(February 10, 2011) Just before the Chinese New Year, Beijing-based non-profit group Friends of Nature wrote an open letter to members of China’s top government bodies – the National People’s Congress and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference – calling on them to urgently examine proposed changes to the boundaries of a national rare fish reserve on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River.
Carbon Credit Watch: First credits for ‘forestry preservation’ cashed in; Philippines argues nuclear power should also qualify
(February 9, 2011) A Kenyan company has become the first recipient of Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) credits. Meanwhile, the Government of the Philippines argues that carbon credits should be issued for nuclear power.
China Dialogue: Raizing the last refuge
(February 9, 2011) Han Ziyu at China Dialogue reports that the Chinese Government is downscaling a reserve for rare fish. Below is an excerpt, and link to the full article at China Dialogue.
Hernando de Soto: Egypt’s economic apartheid
(February 9, 2011) Renowned Peruvian economist and international development scholar Hernando de Soto wrote an article in the Wall Street Journal about how the lack of property rights in Egypt has led to widespread economic marginalization, fueling the current uprising.
China Dialogue: Cascade effect
(February 8, 2011) Philip Hirsh at China Dialogue writes about the downstream effects of Chinese dam projects. Below is an excerpt, and a link to the full article at China Dialogue.
Troubling similarities between carbon credits and mortgage derivatives
(February 8, 2011) Chuck Spinney at the Atlantic has written an interesting article comparing carbon credits to the complex mortgage dervativs that led to the financial meltdown.
Carbon Credit Watch: Austria refuses to publish serial numbers of stolen credits, vow they will not re-enter the market
(February 8, 2011) Austrian officials claim to have tracked down many stolen carbon credits, but have refused to disclose their serial numbers. They claim that they will not re-enter the system. Not everyone is satisfied with this assurance.
Chinese official media boasts of record number of Three Gorges tourists
(February 8, 2011) Chinese official media outlet Xinhua boasts that the Three Gorges Dam reported a record 1.45 million tourist arrivals last year. If accurate, this means that there are now as many annual tourists as there were local residents forcibly resettled to build the dam.
China’s Golden Waterway?
(February 7, 2011) Here is an article on the Three Gorges Dam we stumbled upon written by University of Victoria PHD student Trevor Williams. The article was inspired by a seminar by Probe International Fellow Dai Qing presented at the University of Victoria.
Carbon Credit Watch: Carbon trading resumes, trading volumes dismal
(February 7, 2011) Carbon trading has resumed in five EU Countries, though volumes have remained dismal due to concerns over the integrity of carbon markets.
Carbon Credit Watch: Carbon traders seek fraud compensation system
(February 4, 2011) Carbon credit traders are pushing for a fraud compensation system in the wake of large scale carbon credit theft. Read about this and other stories in our carbon market media roundup.
Economic Observer on China’s hydro dam push
(February 4, 2011) This recent Economic Observer story provides a glimpse into the Chinese Government’s upcoming dam building frenzy.
Carbon Credit Watch: Carbon market freeze continues as European Commission attempts to stamp out fraud
(February 3, 2011) Ongoing concerns about fraud and corruption in carbon trading has lead the European Commission to indefinitely extend the freeze on trading in carbon allowances. Read about this and other stories in our carbon market media roundup.
An Inconvenient Truth: China Uses Global Warming to Justify Controversial Nu River Dams Project
(February 3, 2011) The Government of China is using international pressure to reduce carbon emissions as a pretense to build a series of controversial power stations on the pristine Nu River—a UNESCO World Heritage Site—despite opposition from environmentalists and human rights advocates.
NGOs in Haiti face new questions about effectiveness
(February 1, 2011) In the days after the earth shook and the government collapsed, the municipal nursing home here because one of the most desperate sights in Haiti, as old people lay swaddled in dirty sheets, huddled in cramped tents, begging visitors for water.
Patricia Adams
Dai Qing
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Lawrence Solomon
Mu Lan
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