Wednesday, April 30, 2014

April 30, 2014: China's drop in new thermal power pinned on economy, war on pollution and More

Environmental Pollution and Health

A big question hanging over Hong Kong's bid to import mainland power? Climate change. 

 It's only been a few days since revisions were made to China's environmental protection law, and already questions about how the law will be implemented are being asked.
Relate:

Real progress in improving China's health and environment will take integrated policies that address regional differences and inequalities, say Jennifer Holdaway and Wang Wuyi

How does environmental pollution and management influence supply chain model


China added nearly 40 percent less coal- and gas-fired power capacity in the first quarter than it did a year ago mainly due to stronger pollution controls and slower economic growth, a senior government advisor said on Wednesday.

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

April 29, 2014: China, S.Korea and Japan to tackle ultrafine dust together, China returns U.S. transgenic corn and More

Environmental Pollution and Health

China's new environment law encourages non-government organizations (NGOs) to file suit against environmental destruction, but enforcement and litigation costs remain grey areas.

Rolling up a sleeve, 76-year-old Hu Lanzhen exposed her left arm, which was covered in brown flecks.

Environment ministers from China, South Korea and Japan on Tuesday discussed jointly response to common environmental challenges in Northeast Asia, stressing further strengthening of joint efforts to prevent and control air pollution.
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Vice minister for the environment Pan Yue on Monday described new environmental protection laws as powerful tools against pollution, but warned of challenges in implementation.

Global Trade

China’s exports and imports of goods amounted to $4.16 trillion in 2013, topping the US for the first time.

Grain, Poultry, Dairy and Food Security

China has returned over one million tonnes of maize imported from the United States that contained an unapproved transgenic component, the country's leading quality watchdog announced on Tuesday.

A Chinese documentary series "A Bite of China II" - a sequel to the 2012 hit "A Bite of China" - has insighted widespread nostaligia for hometown tastes.

China's water quality continues to deteriorate, with 50% of the tap water in cities across the country not meeting national pollution standards, reports Guangzhou's 21st Century Business Herald.

Chinese interests have entered the race for the State's biggest beef producer in a move that could see WA-based Craig Mostyn Group pipped at the post after months of sale negotiations.

The 2014 China Agriculture Outlook Conference was held in Beijing on April, 20. The Conference was hosted by the Agricultural Information Institute (AII) of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS).


Chinese pork firm WH Group has cancelled plans to float in Hong Kong, blaming "deteriorating market conditions" and "excessive market volatility".

California air quality regulators give truckers more time to meet smog standards

In a move that is likely to have have negative health consequences for some, the California Air Resources Board has delayed new rules to clean up the state's diesel truck fleet.

"We understand that cleaning up trucks is expensive, but somebody has to pay," said Pamela Tapia, a community college student from Oakland with asthma. "Right now we're paying with our health and that's not right." 

Unfortunately, this isn't the first delay, and this one was opposed by many truckers.

For news of what happened, and why it shouldn't have, read the L.A. Times article below, and the blog post by Moving Forward Network participant and NRDC Senior Scientist Diane Bailey.





Monday, April 28, 2014

April 28, 2014: "China stealing U.S. chicken industry" China's new urbanization plan impacts U.S. coal industry

Environmental Pollution and Health

By raising the costs of bad behaviour, China’s new law could push local governments to focus on ecological protection

China’s lawmakers approved sweeping new environmental protections this week amid mounting concerns over pollution poisoning the nation’s air, water and soil.
Related:

Global carbon emissions from agriculture can be reduced by 50 to 90 percent by 2030 using strategies including eating less beef, reducing food waste and managing soil nutrients better, according to a report released Friday by Climate Focus and California Environmental Associates.
Related:

Trade

Last August, the U.S. won a WTO dispute about high Chinese chicken tariffs.  

Grain, Poultry, Dairy and Food Security

China’s decision to effectively halt shipments of U.S. corn is unlikely to cause lasting economic harm to South Dakota and other Midwest corn producers, with farm groups and commodity analysts seeing the trade skirmish as a short-term annoyance for America, the world’s largest corn exporter.

China becoming the world’s largest corn importer has always been a question of when, not if – a point underlined by the recent forecasts from the US Department of Agriculture.

How does environmental pollution and management influence supply chain model

That being said, Peabody Energy sees some positives on the horizon, specifically China's new urbanization plan, which should lead to rising coal prices in the future.


Friday, April 25, 2014

April 25, 2014: China's New Environmental Law, Stricter Recycling Standards for U.S and more

Environmental Pollution and Health

China passed the biggest changes to its environmental protection laws in 25 years, outlining plans to punish polluters more severely as leaders work to limit contaminated water, air and soil linked to economic growth.

The Environmental Protection Law provides the authorities with powerful instruments to lead China into a cleaner future
Related:

It is very encouraging to see that many policies in China has been focused on the environmental issues like low carbon economy, green development and renewable material, said EU commissioner for climate action Connie Hedegaard. 

Trade

The Green Fence is a policy instituted by China in February of last year that imposed stricter standards on recycled materials imported from the United States.

Grain, Poultry, Dairy and Food Security

Soil in China’s leading rice-producing region shows high levels of heavy metal contamination, in a study that suggests that the proximity of mining and industry to agricultural areas is posing serious threats to the country’s food chain.

How does environmental pollution influences supply chain model

A growing interest in electric bicycles has seen car companies, including BMW, Kia and Daimler AG, entering the e-bike market


Thursday, April 24, 2014

Daily News April 22, 2014

Environmental Pollution and Health

Beijing has passed amendments to China's 25-year old environmental protection law that will now target polluters in the world's biggest carbon emitter with tougher penalties.
Related:

Water Crisis

A wastewater leak from a copper mine has contaminated a river and nearby grassland in northwest China's Qinghai Province, government authorities said on Thursday.

Residents of Lanzhou, Gansu Province, are angry to learn their water supply facilities ran through an area contaminated by a petrochemical plant

Two major water suppliers in a central China city have halted production following water contamination in a local river on Wednesday, affecting more than 300,000 people, local authorities said.

Energy Development and Problem

 Economics challenging, and Asia looking for raw bitumen, analysts say

On top of a proposal to resume nuclear power construction projects in eastern China, Premier Li Keqiang has unveiled plan to substitute concentrated high-efficiency utilization of coal for general utilization, for the sake of combating air pollution.



Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Daily News April 23, 2014

Environmental Pollution and Health

China is now back on track to meet a series of mandatory targets to cut pollution and improve energy efficiency by 2015, after falling behind expectations due to strong economic growth over 2011-12, a state planning agency official said on Wednesday.

Water Crisis

Fresh off an official report that confirmed long-held fears over the state of China’s soil, new government figures show the majority of the country’s water remains polluted despite billions of dollars spent trying to clean it up.
Related:

Grain, Poultry, Dairy and Food Security

A new online commercial pork site opened this week and operated by China’s business-to-consumer market leader, TMall.com, is promising nationwide delivery of eight U.S. pork items within 24 to 48 hours at discounts ranging up to 60 percent during a site-opening seven-day sale.

Energy Development and Problem

BEIJING, April 23 (Xinhua) -- China will raise its natural gas supply to as much as 420 billion cubic meters per year by 2020 amid rising demand due to urbanization, a government statement said on Wednesday.

How does environmental pollution influences supply chain model

China will speed up the development of environmental tax legislation that could penalize heavy polluters to help the central government pay for programs to address air, soil and water pollution, said a report from the State Council, China's top decision-making body.  


Revenues for China's biggest sellers of U.N.-issued carbon credits shrunk last year to a tenth of 2012 values, choking off billions of dollars flowing to clean energy projects in the world's top carbon-emitter.

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Daily News April 22, 2014

Environmental Pollution and Health

Amendments to China's 1989 environmental protection law that will mean stiffer punishments for polluters have been submitted to the country's parliament for deliberation, official news agency Xinhua reported late on Monday.
Related:

A plan to shift 250 million rural Chinese to cities must be accompanied by environmental protection measures.

China’s urban and rural areas are rapidly changing and are facing dire resource constraints. Cities and countryside both contribute to and are vulnerable to water pollution and scarcity, particularly in China’s dry north. 

Grain, Poultry, Dairy and Food Security

China will maintain a high rate of self-sufficiency in major grain output and realize the food security target for the next ten years, according to an official report published Sunday.

An unmanned submersible has passed its final field test, marking another step in China's drive to explore deep sea resources.

A recent online promotion for United States pork that the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) conducted with China’s leading business-to-consumer platform,Tmall.com, drew rave reviews from Chinese consumers and strong results for U.S. pork suppliers, according to USMEF reports.

Study estimates at least $1 billion in economic losses following trade disruption due to detection of unapproved biotech traits in U.S. corn exports to China; more losses expected

Playing up the China threat narrative is rather misguided and unhelpful to global food security discourse.

Energy Development and Problem

Eventually, Canada will tire of presidential obfuscation and build a pipeline to a Canadian port. From there, they’ll ship oil to China and India, cutting out U.S. refineries — and the jobs they provide.

Emerging economies, especially China, will have a particularly significant impact on world energy both in terms of scale and pace.

How does environmental pollution influences supply chain model


 China is the world's second-largest agricultural insurance market after the United States by premium income, and it is scrambling to spread the use of climate-related insurance into other sectors.

Monday, April 21, 2014

Daily News April 21, 2014

Environmental Pollution and Health

No one now alive has experienced anything similar in North America or Europe, except in the middle of a forest fire or a volcanic eruption.

 A bimonthly session of China's top legislature opened on Monday as lawmakers looked to amend laws on environmental protection and the government's budget.

Now what may become the world’s first city with the word in its name is beginning to take shape in the unlikely setting of a smog-shrouded expanse of salty mud on the northern Chinese coast.

Water Crisis

In recent months, Chinese leaders have pledged drastic steps to clear their nation’s smog-choked air. 

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Ministry of Environmental Protection reported that 280 million Chinese are exposed to polluted drinking water.

Grain, Poultry, Dairy and Food Security

A new study that examined illegal and unreported marine harvests brought into the United States found that some fish shouldn’t be on U.S. tables. Up to 32 percent of imported wild shrimp, crab, salmon, pollock, tuna and other catch is poached, according to the study.

In November of 2013, China rejected imports of 600,000 tonnes of US-grown corn on the grounds they it was a genetically modified food not approved in China.

Food safety is raising eyebrows among the Chinese public once again, after a family-run workshop in east China was exposed to be selling duck blood made with banned additives.

Energy Development and Problem

China will launch a number of major projects to restructure its energy layout and achieve a greener development with cleaner energy.
Related:

Convection devices the size of skyscrapers generate electricity by heating air inside

How does environmental pollution influences supply chain model

China faces severe environmental tasks but there are opportunities for companies to become more sustainable in the way they operate, delegates at a summit on "green business" said on Monday.


Friday, April 18, 2014

Daily News April 18, 2014

Environmental Pollution and Health

Chinese scientists have developed soil remediation technologies to prepare for large-scale applications.

How much global warming will we get in the future? That largely depends on how much extra carbon-dioxide humans put in the atmosphere. And that — in large part — hinges on how much coal China ends up burning in the years ahead.

Grain, Poultry, Dairy and Food Security

Government admits contamination, caused by all-year-round accumulation of toxins from factories, mining and agriculture, is worse in industrialised areas such as Pearl River and Yangstze deltas.

McDonald's Corp. is looking to beef up its image in China to lure diners amid an economic slowdown that could send them looking for cheaper alternatives.

Local restaurants embrace sustainably produced, organic and, where possible, local ingredients, writes Janice Leung Hayes

Energy Problems


Most potential subsea minerals in international waters

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Daily News April 17, 2014

Environmental Pollution and Health

China's babies at risk from soot, smog, environmental health news
China’s smoke-belching coal plants and heavy traffic may be signs of a bustling economy but health experts fear the country’s dirty air is hurting its babies.

Nearly one-fifth of China’s arable land is contaminated with either organic or inorganic pollution, according to the results of a soil-pollution survey from government ministries.As Josh Chin and Brian Spegele report:
Related:

 About one third of Beijing's PM 2.5 is from neighboring cities, Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau said on Wednesday.

China’s PX protestors are accused of overreacting, but their anger is based on a long string of pollution cover-ups

Grain, Poultry, Dairy and Food Security

Another 170 were found last week, bobbing in a Yellow River tributary in northwestern Qinghai Province. No one knew where they had come from or when they had arrived. Locals just knew that these pigs were dead.

As fears over food safety grow in China, companies are letting customers trace their products via WeChat, the country’s most popular messaging app

Trade

Export sales of U.S. corn and soybeans declined in the latest week, with old-crop corn sales down 9% from the previous week and soybeans down 76%, USDA said on Thursday.

In the 60 years that Ursa Farmers Cooperative has been loading Midwest soybeans onto boats along the Mississippi River, business has never been this good.

Energy Problems


China's coal producers saw a decline in both profitability and investment in overseas countries amid gloomy domestic demand and competition from imported coal, industry insider said on Wednesday.

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Daily News April 16, 2014

Environmental Pollution and Health

Pollution watchdog says 28-36% of hazardous airborne particles came from surrounding provinces like Hebei

Computer modelling showed intensification of US-bound Pacific storms, driven by fine aerosols from coal power plants and traffic

Grain, Poultry, Dairy and Food Security

A Government-imposed shakeout on China's dairy industry will radically alter the way both its domestic firms and international competitors - like Fonterra - operate in the world's second largest economy, writes Alexander Speirs.

Energy Problem

Southern Co. says it has signed a deal with a state-owned Chinese coal and energy company to work together to develop coal technologies, based in part on the coal gasification and carbon capture technology that Southern subsidiary Mississippi Power Co. is deploying at the $5 billion Kemper County power plant.


Since China's president, Xi Jinping, called for integration of regions around Beijing in February, the market response has been quick: property prices in neighboring cities have kept rising, as have related stocks.

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Daily News April 15, 2014

Environmental Pollution and Health

Six heavily polluting industries, all involving manufacturing, will move out of Beijing, said a senior official of the Beijing municipal government during a dialogue with citizens on March 8.

The government of the industrial city of Tianjin in northern China said it would not approve any new steel, cement or non-ferrous metalsplants in a bid to fight pollution, state media reported on Tuesday.

Long-awaited amendments to China's 1989 Environmental Protection Law are expected to be finalised later this year, giving the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) greater authority to take on polluters.

What happens in Asia doesn't stay in Asia, a new study warns.

Grain, Poultry and Food Security

China is stepping up regulation of food manufacturers and retailers. David Ettinger from law firm Keller and Heckman talks about the latest changes in the country’s food standards.

The Chinese pork producer that bought Smithfield Foods Inc. is planning to sell its shares at a valuation of 15 times to 20.8 times its forecast earnings for its multibillion-dollar initial public offering in Hong Kong, said people familiar with the situation Wednesday, valuing WH Group at up to $21.2 billion.

Water security

Desalinated seawater will supply a third of Beijingers' domestic tap water starting 2019, a city water company announced on Monday.

Chinese scientists are expected to finish designing a monitoring network on water quality "from the source to tap" by 2015, said a senior environmental scientist here on Monday.

A Chinese court has rejected a lawsuit filed by five residents from a major northwestern city after authorities said a cancer-inducing chemical had been found in tapwater at 20 times above national safety levels, state media reported on Tuesday.

On Friday the government of Lanzhou, China, informed its 3.6 million residents that their drinking water would be carcinogenic for the next 24 hours.

Energy Problem

The purchase adds to a multibillion-dollar string of foreign acquisitions by China's government-owned energy and mining companies


In an effort to clean up the choking smog in many major Chinese cities, the Chinese government plans onbanning imports of high sulfur coal. 

Monday, April 14, 2014

Daily News April 14, 2014

Environmental Pollution and Health

Thanks to the U.S. State Department, Beijing residents finally have the answer to one of the city’s greatest mysteries: How often is the air polluted?

Shanghai residents will soon receive more accurate air quality reports with the launch of a new calculating system.

How does environmental pollution influences supply chain model

As part of its plan to move tens of millions of people out of the countryside, China is building hundreds of brand-new cities. Tianjin Eco-city is a relatively successful example, but many of its 'green' buildings still echo like gymnasiums

Grain, Poultry and Food Security

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that China's tougher stance on imports of genetically modified corn is distressing U.S. agribusiness, largely stopping trade of corn in its fastest growing market. One industry estimate shows exports down by 85 percent from last year.
Related:

Wal-Mart hasn”t had the easiest of relationships with the Chinese government. In the past three years, it’s been fined $9.8 million and variously sanctioned for using misleading pricing, selling poor-quality products and selling donkey meat that actually turned out to be fox.

Organic processed foods are about to become more plentiful and much cheaper at Walmartstores across the nation, including in the Bay Area, and that could change the landscape of California agriculture.

Over the past three years, Chinese authorities have fined Wal-Mart Stores Inc. $9.8 million, sanctioning the retailer for using misleading pricing, selling poor-quality products and even peddling donkey meat that turned out to be fox.

U.S. struggles to curb flood of imported goods avoiding duties

China’s Role in Global Trade

In an effort to clean up the choking smog in many major Chinese cities, the Chinese government plans on banning imports of high sulfur coal. 

Water security


Energy Problem

Residents of this isolated mountain valley of terraced cornfields were just going to sleep last April when they were jolted by an enormous roar, followed by a tower of flames.


For the past 65 years, China has built nearly two dams per day, and wants to expand its hydroelectric capacity. 

Friday, April 11, 2014

Daily News April 11, 2014

Environmental Pollution and Health

Six heavily polluting industries, all involving manufacturing, will move out of Beijing, said a senior official of the Beijing municipal government during a dialogue with citizens on March 8.

China’s slowing economy and tougher government anti-pollution efforts are taking a toll on its steel mills, rattling the world’s biggest producer of the alloy and flashing worries of a potential downturn in the global iron-ore trade.

As pollution lowers quality of life for many foreigners, smaller or coastal cities are becoming a magnet thanks to a good environment, reports Zhang Yuchen

China’s Role in Global Trade

 Australia and China have agreed to enhance offshore market development of the Renminbi (RMB) and the central banks of both countries are working together on potential future clearing and settlement arrangements in Sydney, Treasurer Joe Hockey said in a press release on Friday.

The U.S.-China relationship is important and evolving. It will define the world's economic trajectory in the 21st century. 

How does environmental pollution influences supply chain model

The well-achieved targets by lenders showcases that fact that recent green credits efforts in many regions are productive, according to statistics in 2013, which led bankers to rethink their "green finance" strategy.

Grain, Poultry and Food Security

Residents of provincial capital in west China flock to supermarkets to stock up on mineral water after government admits water supply contaminated by potentially deadly toxic chemical.
Related:

Following in the footsteps of the rich and famous in the West who’ve launched their own food empires — from Whole Foods to Duchy Originals — wealthy Chinese are now turning their eyes to food as the new frontier. 

China Shengmu Organic Milk and Beijing Sunlon are planning to raise as much as $1.3 billion combined from Hong Kong IPOs this year, tapping into investor demand for access to China's dairy industry.

China's inflation came in just below expectations for March, suggesting domestic demand remains soft as the economy loses momentum.

China has allowed Brazilian corn imports to start this month, a further blow to U.S. exports to the world's No. 2 consumer of the grain already hurt by the discovery of an unapproved genetically modified strain in shipments.

Tyson Foods (TSN_), privately held Cargill, JBS (JBSAY_) and Leucadia National's (LUK_)National Beef are among the meat processors ready to jump into China should the market re-open to U.S. beef, according to Joel Haggard, senior vice president for the Asia-Pacific division of the U.S. Meat Export Federation.


China has long faced unfavorable food math: It feeds a fifth of the world’s population on a seventh of its available land—and not the world’s most fertile, Beijing often complains. So the question in global agriculture markets has often been, Why not speed up use of genetically modified food?