not surprising that China's leadership turns to the US and international bodies to press for funding and understanding in its struggle to reduce emissions—since "developing countries need room to develop" -- and protest that China cannot tackle global warming to the West's satisfaction with its huge population
. They worry as well that China would end up suffering a slowdown in economic growth that would result in "massive unemployment and social unrest".
To the Chinese, it appears ironic at best that China is being criticized for following the practice of 'pollute first, clean up later' that the Western nations themselves followed during their early stages of capital accumulation
.
.
.
Chinese officials point out that the highest per capita emissions have long been and still are in the developed countries, not in China, and that about 77% of the greenhouse gas emissions prior to 2000 were created by the already developed nations. This implies that it is the developed nations who should shoulder a comparable portion of the global cost for reversing the world's emissions.
without committing to a cap was the same provision given to all developing nation signers.
(oil) and foreign automobile technology, although they offer smaller cuts in carbon emissions than alternatives like hybrid electric vehicle
s, consulting firm McKinsey & Co says.
Climate change in China
Climate change in China is a contentious issue since it is not required to be a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol yet it is responsible for one of the highest levels of greenhouse gas emissions....
.
Both internationally and within the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, there has been an ongoing debate over China's responsibilities, particularly since 2006, when China surpassed the US as
Greenhouse gas emissions by the United States
Until 2006, the United States was the largest emitter of carbon dioxide emissions. China has been the top emitter since 2006. However both the emissions as a result of manufacturing exports and the emissions avoided by product imports are not considered...
the country with the highest emissions rate for the main atmospheric gas in global warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
, carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
(CO2)
The pros and cons
The experts who argue (as detailed below) that China should be spending more of its resources on mitigation, point out China's total emissions, the criticisms it has received from other developing nations and from its own citizens, the toll of pollution on China's gross domestic productGross domestic product
Gross domestic product refers to the market value of all final goods and services produced within a country in a given period. GDP per capita is often considered an indicator of a country's standard of living....
(GDP), the lack of regulations strong enough to have an effect, the cumbersome delegation of responsibility for pollution problems, and China's refusal to commit to an emissions cap.
Experts who argue (as detailed below) that China should not be spending more, assert out that China is doing the most possible with its limited resources; they cite its low per capita
Per capita
Per capita is a Latin prepositional phrase: per and capita . The phrase thus means "by heads" or "for each head", i.e. per individual or per person...
emissions, the world-class scale of some of its mitigation efforts, its success at keeping emissions growth significantly less than GDP growth, the significant chunk of China's emissions that are created by multinational businesses in China, the opposition from its own provincial and local officials to carrying out the environmental regulations, the short time-length of China's CO2 emissions compared to the 200-year history of the industrialized nations' emissions, and the hypocrisy of criticizing China for attempting to catch up with the West through the same CO2-emitting practices with which the West developed.
Highest total emissions
In 2006, China's (including Taiwan) CO2 emissions surpassed those of the US by 8%, according to the Netherlands Environmental Assessment AgencyNetherlands Environmental Assessment Agency
The Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency is a Dutch research institute that advises the Dutch government on environmental policy and regional planning issues. The research fields include sustainable development, energy and climate change, biodiversity, transport, land use, and air quality...
Other developing nations are critical
Small island nations see China as among the developed countries in terms of China's responsibility to reduce emissions, particularly since it is the small island nations, and not China, that are most immediate risk from the effects of global warmingGlobal warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
. They are aware as well that it is the world's poorest nations that will suffer most in the long run.
Internal dissent in China
There is pressure on the Chinese government from within China as well. "Citizen complaints about the environment, expressed on official hotlineHotline
In telecommunication, a hotline is a point-to-point communications link in which a call is automatically directed to the preselected destination without any additional action by the user when the end instrument goes off-hook...
s and in letters to local officials, were increasing at a rate of 30% a year in 2006," and were projected to top 450,000 in 2007. Since presenting their first joint statement on the Kyoto Protocol in Bali in December 2007, Chinese non-governmental organizations (NGOs), in cooperation with international NGOs, have been assuming a more prominent role in efforts to mitigate climate change within China. NGO activity in China, however, remains restricted by tight government controls.
The toll on GDP
A federal financial auditFinancial audit
A financial audit, or more accurately, an audit of financial statements, is the verification of the financial statements of a legal entity, with a view to express an audit opinion...
ing project—the 'Green GDP' -- has focused on the economic losses incurred by pollution. Begun in 2004 to incorporate the externalities of previously unaccounted-for environmental costs, the project soon produced results that were so much worse than anticipated that the program were quietly tabled in 2007.
The fines for violating CO2-mitigating regulations are too low
Firms facing the choice of either paying a given fine for their effluence into community streams, or spending ten times as much on waste treatmentWaste treatment
Waste treatment refers to the activities required to ensure that waste has the least practicable impact on the environment. In many countries various forms of waste treatment are required by law.-Solid waste treatment:...
, usually opt to pay the fine and continue polluting. Provincial officials themselves complain that the fines are too low to enable them to enforce the federal regulations.
Poor delegation of authority
The problem of ineffectual fines is compounded by the cumbersome delegation of authority over -related issues. For instance, while water pollution as a problem is the responsibility of SEPAMinistry of Environmental Protection of the People's Republic of China
The Ministry of Environmental Protection of the People's Republic of China , formerly State Environmental Protection Administration , is a cabinet-level ministry in the executive branch of the Chinese Government . It replaced the SEPA during the March 2008 National People's Congress sessions in...
(China's equivalent of the United States Environmental Protection Agency
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
), the water itself, in its specific functions or locations, comes under the control of three other separate ministries: Ministry of Construction (deals with sewage
Sewage
Sewage is water-carried waste, in solution or suspension, that is intended to be removed from a community. Also known as wastewater, it is more than 99% water and is characterized by volume or rate of flow, physical condition, chemical constituents and the bacteriological organisms that it contains...
), Ministry of Land and Resources (controls groundwater
Groundwater
Groundwater is water located beneath the ground surface in soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. A unit of rock or an unconsolidated deposit is called an aquifer when it can yield a usable quantity of water. The depth at which soil pore spaces or fractures and voids in rock...
), and Ministry of Water Resources
Ministry of Water Resources of the People's Republic of China
The Ministry of Water Resources of the People's Republic of China is the executive government agency of the Central People's Government responsible for managing the water resources in China....
(manages water in general).
Indeed, the environmental damage in China is already costing its economy about 10% of its GDP, and is costing that in spite of the millions in venture capital
Venture capital
Venture capital is financial capital provided to early-stage, high-potential, high risk, growth startup companies. The venture capital fund makes money by owning equity in the companies it invests in, which usually have a novel technology or business model in high technology industries, such as...
invested in China by foreign firms for mitigation projects under the Clean Development Mechanism
Clean Development Mechanism
The Clean Development Mechanism is one of the "flexibility" mechanisms defined in the Kyoto Protocol . It is defined in Article 12 of the Protocol, and is intended to meet two objectives: to assist parties not included in Annex I in achieving sustainable development and in contributing to the...
.
China refuses a cap on
Finally, critics point out that even though China bests the US by being a signer to the Kyoto ProtocolKyoto Protocol
The Kyoto Protocol is a protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change , aimed at fighting global warming...
(since the US is not), China signed under an agreement that developing nations would not be required to reduce their emissions.
The large scale of current mitigation
Renewable energy
Renewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...
is even faster".
There is great interest in solar power in China
Solar power in China
Solar power in the People's Republic of China is one of the biggest industries in mainland China. China has over 400 photovoltaic companies and produces approximately 23% of the photovoltaic products worldwide. In 2007 China produced 1700 MW of solar panels, nearly half of the world production of...
. The world's market share of China's photovoltaic units manufacturers had grown from approximately 1% in 2003 to 18% in 2007, one of the largest Chinese manufacturers of these devices being the wholly Chinese solar company (Suntech). Although the overwhelming majority of the photovoltaic units are exported, plans are under to increase the installed capacity to at least 1,800 MW by 2020. Some officials expect the plans to be significantly over-fulfilled, the installed capacity reaching possibly as much as 10,000 megawatt by 2020.
Due to the growing demand for photovoltaic electricity, more companies such as Aleo Solar, Global Solar, Anwell, CMC Magnetics,etc entered into this market and lower cost of PV cells would be expected.
Solar water heating
Solar water heating
Solar water heating or solar hot water systems comprise several innovations and many mature renewable energy technologies that have been well established for many years...
is already used extensively throughout the country.
China also has embarked upon a 9 million acre (36,000 km2) reforestation project—the Great Green Wall
Great Green Wall
The Great Green Wall is a project developed by the African Union to face desertification in South Sahara. The project, held by 11 african countries, consists to create a green belt, 15 km thick and 7,775 km long, from Senegal to Djibouti....
-- that may become the largest ecological project in history; it's projected to be finished by 2010 at a cost of $8 billion. China has 5 major eco-cities in construction or completed. The capital city has, as well, car regulations more stringent than those in the US.
Keeping emissions growth at less than GDP growth
Considering that energy consumption in most developed countries has usually grown faster than GDP during the early stages of industrialization, it is to China's credit that while its GDP has grown by 9.5% per year over the last 27 years, its emissions have increased by only about 5.4% per year.,. Meaning that its carbon intensity (its carbon emissions per unit of GDP) has decreased during that time, though it remains the among the highest of any of the developed or developing nations.Emissions contributed by multinationals in China
Chinese officials claim that they are doing a great deal that is often not visible, especially for a country as large, populous, and (rurally) undeveloped as it is. But working against that, and equally non-visible, is the role of multinational ventures in China in contributing to its emissions. It has been estimated that as of 2004, almost a quarter (23%) of China's emissions were coming from Chinese-made products destined for the West, providing an interesting perspective on China's large trade surplus. Another study shown that around 1/3 emissions from China in 2005 are due to exports. Over half of those emissions driven by demand from the West are from transnationals taking advantage of China's developmental policies favouring heavy manufacturing over regions with more developed environmental laws and enforcement. This includes many of the WalMart-suppliers and other foreign-owned factories that stock department store shelves, particularly in the US,.China points out that it is being punished for having become "the place where the US effectively outsources much of its pollution," and has buttressed its call for joint international responsibility for at least part of China's emissions, by making public, in Jan 2008, 130 violations of Chinese environmental law committed by multinationals in China.
Opposition from provincial and local officials
However, officials in BeijingBeijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
cite violations by China's own companies as well—in this case, to illustrate the enormity of the task in front of them in getting compliance for environmental regulations which they see as very progressive. Regional and local officials have been taken to task for this.
For example, in 2006, Premier Wen Jiabao
Wen Jiabao
Wen Jiabao is the sixth and current Premier and Party secretary of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, serving as China's head of government and leading its cabinet. In his capacity as Premier, Wen is regarded as the leading figure behind China's economic policy...
issued a warning to local officials to shut down some of the plants in the most energy-intensive industries, designating at least six industries for slow-down. The following year, those same industries posted a 20.6% increase in output. In 2006 as well, the federal government began banning logging in some locations in order to expand its protection of forests, and at the same time restricted the size of cities and golf courses in order to increase land use efficiency. Yet many of the local officials responsible for carrying out the new regulations essentially ignored them.
Why, one might ask, is a strong central government such as China's not able to control maverick local and regional officials? The problem may have something to do with the fact that China's top environmental agency—the State Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) has barely one-hundredth the number of employees as the United States Environmental Protection Agency
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
, while attempting to enforce regulations over a similarly sized but much more populated land mass than the US.
Another reason for lack of compliance is apparently because local governments now have a chunk of funding for which they are not beholden to the central government, and are motivated to protect those funding sources which pollute, but pollute profitably.
As a result, SEPA's attempt to use local banks as a means of discouraging companies from carbon-intensive practices has followed a troubled path. Many local governments that have officially implemented the 'Green Credit' policy of loaning only to companies with green practices continue also to protect polluting firms that are profitable, and the banks in some provinces have yet to apply the policy at all.
China is following the example of developed nations
Overpopulation
Overpopulation is a condition where an organism's numbers exceed the carrying capacity of its habitat. The term often refers to the relationship between the human population and its environment, the Earth...
. They worry as well that China would end up suffering a slowdown in economic growth that would result in "massive unemployment and social unrest".
To the Chinese, it appears ironic at best that China is being criticized for following the practice of 'pollute first, clean up later' that the Western nations themselves followed during their early stages of capital accumulation
Capital accumulation
The accumulation of capital refers to the gathering or amassing of objects of value; the increase in wealth through concentration; or the creation of wealth. Capital is money or a financial asset invested for the purpose of making more money...
.
China is collaborating with developed nations
"According to , The Seattle Post Intelligencer, the United States signed an agreement with Chinese leaders to form the U.S-China Clean Energy Forum, a private-sector process to accelerate cooperation between the two countries." This agreement means that China is joining forces with the United States to find ways to cut greenhouse gas emissions. "So far The Seattle Post Intelligencer says,China already has combined market clout to help reduce the cost premium to adopt clean technologies." A developed country like the United States would help China fund projects..
China's short history of emissions versus the industrialized nations' long history
Chinese officials argue that China has been contributing to global warming for only 30 years, while the developed countries have been doing so for 200 years. And since pollution-flagrant early stages of industrialization may have contributed to what China sees as a lack of balance of power particularly between the US and China, many Chinese officials see global warming mitigation as creating an economic burden that slows its economy and further exacerbates the unequal balance of powerBalance of power in international relations
In international relations, a balance of power exists when there is parity or stability between competing forces. The concept describes a state of affairs in the international system and explains the behavior of states in that system...
.
Chinese officials point out that the highest per capita emissions have long been and still are in the developed countries, not in China, and that about 77% of the greenhouse gas emissions prior to 2000 were created by the already developed nations. This implies that it is the developed nations who should shoulder a comparable portion of the global cost for reversing the world's emissions.
The lack of a cap on emissions is shared by many
Finally, the provision by which China signed the Kyoto ProtocolKyoto Protocol
The Kyoto Protocol is a protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change , aimed at fighting global warming...
without committing to a cap was the same provision given to all developing nation signers.
Transport electrification
China should push electric cars to curb its dependence on imported PetroleumPetroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
(oil) and foreign automobile technology, although they offer smaller cuts in carbon emissions than alternatives like hybrid electric vehicle
Hybrid electric vehicle
A hybrid electric vehicle is a type of hybrid vehicle and electric vehicle which combines a conventional internal combustion engine propulsion system with an electric propulsion system. The presence of the electric powertrain is intended to achieve either better fuel economy than a conventional...
s, consulting firm McKinsey & Co says.
See also
- AfforestationAfforestationAfforestation is the establishment of a forest or stand of trees in an area where there was no forest. Reforestation is the reestablishment of forest cover, either naturally or artificially...
- AgroforestryAgroforestryAgroforestry is an integrated approach of using the interactive benefits from combining trees and shrubs with crops and/or livestock.It combines agricultural and forestry technologies to create more diverse, productive, profitable, healthy and sustainable land-use systems.-Definitions:According to...
- Asian brown cloudAsian brown cloudThe Asian brown cloud is a layer of air pollution that covers parts of South Asia, namely the northern Indian Ocean, India, and Pakistan. Viewed from satellite photos, the cloud appears as a giant brown stain hanging in the air over much of South Asia and the Indian Ocean every year between January...
- Bioenergy in ChinaBioenergy in ChinaChina has set the goal of attaining one percent of its renewable energy generation through bioenergy in 2020.The development of bioenergy in China is needed to meet the rising energy demand....
- Buffer stripBuffer stripA buffer strip is an area of land maintained in permanent vegetation that helps to control air, soil, and water quality, along with other environmental problems, dealing primarily on land that is used in agriculture. Buffer strips trap sediment, and enhance filtration of nutrients and pesticides by...
- China water crisisChina water crisisThe Chinese water crisis threatens the stability and prosperity not only in People's Republic of China but globally as well, according to John McAlister from the film Aquabiotronics. According to the World Bank forecast, Mainland China has only a per-capita share of 2700 cubic meters per annum,...
- Clean Development MechanismClean Development MechanismThe Clean Development Mechanism is one of the "flexibility" mechanisms defined in the Kyoto Protocol . It is defined in Article 12 of the Protocol, and is intended to meet two objectives: to assist parties not included in Annex I in achieving sustainable development and in contributing to the...
- Coal power in ChinaCoal power in ChinaThe People's Republic of China is the largest consumer of coal in the world, and is about to become the largest user of coal-derived electricity, generating 1.95 trillion kilowatt-hours per year, or 68.7% of its electricity from coal as of 2006...
- Collaborative innovation network
- DeforestationDeforestationDeforestation is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a nonforest use. Examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use....
- DesertificationDesertificationDesertification is the degradation of land in drylands. Caused by a variety of factors, such as climate change and human activities, desertification is one of the most significant global environmental problems.-Definitions:...
- DongtanDongtanDongtan is a plan for a new eco-city on the island of Chongming in Shanghai, China. The name of the city literally translates as "East Beach".-Population:...
, Chinese ecocity - Ecological engineering methodsEcological engineering methodsEcological Engineering Methods is when researchers try to tap biologically-based energy sources. Some projects include engineering new organisms that produce hydrogen from water and sunlight in environmentally friendly ways with no waste products, and transforming the way man interacts with the...
- Ecological engineeringEcological engineeringEcological engineering is an emerging study of integrating ecology and engineering, concerned with the design, monitoring and construction of ecosystems...
- EcotechnologyEcotechnologyEcotechnology is an applied science that seeks to fulfill human needs while causing minimal ecological disrupution, by harnessing and subtly manipulating natural forces to leverage their beneficial effects...
- Energy policy of ChinaEnergy policy of ChinaThe energy policy of the People's Republic of China is a policy decided on by the Central Government with regard to energy and energy resources. The country is currently the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases according to a Dutch research agency. However, China's per capita emissions are...
- Energy-efficient landscapingEnergy-efficient landscapingEnergy-efficient landscaping is a type of landscaping designed for the purpose of conserving energy. There is a distinction between the embedded energy of materials and constructing the landscape, and the energy consumed by the maintenance and operations of a landscape.Design techniques include:*...
- Environment of ChinaEnvironment of ChinaThe environment in the People's Republic of China has traditionally been neglected as the country concentrates on its rise as an economic power. Chasing the political gains of economic development, local officials in China often overlook environmental pollution, worker safety and public health...
- E-waste villageE-waste villageDeveloped countries such as the US, Canada, European nations, Australia, South Korea and Japan have replaced massive amounts of obsolete electronic equipments and home appliances with newer versions, creating a huge E-waste problem for the global environment...
- Geographic Information Systems in ChinaGeographic information systems in ChinaGeographic information systems are becoming an increasingly important component of business, healthcare, security, government, trade, media, transportation and tourism industries and operations in China and GIS software are playing an increasing role in the way Chinese companies analyze and manage...
- Geography of ChinaGeography of ChinaChina stretches some across the East Asian landmass bordering the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea, between North Korea and Vietnam in a changing configuration of broad plains, expansive deserts, and lofty mountain ranges, including vast areas of inhospitable terrain...
- Global warming in IndiaGlobal warming in IndiaThe effects of global warming on the Indian subcontinent vary from the submergence of low-lying islands and coastal lands to the melting of glaciers in the Indian Himalayas, threatening the volumetric flow rate of many of the most important rivers of India and South Asia. In India, such effects are...
- Great Plains ShelterbeltGreat Plains ShelterbeltThe Great Plains Shelterbelt was a project to create windbreaks in the Great Plains states of the United States, and was launched in 1934. President Franklin D. Roosevelt initiated the project in response to the severe dust storms of the Dust Bowl, which resulted in significant soil erosion and...
- Green Gross Domestic ProductGreen Gross Domestic ProductThe green gross domestic product is an index of economic growth with the environmental consequences of that growth factored in. Green GDP monetizes the loss of biodiversity, and accounts for costs caused by climate change...
- Green Wall of ChinaGreen Wall of ChinaThe Green Wall of China, also known as the Green Great Wall or Great Green Wall , will be a series of human-planted forest strips in the People's Republic of China, designed to hold back the expansion of the Gobi Desert...
- Guiyu (town in China) (largest e-waste site on Earth)
- Hedgerow
- Hot summer cold winter zoneHot summer cold winter zoneHot-summer/cold-winter zone is the transient climate region between the cold and the hot zones in China.It includes the whole of Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui, Zhejiang provinces, Shanghai and Chongqing two municipalities, the eastern part of Sichuan and Guizhou provinces, the southern part of...
- Human ecologyHuman ecologyHuman ecology is the subdiscipline of ecology that focuses on humans. More broadly, it is an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary study of the relationship between humans and their natural, social, and built environments. The term 'human ecology' first appeared in a sociological study in 1921...
- Kyoto ProtocolKyoto ProtocolThe Kyoto Protocol is a protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change , aimed at fighting global warming...
- List of proposed geoengineering projects
- Macro-engineeringMacro-engineeringIn engineering, macro-engineering is the implementation of extremely large-scale design projects...
- Mitigation of global warmingMitigation of global warmingClimate change mitigation is action to decrease the intensity of radiative forcing in order to reduce the potential effects of global warming. Mitigation is distinguished from adaptation to global warming, which involves acting to tolerate the effects of global warming...
- Nuclear power in ChinaNuclear power in China, the People's Republic of China has 14 nuclear power reactors spread out over 4 separate sites and 27 under construction. China's National Development and Reform Commission has indicated the intention to raise the percentage of China's electricity produced by nuclear power from the current 1% to...
- Proposed Sahara forest project
- ReforestationReforestationReforestation is the natural or intentional restocking of existing forests and woodlands that have been depleted, usually through deforestation....
- Renewable energy in ChinaRenewable energy in ChinaRenewable energy is helping the People's Republic of China complete its economic transformation and achieve "energy security". China rapidly has moved along the path of renewable energy development. About 17 percent of China's electricity came from renewable sources in 2007, led by the world's...
- Wildlife of ChinaWildlife of ChinaWildlife of China includes its flora and fauna and their natural habitats. Many of the animals in China are endangered, such as the Giant Panda and the Siberian Tiger, because of habitat loss and deforestation.-Fauna:Animals native to China:...
- Wind power in ChinaWind power in ChinaAt the end of 2010, wind power in the People's Republic of China accounted for 41.8 gigawatts of electricity generating capacity, and China has identified wind power as a key growth component of the country's economy. With its large land mass and long coastline, China has exceptional wind...
- China's SEPA State Environmental Protection Administration
External links
- China Takes a New Interest in Energy Efficiency by Keith Bradsher of the New York Times June 15, 2011
- A Green Solution, or the Dark Side to Cleaner Coal? by Keith Bradsher of the New York Times June 14, 2011