Two University of British Columbia scientists have found evidence that substantial overreporting of the marine fish catch, mainly by China, has skewed official UN figures and caused complacency about the state of global fish stocks.
Geologists urged to dig harder
(February 23, 2006) Vice-Premier Wen Jiabao warns that the success of the Three Gorges dam project hinges on the ability to predict disasters such as landslides, China Daily reports.
Activists hail guidelines on public input into projects
(February 22, 2006) China’s top environmental agency today issued a groundbreaking set of guidelines on the public’s right to participate in decision-making on large construction projects such as big dams.
China longest river shorter than believed: scientist
(February 22, 2006) Chinese scientists recently measured the length of the Yangtze River, China’s longest river, and found that it is 80-some kilometres shorter than believed.
Villages of the dammed
(February 21, 2006) Warnings ignored as massive Three Gorges project uproots Chinese . . . with Canadian help.
Hydropower firm taps overseas market
(February 21, 2006) China National Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering Corp (Sinohydro), China’s largest hydropower construction company, picked up fat gains from the overseas market last year, a company official said.
Corruption charges rock China’s leaders
(February 21, 2006) Corruption charges have swirled for years around Li Peng’s family. New allegations of nepotism involving Huaneng International have angered the party leadership and copies of the publication in which they appeared are being confiscated.
Three Gorges Corp. braces for impending power glut
(February 16, 2006) China’s power-plant construction spree means heavy state losses, analysts tell 21st Century Economic Report.
Relics fear death by water
The money Beijing has earmarked to excavate historic sites and relics before they are inundated by the Three Gorges reservoir can save just one-tenth of what’s there, says Yu Weichao, curator of the Museum of Chinese History.
Gorges official slaps tour scare stories
Tourists do not need to hurry to visit the Three Gorges dam area because “the rising water level will only add to the beauty of that section of the river,” Xinhua news agency quotes a tourism official as saying.
China’s power-sector reform plans fail to impress
(February 14, 2006) Beijing is banking on new foreign money to help the domestic power industry become more market-oriented, but only a few foreign players remain interested in China.
China sets overall plan for Yangtze water resources
People’s Daily reports on a new, ‘more feasible and efficient’ program to manage water resources in the Yangtze River valley.
Dam migrants to move on schedule
Officials express confidence that 170,000 more people will have been moved out of the Chongqing area by the time the Three Gorges reservoir is filled next June.
Report examines murky funding of power projects
Official funders and commercial banks may publicly withdraw from direct lending for controversial dams such as Three Gorges, but then go ahead and support the same projects indirectly, a new report says.
Silt levels reported as dropping in Yangtze River
New data on sedimentation show ‘the ecological system along the Yangtze River has obviously improved,’ Xinhua says. ‘We still face a tough task in … consolidating the current achievements,’ a hydrologist is quoted as saying.
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