(February 26, 2011) Official Chinese media reports that 190,000 more people will be relocated this year as part of the south-north water diversion project.
Chinese dams are seeking to outshine the stars in the sky
(February 25, 2011) French journalist Claude Arpi writes that the Chinese dam lobby is using global warming to ram through catastrophic dam projects.
China’s Three Gorges Project to be completed in five years
(February 25, 2011) Chinese official media reports that construction of the Three Gorges Dam will be completed in five years. Cost estimates for the project range from $22.5 billion to $70 billion USD, and it has displaced over 1.4 million people.
PI Exclusive: The Yongding River’s lavish funeral
(February 24, 2011) Beijing-based water expert Wang Jian recounts how decades of environmental degradation have dried up Beijing’s “Mother River.”
Probe International executive director Patricia Adams discusses carbon fraud on BNN
(February 23, 2011) Patricia Adams appeared on BNN’s SqueezePlay yesterday to discuss theft and fraud in carbon markets. Click the link below to watch the full video.
Beijing building golf courses despite disastrous droughts
(February 17, 2011) The latest edition of The Economist featured an article on the golf course building frenzy that is taking place in Beijing, despite catastrophic water shortages. Below is an excerpt of The Economist piece, and links to related stories.
Patricia Adams responds to a Cap and Trade advocate
(February 16, 2011) In a February 14th National Post article, author Dan Gardner argued that ‘command and control’ environmental regulations should be replaced with a cap and trade system. But as Probe International Executive Director Patricia Adams points out, cap and trade is just another varient of the ‘command and control’ approach that Mr. Gardner claims to oppose. Below is her response in today’s National Post.
Lagos eyes financial boom from climate doom
(February 14, 2011) The article from the Daily Independent in Nigeria explains how governments can profit from the panic over climate change.
China bids to ease drought with $1bn emergency water aid
(February 11, 2011) The Chinese government plans to spend $1 billion to divert water, construct emergency wells and improve irrigation in an effort to “head off a destabilising level of stress over water.” Current drought conditions are the worst that China has seen in 60 years.
Pollution fear cancels Beijing power plant plan
(February 11, 2011) According to Chinese official state media, plans to build a power plant near Beijing have been halted over environmental concerns. The plant would have been one kilometer from a canal that diverts water into drought stricken Beijing.
Is hydropower exploitation of the Nu river in China ‘a must’?
(February 10, 2011) Meng Si of China Dialogue wrote in today’s Guardian that damming the Nu River in an attempt to reduce emissions will devastate the local environment. Below is an excerpt, and link to the full story.
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: 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.


