A court in Guizhou Province has accepted China’s first environmental lawsuit against a government agency, The China Perspective reported. The All-China Environment Federation sued Qingzhen’s land and resources authority for granting a permit for an ice-cream workshop said to threaten ecosystems near scenic Baihua Lake.
China’s National Energy Bureau says 7,467 small-scale coal-power generating units have been shut down since 2006 as part of a drive to make the coal industry more efficient, according to China-CBN.com.
The three biggest power companies in China — Huaneng, Datang and Guodian — produced more greenhouse-gas emissions last year than the whole of Britain, The Guardian said, citing a Greenpeace China report.
A protest over pollution problems caused by a chemical plant escalated in Zhentou Township in Hunan Province, Xinhua reported. Villagers are demanding health care and compensation for crops damaged by heavy metals.
A Chinese environmental NGO, the Chongqing Green Volunteers Union, has asked the environmental protection ministry to scrap the two-stage evaluation system for new hydroelectric projects, the 21st Century Business Herald reported.
China’s largest desert lake – Hong Jian Nao — is still shrinking as a result of climate change and human activities, according to Xinhua. Situated in Shaanxi Province, the wetland area is the habitat of more than 20 species of rare birds.
A Chinese drainage-canal project on the Argun River has drawn complaints from Russia, which says the work may harm the ecosystem along the countries’ border, Reuters reported.
Contaminated drinking water has made more than 2,600 people ill in Chifeng, Inner Mongolia, Xinhua said.
While setting no firm goals, the United States and China signed a memorandum of understanding, promising more cooperation on climate change, energy and the environment, according to Reuters.
China concluded an agreement with Ecuador to buy US$1 billion worth of crude over the next two years, Hexun.com said.
As its population ages, Shanghai is urging eligible couples to have a second child, The Guardian reported.