(March 17, 2010) The purification project was launched on Tuesday at the Beijing Zoo for major water bodies in the city, and will be finished by August. The project is expected to improve the clarity of the water and also help build a self-purification system for the lakes, in particular, effectively preventing water blooms, which occur every year in Beijing.
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Thanks but no thanks: Bangladesh says no to climate aid from the UK
(March 16, 2010) Bagladesh has refused a $94-million-dollar offer of climate aid from the British government, saying the money, which would have been channelled through the World Bank, comes attached with unfavourable terms and conditions.
Opening the books: Chinese citizens calling for greater transparency
(March 16, 2010) Ren Xinghui’s recent decision to sue China’s Ministry of Finance over the Three Gorges levy – added to electricity bills in the 1990s to help pay for the massive infrastructure project – has raised a number of eyebrows.
Chalillo Dam
(March 15, 2010) Copyright@2008 Tony Rath/tonyrath.com. All Rights Reserved. http://www.tonyrath.com.
Siltation from the Chalillo Dam in the Mountain Pine Ridge Region of Belize.
(March 15, 2010) Copyright@2008 Tony Rath/tonyrath.com. All Rights Reserved. http://www.tonyrath.com.
State funding fuels China’s global push in wind, sun
(December 22, 2009) Most of China’s alternative energy makers, including solar firms Yingli Energy Holdings and Suntech Power Holdings, and wind gear maker China High Speed Transmission, already have access to low-interest financing from state-run banks to fund their growth as well as client purchases.
China’s wind power plans turn on coal
(December 10, 2009) So far, wind energy makes up just 0.4 percent of China’s electricity supply. However, Beijing is building the world’s biggest wind power project, although paradoxically, adding wind power in China also means adding new polluting coal-fired power stations.
Chinese dams blamed for Mekong’s dwindling flows and fish stocks
(March 14, 2010) Something is wrong with the mighty Mekong River, which frames the lives of 250 million people in six countries of Southeast Asia through which it flows and on which 60 million people depend directly for their livelihoods.
Anti-rape funds in Congo wasted: critics
(March 14, 2010) Since 2006, Canada has poured $15-million in government money into a massive foreign campaign against the sexual violence in Congo. But Ms. Bihamba, who as leader of a women’s group spent lonely years speaking out against the problem, is now one of a growing number of skeptics who question whether this money is achieving its goals.
Low level of Mekong raises concerns over water management
(March 14, 2010) The Mekong River, South-East Asia’s longest waterway, is at its lowest level in 50 years, raising questions about who is to blame – mankind or Mother Nature – for the region’s diminishing water supply. The 4,350-kilometre-long river originates in southern China and meanders through Laos and Thailand into Cambodia, where it feeds Tongle Sap Lake before reaching southern Vietnam and emptying into the South China Sea.
Severe drought puts spotlight on Chinese dams
(March 12, 2010) Environmental groups in Thailand and elsewhere lay at least part of the blame of the recent drought on China’s doorstep. They claim that China’s management of a series of dams on the Lancang has aggravated the unfolding crisis. The Thai media has helped stir up emotions; one editorial in the Bangkok Post last month was headlined "China’s dams killing Mekong." Yet Chinese engineers and some other scientists say the criticism is unfounded.
The Three Gorges reservoir has become a danger
(March 11, 2010) The large-scale construction that accompanied the building of the Three Gorges dam and its reservoir has increased the number of landslides—both new and reactivated—in the surrounding area. County seats recently built on land near the reservoir are now particularly prone to landslides. Local schools and residential buildings are already suffering cracked foundations and walls.
China idles 40% of windpower turbine output capacity
(March 11, 2010) China is idling as much as 40 percent of its wind-turbine factories following a surge in investment driven by the government’s renewable-energy goals, the vice president of Shanghai Electric Group Corp. said.
Hidden waters, dragons in the deep: the freshwater crisis in China’s karst regions
(January 18, 2010) Just like the polluted waters of the Yangtze River, the eroded hills of the Loess Plateau and sandstorms whipped up in the deserts of Inner Mongolia that pummel Beijing every spring, the Shi Dong and Nan Dong caves of Yunnan Province represent the front lines of China’s fresh water crisis. Studies of China’s southwest karst region indicate the water beneath the surface is contaminated with bacteria, chemicals and sediments that drain off the land. Moreover, the region’s porous landscape makes securing a steady supply of water for agriculture and household use an often daily challenge.
Beijing once again turning to Hebei to solve its water problems
(March 9, 2010) Beijing’s worsening water crisis is once again forcing its neighbouring province Hebei to sacrifice more of its dwindling reserves. According to a recent report from China Daily, Hebei is expected to open four of its reservoirs this year in an effort to help cover demand in the country’s water-starved capital.
Patricia Adams
Dai Qing
Fan Xiao
Lawrence Solomon
Mu Lan
Probe International
Lisa Peryman
Probe Media
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Probe International 