26 Degrees Newsflash!

Articles translated by Poppy Toland

•  The 26 Degrees campaign was launched in Beijing . It follows on from last summer's “26 Degrees Air Conditioner Energy-Saving Campaign” which was organized by 6 NGOs. This years campaign is being run by 9 environmental organizations, namely Global Village of Beijing (GVB), China Environmental Culture Promotion Association, World Wide Fund for Nature , China Association for NGO Cooperation (CANGO), Friends of Nature, Institute of Environment and Development, Green Earth Volunteers, Friends of the Earth (HK) and Conservation International, who are again calling for the conservation of energy.

•  As early as 5 th June, Friends of the Earth in Hong Kong put forward a calling for all Hong Kong citizens to be vigilant and report any “ Cold crimes ”. Rooms and buildings where the air conditioner temperature has been turned down to below 26 degrees Celsius can be considered as having committed a “ Cold Crime ”. This labeling will hopefully put pressure on Hong Kong companies and organizations; and in so doing , help wipe clean the bad name that Hong Kong has internationally with regards to the cold temperatures in its buildings. Currently the coldest places reported in Hong Kong are art centers, bus companies, cinemas and also public and private large rooms and halls.

•  After the launch of the “26 Degrees, Our Commitment” Campaign, GVB, China Environmental Culture Promotion Association and the other 7 organizations arranged for employees and volunteers to sample a few public buildings all over the city and test the temperature. Please refer to www.26c.ngo.cn for the results of the temperatures recorded on the afternoon of 8 th July. Of the 15 public buildings sampled, only one was below 26oC. The Wangfujing Foreign Book Store was using a fan to help keep the temperatures low, which meant that they could set their air conditioning to 28oC.

•  The Great Hall of the People set a good example of energy saving to the people. The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress , as the legislative body of the country, took the lead in participating, which is an impressive step for the construction of an energy conserving society. The Great Hall of the People responded to the appeal of their own accord, got involved straight away, followed it out according to the plan and got to see early results.

•  Since the press conference for “26 Degrees – Our Commitment” was held in Beijing on June 26th, 10 or more major newspapers and magazines have made reports. There were also Chinese and English radio reports, television reports on CCTV and BTV (Beijing Television), as well as other media. These reports focused on “Constructing an energy conserving society” with special reports about the 26 Degrees Campaign and the news that surrounds it. It has also received a lot of attention from internet media. All of this media attention has paid a big role in advancing and expanding the campaign.

•  On 22 nd July, the head of GVB, Sheri Liao was a guest on the People.com BBS Great Power Forum, where she talked about the 26 Degrees campaign. The details can be found on the people.com website http://news.tom.com.

•  On 26 th July, the CCTV News Channel “Public Watch” made a special report about the “26 Degrees Air-conditioner Energy Saving Campaign” in their “Building an energy conserving Society” program slot.

•  All the enthusiastic response has made the news about the 26 degrees campaign spread far and wide. Chengyang Environmental branch office sent out a “26 Degrees Campaign” advocacy letter, calling for the offices, public buildings and households in the whole area to adjust their air conditioners to 26 oC , to allow people to adopt the attitude of an energy saving society. Haikou City is not short of institutions and work units which have adopted energy saving measures: making sure that the air conditioner temperature is not lower than 26 oC , the lights are turned off when you leave the office and that water, oil and office stationary is used sparingly.

Friends, once again we implore that you pay attention to the energy crisis, and start taking action to protect our environment. If you have not yet joined the 26 Degree Campaign, please go to the website to find out how – http://www.26c.ngo.cn . We are waiting for your commitment!

The second symposium for Yuanminyuan Ecology and Heritage Protection is held

Source: Friends of Nature, www.fon.org.cn

On 14 th July, Friends of Nature met with Green Earth Volunteers and Blog China at the Friendship Hotel Conference Centre for their second Yuanminyuan ecology and heritage protection symposium.

In the meeting, Wang Junxiu made a speech saying, “Today's meeting is being co-hosted by Green Earth Volunteers, China Blog Site and Friends of Nature. Perhaps everyone knows the problem concerning the issue of Yuanmingyuan and after a hundred days of rumination, a short-term conclusion has been reached. Just on my way here, I thought to name these ‘hundred days of struggle' as the ‘hundred days of protecting the old'. Because the problem of China 's ecology and heritage sites are relatively old problems, we bring this hundred days of protecting the old campaign, the Qinghua University report, and SEPA's opinion about the Yuanmingyuan case out on to the stage as an event with symbolic meaning.

Although there is some discrepancy between our predictions regarding the rectification and the conclusions made by the report and the comments made by SEPA, we are very happy to see that our effort has had a definite result. It has even been asserted that this is an important page in China 's history, going beyond the significance it holds for environmental protection; and is the result of the accumulation of all the public rights protection movements of recent years. This movement is not only the acceleration of public control but also the expansion of the participation of society as a whole.

( For a full version of the meeting minutes, please visit: http://www.fon.org.cn/index.php?id=5387)

Shanxi 's first Environmental Protection NGO is established

Source: http://news.tom.com June 24 th 2005

Over the last couple of days, there have appeared a group of exceptional people in the towns and cities of Zuoquan County , Shanxi province. These 65 people are the members of Puzhong City 's first environmental non-government organization (NGO), Zuoquan's “Green Taixing”.

“Green Taixing” is a public welfare, NGO. The group's objective is to advance environmental protection movement, by uniting the whole of society in their passion for environmental protection and developing information and education related to environmental protection. At present, this organization has 23 group members and 65 individual members.

This group of exceptional people will develop environmental education for youth in provincial schools; carry out environmental education and training in the countryside, enterprises and communities; and, promote environmental knowledge to the general public in the street.

Minshan project starts trainings in local traditional knowledge and biodiversity protection training

18 July, Source ： http://www.wwfchina.org

The region of WWF's Minshan Protection Project covers 16 cities / counties and a total population of 4,600,000 people, among which the Zang, Qiang and Hui ethnic minorities make up 9%, approximately 400 000 people. Traditional knowledge and cultural resources are important to create a society in which mankind co-exists harmoniously with nature. However in recent years, folk tradition, knowledge and culture have been threatened with commercialism and are gradually fading. In order to curb this trend, WWF are committed to increasing the ability of the ethnic minorities in the Minshan region's ability to protect and recover their local traditional knowledge and culture, and use this traditional knowledge and culture to control and make use of natural resources effectively.

On 25 th June, a training class entitled “ Sichuan local traditional knowledge and biodiversity protection” was held in Mao County, Sichuan. 25 representatives came from Minshan protected region, Linchang, Hong Kong Community Partners and Conservation International to attend this training. The “Traditional Knowledge and People Network” South East Asia expert, Dr. Hermann J. Tillmann was invited by WWF to give a lecture on the basic concepts of local traditional knowledge and the 12 types of fundamental tools and applications for researching local traditional knowledge.

To allow the students to be able to master the technical knowledge quicker, the training class arranged for the students to go down to Xiaoheba and Napu villages, nearby to Baodinggou protected area in Mao County, which are rich in Qiang minority traditional cultural characteristics. There, they started a 2 day survey into Qiang minority traditional knowledge, culture and biodiversity.

The Qiang Minority has a long history and the earliest Qiang people have been traced back to the Yinshang Dynasty. Downstream from Minjiang is an important area of distribution of the early Qiang. Nowadays they are mainly scattered along the upper reaches of Min River in Sichuan's Aba Zang and Qiang minorities autonomous region in Mao County, Li County, Songpan County and Jiangguan town and in the regions of Heishui county, and Xi'er and Mianyang cities in Beichuan county.

To carry out the investigation, the students made use of the 12 tools and, together with local villagers, protracted an ichnography, a profile chart and a bird's eye view of the village, a calendar of the seasons and the crop growing and looked at Qiang minority's traditional knowledge culture from different perspectives and constructively put forward a plan of a feasible way in which the Qiang minority's traditional knowledge culture and Baodinggou protected area's biodiversity protection could be combined.

The fifth campaign for the “Public participation for a Green Home” project is launched in Shanghai

Source ： Global Village of Beijing , June 2005

With financial support from Exxon Mobil China Ltd, Global Village of Beijing (GVB), Xuhui District Environmental Protection Bureau and Xujiang District Kangjian Street Office have launched the fourth campaign of the “Public participation for a Green Home” project. Based on the experience gained from the last campaigns, this time the campaign method and plan will be put forward by GVB and Shouxiangfang District's “Resident's Environmental Council” and the Shouxiangfang District's “Resident's Environmental Council” will be responsible for actually putting it into action. GVB, Xuhui District Environmental Protection Bureau and Xujiang District Kangjian Road Office will work together to assist its completion.

The Shouxiangfang Community is a group of urban educated people living in Shanghai 's Xuhui District Kangjian Street . There is about 40% green coverage in this area and flowers grow all year round. The community residents like their home and enjoy walking in the street. They hang different trees and plants up on the outsides of the buildings for the appreciation of the other residents.

Every year, students from Shanghai Normal University go in groups over the summer to provide the residents with environmental education. They tell them how to grow flowers, and techniques for indoor gardening. This year the Kangjian Road Shouxiangfang Community and GVB worked together with these communities to develop the “Public Participation for a Green Home” project, with the aim of raising the level of the residents' environmental awareness.

This May, GVB contributed to building Shouxiangfang Community into a green, environmental, civilised and harmonious community, by helping them to organise and establish a Residents' Public Environment Committee and helping them to lay down rules and formulate a Residents' Environmental Pact , which will give play to the autonomy and enthusiasm of the residents.

The establishment of the Residents' Public Environment Committee provided a platform for the environmentally-aware community residents and with the help of the Residents' Committee, they launched many different environmental education campaigns, like organising a twice-weekly environmental education classes for children who were on their summer holidays and were at home and leading these children to get involved in environmental activities within the community. The Residents' Public Environment Committee's three day environmental protection campaign ended with the students and the members of the Residents' Public Environment Committee singing the Recycling Song and Be Kind to our Earth .

Beijing Brooks Education Centre runs a series of “NGO -- Discussion and Sharing Programs”

Source: Beijing Brooks Education Centre

China 's NGOs (Non–governmental organizations, also known as non-profit organisations) are still young and developing but are playing increasingly serious roles as part of the process of building a harmonious society within China . The program style provided by Beijing Brooks promotes personal development and is currently becoming an option for many NGOs.

On the afternoon 16 th July, Professor Gan Lin, the head of the WWF Climate Change and Energy Project, gave a talk in the Hezi Café on the topic of “26 Degree Air-conditioner Energy Saving Campaign– from Planning through to Implementation”. He talked through how to design a project, develop a project, how to continue advancing a project during its implementation stage and how to develop a project in cooperation with other NGOs. Everyone had the chance to discuss these topics and share their experiences.

Teachers and social workers from the school for children of migrant's workers – training in participatory thinking

Source : Community participation and Action Network
http://communityaction.org.cn

On July 13 th , Li Liya went to the Hearts of Hope Home School for children of migrant workers, to take part in a “Children of migrant workers school teachers and social workers –training in participatory thinking”. The training encompasses the concepts, principals, methods, tools and technical abilities related to developing community participatory thinking. Discussions, games, exercises and other interactive measures got everybody actively involved and created a very good atmosphere for communal learning.

6000 Chinese youths volunteers go west to share their skills

Written by Poppy Toland

Referencing articles from:

6000 Chinese Young Volunteers “Go West” Xinhua News Agency; August 31, 2003 ;

www.people.com.cn 15/0705, Zhang Chunlang

In the last few days, Hu Jintao praised the Go West Program, saying it was opening a new path for graduates and would also allow China 's western provinces to make good use of valuable human resources. The Chinese government is full of hope that this program will be beneficial in pushing forward the social and economic development of China 's western regions.

The Go West Program sends recently graduated university students to China 's impoverished western regions, where they will volunteer by offering their skills to local communities there. This program has been running since 2003 and has sent more than 24,929 graduates from higher education institutions to over 300 impoverished western regions to work in the fields of education, medical, agriculture and cultural development. This year there are 8,602 newly recruited university graduates, who are currently preparing to go west to start their projects at the end of this month.

Hu Jintao commented that this kind of program was a need of the times in China , as 70% of the western regions seriously lagging behind eastern and central China . This unbalanced development is very unhealthy and is holding back China 's overall economic and social development. There is a serious lack of human resources which is aggravating this naturally existing east-west divide, as with 28.8% of China 's population, the west only has 15.5% of the country's professionals.

As well as being very helpful at bridging this gap, the students will also benefit from their westerly experiences; with over 2 million university new graduates entering the job market each year (MOE), it is become increasingly difficult for them to find jobs. Whilst currently the trend for recent graduates is to go to big cities on the east coast or Beijing to find a job, the Go West program will help to relieve this employment pressure by redistributing the skills provided by the young people and making sure that they can be placed where they are needed most.

Although the volunteer graduates who have decided to head west, will no doubt find that their living and working situations tough, but the experience will certainly be satisfying and they will feel appreciated in the places they are working. After they have finished their volunteering, they can choose whether to stay in the west or move elsewhere. Either way, they will have acquired skills that will be beneficial to their future job hunts.

The Chinese government sees this program as an important part of the whole initiative to Invest in the West and plans to restructure policies to allow this program to be implementing this program efficiently and smoothly, while suiting the needs of the students as much as possible.

Taiwan NGO delegation have exchange meeting in Beijing

Source ： NPO service website: http://www.npo.org.cn

Following on from the visit that “The Society of the Wilderness”' made at the end of June, another Taiwanese NGO delegation came on 21 st July to take part in the “village development” conference and to talk with Beijing NGOs. Among them was the notorious, Zhong Xiuhan who led the movement against the Meinong dam. Zheng Kongkong, who has been constantly dedicated himself to the protection of the cultural heritage of the globe's least populated ethnic minority (with a population of less than 500 people) was also there. Their brilliant lectures gave a full picture of the progress of Taiwanese NGOs in recent years.

Zhong Xiumei has a PhD from Sydney University, Australia and has been a professor at Taiwan 's Nankai University . She is the former Secretary General from Taiwan 's Meinong People's Association. She talked on the topic of “Reflections on the Meinong people's anti-dam Movement”. Zheng Kongkong of Hsieh Architect & Associates , works in the Shao minority aboriginal autonomous region. He talked about “Reconstructing the lives of the Shao minority after the 921 Earthquake”. Yang Zujun, professor from Taiwan 's Culture University 's News Department, famous folk singer and founder of the “Express support for Yang Xumen Alliance”, spoke about “Why we must express support for rice bomber, Yang Xumen”.

Reflections on the M einong people's anti-dam Movement : Meinong is a pretty town in Gaoxiong , Taiwan , inhabited by Hakka people. In 1993, the local authorities planned to construct the Meinong dam. More than 200 Meinong citizens went down to the Legislative court singing mountain folk songs, in a protest led by Zhong Xiumei. The dynamic Meinong anti-dam movement involved 7 bittersweet years before it finally met with success. The Meinong Society is a group started by the Meinong townsfolk which grew from their protests against the dam. It is also involved in cultural development and helps the nurturing of the Hakka culture Meinong town.

“Reconstructing the lives of the Shao minority after the 921 Earthquake” -- The Shao minority, who live between the mountains and the sea, have a present population of only approximately 300 people. It is perhaps the ethnic minority with the lowest population in the world, but it is the Taiwanese aboriginal group with the best preserved culture. After the 921 Earthquake, the Shao minority disaster victims from Sun Moon Lake tried to get help, but without success. In their unfortunate situation they found Xie Yingjun and Zheng Kongkong's Xinzhu culture Association. After a lot of hard work and perseverance, together with the Shao people, they found a piece of land for them to settle on and use, at Dehuashe, the ancestral home of the Shao, and worked with them to reconstruct their homes and their culture.

“Why we must express support for rice bomber, Yang Xumen” - Yang Xumen was a normal Taiwanese peasant. To protest against the increasingly difficult time the Taiwanese peasants were having since Taiwan had entered into the WTO, he made 17 or more white rice bomb cases, in the hope of attracting the government's attention to these problems that the peasants were experiencing. After Yang Xumen was put to death, a huge campaign, the “Express support for Yang Xumen Alliance” was launched by many Taiwanese in all corners of society, in the hope that this event would leave behind a workable method for agriculture in Taiwan .

North-West China Agriculture and Livestock cross-bedding pasture management and the sustainable development of rural livelihood seminar

Source: China NPO Service Website: http://www.npo.org.cn

On 20 th July, the North-West China Agriculture and Livestock Cross-Bedding Pasture Management and Sustainable Development of Rural Livelihood Seminar was held in Beijing .

I n order to promote the protection of pastures, regulate the development of rural livelihood and search for a way to reduce the conflict that exists between these two, research has been carried out on the topic of “Innovative research into the usages and control mechanisms of Ningxia's agriculture and livestock cross-bedding grasslands ” between 2004-2005. This research has been looking into the state of rural livelihood and the grasslands system and development of innovative machinery, under the current pasture management policies. It is supported by the Hui minority autonomous region Development and Reform Committee, the Ningxia Poverty Alleviation and Environmental Reform Center and the China Agricultural University Humanity and Development department.

Concurrently, leading experts and academics in the relevant fields are carrying out in-depth and systematic research on grassland management methods in north-eastern regions, particularly related to grassland policies and policy measures. The profits and costs of using grassland resources and the complexity of clear and defined production rights will decide the diversity of ways that the pasture is used, and the complexity of the methods and processes of how it is managed.

This seminar aimed to collect and summarise effective ways that grassland management is promoted in each place; the experience gained through using communities as management bases; and, the new characteristics and development trends of the grassland system. It aimed to create a stage for the communication and exploration of relevant issues between government officials, experts, academics and NGOs, at the same time put forward a participatory proposal to the Ningxia regional government suitable for managing the pastureland. This conference received funding and support from the Ningxia Hui Ethnic Minority Development and Reform Council, the Asia Foundation and Beijing Enjiu Information Centre.

GVB takes part in a Green English Language Summer Camp

July 18 th Source ： http://www.gvbchina.org.cn

18 th July, the employees from GVB were invited to take part in a Green English Summer Camp activity being organized by the Peking University Affiliated Experimental School . For this 4 day event, the employees gave the 17 middle school students from 11 different provinces lectures on many different environmental issues, relating to the Cartridge For Dragon Recycling Program and 26 Degrees Campaign, plus information about garbage separation and recycling, and protection of wild animals.

Fun games allowed the children to play and learn at the same time, whilst also teaching them to develop teamwork skills. GVB also took the children to the Elk park in Beijing 's south-west suburbs, where the students saw and learned about David's deer, a state level-one protected animal. They also saw wild horses, yak, spotted deer and emus and learned a lot of information about these animals.

The children got a big shock by a row of gravestones which show animals that have already become extinct and ones that are frighteningly near to extinction. Many of the students expressed that in the future they would make a big effort to spread the word about the importance of protecting wild animals.

The activity was only a few days long, but hopefully it will leave a long lasting impression on the children. This may help to persuade them to become China 's new generation of environmentalists and contribute to China 's sustainable development and environmental protection.

Yuanmingyuan Lake-bed Anti-Infiltration Project Timeline

Source: Friends of Nature Magazine, 2005 3 rd Edition, Yi Yimin
And material collected together by VoG's Chinese editor, Zhao Yingjie
Translated by Poppy Toland

August 2003 : The large scale environmental renovation project started at Yuanmingyuan

February 2005 : Work was started on the anti-infiltration project

22 nd March 2005 : Lanzhou University 's Life Science Institute Professor, Zhang Zhengchun discovered that anti-infiltration work was being done on the lake-bed at Yuanmingyuan.

28 th March 2005 : Zhang Zhengchun's infamous article “The membrane lining being used at Yuanmingyuan is a destructive ecological hazard” was published by p eople.com .cn. Other media interest followed, reporting the case, which caused the public to start taking an interest.

31 st March 2005 : SEPA made the declaration that the Yuanmingyuan lake-bed anti-seepage project had not been examined or approved and was therefore an illegitimate project. They called for it to be suspended while the procedure to obtain environmental impact assessment examination and approval was being carried out.

1 st April 2005 : The Yuanmingyuan administration office officially accepted SEPA's notice and halted work.

1 st April 2005 : Friends of Nature (FON) and Blog China worked together and held the “Yuanmingyuan Ecology and Heritage Site Protection Symposium”. Many different experts, relevant government officials and citizen representatives went to the meeting to express their opinions.

On that same day, FON along with 10 NGOs went to Beijing Environmental Protection Administration (BEPA), Beijing Haidian District People's government, SEPA, Beijing Park Department, Cultural Relic Department, Irrigation Department and the Yuanmingyuan Administration Office to submit “A declaration to encourage the government to organize a public hearing to deal with the Yuanmingyuan anti-infiltration case”.

6 th April 2005 : SEPA announced that they would hold a public hearing on 13 th April at 9 am concerning the Yuanmingyuan case, to hear the opinions of societies, the public and relevant departments.

13 th April 2005 : FON and 8 NGOs united to make an appeal and made a 5-point recommendation list to drive forward the Yuanmingyuan case.

13 th April 2005 : SEPA held the Yuanmingyuan lake-bed public trial, which ran smoothly. Among the 73 people who went to attend the trial, was the academic Wu Liangyong ( Qinghua University ). Among those representing the people, the youngest was only 11 years old. It is said that this is Beijing 's public hearing with the widest range of people. There were representative experts from all different fields, mainly from environmental protection, cultural relics, buildings and architecture, planning and irrigation.

9 th May 2005 : SEPA requested Yuanminyuan to submit a report within 40 days and threatened them with a fine of up to 200,000 RMB if they did not oblige.

10 th May 2005 : There were problems related to the environmental assessment of the Yuanminyuan project and no environmental assessment bureau dared to accept the case.

17 th May 2005 : SEPA called for Qinghua University to take over the responsibility for the Yuanmingyuan Environmental Impact Assessment.

17 th May 2005 : Media report that Yuanmingyuan had privately rented out the island in the middle of Fuhai Lake , and so tourists would have no way to go to this island.

18 th May 2005 : Qinghua University agreed to take on the Yuanmingyuan Environmental Assessment. Beijing Normal University , who had been named and criticized for delaying the Environmental Assessment process, actively assist the process. The Yuanmingyuan integrated rectification project Environmental Impact Assessment Report is submitted on schedule.

20 th May 2005 : The media announced that the Yuanminyuan Administrative office had come back with the response that they were going to re-call the island in the centre of the lake that they had rented out.

21 st May 2005 : The Wanchunyuan cottage, taking up 30,000 m sq of land inside Yuanmingyuan got people's attention

21 st June 2005 : Qinghua finished their special Investigation and submitted the report to Yuanmingyuan at the end of the month.

SEPA on their website, published the “Yuanmingyuan Eastern Lake-Bed Anti-Infiltration P roject Environmental Assessment Report”. The report states that , preventing excessive seepage is one of the water conservation methods used in Yuanminyuan, but comparative analysis must be carried out in order to decide the actual method to be used. The Yuanmingyuan Administration Authority is lacking full knowledge about the situation of Yuanmingyuan and the feasibility of the lake - bed anti-infiltration project.

7 th July 2005 : SEPA head office agreed with the conclusions made by the report and requested that Yuanmingyuan thoroughly rectifies the project.

8 th July 2005 : SEPA send the rectification notice about the Eastern Lake-Bed Anti-Infiltration Project to the Yuanminyuan administration office, demanding that they must very quickly provide feedback.

9 th July 2005 : The relevant people from the Haidian District Government and the Yuanmingyuan Administrative Office expressed that the Yuanmingyuan project would strictly respect science and would follow the ideas laid down by SEPA about examination and approval , and actively put right the job of rectifying the project. However , Zhu Hong a news reporter revealed that the Department Head of the Yuanmingyuan Administrative Office that the rectification job would be full of difficulties and returning to the project might be hopeless.

13 th July 2005 : SEPA replied that the head office had already ratified the environmental assessment report and it had been made legally effective , and the Yuanmingyuan rectifications would take place according to it. In other words, Yuanmingyuan had no need to submit any other rectification report, they would just have to work in accordance with this report. Everything in the future, including inspection of the Yuanmingyuan anti-infiltration project and the period at the end of the project , when things would be checked an d accepted, should all be done in line with this report.

SEPA request that a thorough rectification of the Yuanmingyuan anti-infiltration project is carried out

Source: SEPA Website 7 th July 2005
Translated by Poppy Toland
  
On July 7th Pan Yue, the deputy head of the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) reported to the press that SEPA had arranged for a number of experts who had carried out a meticulous inspection of the Environmental Report made by Qinghua University and had agreed with the verdict of the report. SEPA thereby requested the thorough rectification of the Yuanmingyuan Eastern lake bed anti-infiltration project.   

Pan Yue pointed out that due to the fact that the Yuanmingyuan Eastern lake bed anti-infiltration project had commenced before approval had been obtained, it was being carried out in violation of the “ Environmental Assessment Law ”. The project was suspended and the Yuanmingyuan Administration office entrusted Qinghua University to carry out an Environmental Impact Assessment on their behalf. SEPA carried out a meticulous technical evaluation and examination of the report that was submitted on July 6th and found it to contain no factual errors. Due to the fact that Beijing is severely short of water and the ground water is in constant depletion, in order to prevent further deterioration to the ecosystem, it is really necessary for Yuanmingyuan to adopt measures to conserve and supply the lake water in order to prevent excessive leakage.

However, due to the fact that this project is being carried out in an important cultural heritage site, and, furthermore, no environmental impact assessment had been carried out in advance, there was a lack of substantial and reasonable information about the lake bed anti-infiltration project and not enough in depth research had been carried out relating to the conditions of the lake water, the local geological conditions and the environmental impact the project would have. Due to these factors, a more suitable anti-filtration method was not chosen.

Laying plastic membrane blocks the natural process of water seeping from the earth level to the ground water. With current limitations to the water supply, it is easy for salt and nutrients to accumulate in the mud at the bottom of the plastic anti-infiltration lining, increasing the likelihood of deterioration in water quality. There are significantly high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus in the Eastern lake bed anti-infiltration project's water and if a suitable amount of water exchange cannot be guaranteed, the water could end up becoming contaminated.

Pan Yue said that although at present there was no proof that the plastic being used was toxic, using a natural method to prevent water leakage was clearly more in accordance with the ecological needs of the lake. Although the large areas of plastic membrane which have been used to line the lake bed and the lake banks can hold and maintain a considerable amount of water and can cause a rejuvenation of aquatic organisms in the short term, because the exchange and seepage supply is obstructed, it can have a bad affect on the plants growing on the lake bed and lake bank. Also, because the construction process lacks effective protective measures, it causes serious damage to the water ecosystem. Thus, using the plastic membrane in such a way to cover this large area is non-scientific, should not be advocated and needs to be thoroughly rectified.   

Pan Yue stressed that the rectification measures need to be in accordance with the local geological conditions, the need to conserve water and any other factors which affect the environment. In light of the facts and taking into consideration both the short term impacts and the long term effects, planned calculations should be made with regards to the costs to environment, economy and society.

1: Plastic membrane should not be used to line the areas of East Yuanmingyuan where the anti-filtration project has not yet begun. Natural concrete should be used in the whole area to prevent seepage;

2: At Qichunyuan, apart from around the water inlet, every bit of plastic lining must be removed and refilled with concrete and natural clay from the bottom of the lake. Plastic anti-infiltration membrane must not be used again at the bank of the lakes.

3: The plastic membrane must be removed immediately from the area in Changchunyuan's lake bed where the depths reach 40.7 meters, and be replaced with concrete. The banks should not be lined with plastic anti-filtration membrane again.

4: The plastic anti-filtration membrane that has already been set in place at Fuhai needs thorough rectification. Within the areas which have been mainly laid with bricks, the surface level bricks must be removed and all the places where natural concrete has been used must be refilled with natural silt and clay from the bottom of lake. Apart from the 10 square meter area surrounding the pier, all other remaining bank area must have the plastic membrane removed to ensure that there is an adequate supply of water. Also, to maintain the requirements for a functional ecosystem within the water of Yuanmingyuan, it is necessary to formulate a plan of the water used within the park, to increase the amount of incoming water and use the right kind of water as much as possible in order to ensure the quality of the incoming water. The quality of the water within the park also needs to be more tightly controlled and contamination prevented.

Pan Yue expressed that Yuanmingyuan Heritage Park is a record of major historical happenings within China , and has huge ecological, cultural and social values. Since SEPA halted the Yuanmingyuan anti-infiltration project, it has been in the public eye. For the whole process, from the project's suspension, the hearing, the environmental assessment, the evaluation right up through to policy formulation, in accordance to the law, SEPA has been open to the public, hoping that through so doing, there could be progression towards the democratization of policy formulation.

Providing an important and impartial platform allowed the whole public's ideas and opinions to be communicated broadly and deeply; using this transparent and open method allowed the general public to keep a constant watch on the government's actions and was beneficial to raising the level of our scientific, democratic and legal policy-making decisions. The environmental protection cause is not short of participants; it is an issue that concerns everyone and requires the whole of society's concerted action. The public's active participation in the whole process of the Yuanmingyuan project shows that the concept of sustainable development is becoming more and more deeply ingrained in people's minds. This is a very valuable way of raising society's awareness on a large scale, with regards to respecting the laws of nature, promoting harmony between people and environment, between people and with people and society and also building up the important values needed within a harmonious socialist society.   

  Pan Yue pointed out that actions speak louder than words: in order to realize the central government view's of scientific development in absolute terms, from this point on, when SEPA are involved with big projects that deal with sensitive issues, such as the national economy, people's livelihood and the public's environmental interests, they must use more methods such as court cases in order to fully listen to the public's opinion and gradually strengthen the system of public participation. In order to deal with the current grim environmental situation, SEPA will be even more strict to carry out environmental impact assessment and will conduct analysis, calculations and evaluation on all types of development and construction acts that have the potential to impact upon the environment, and put forward countermeasures in order to prevent or lessen any environmentally-harmful impacts, establishing a strict environmental permit system. Alongside this, in accordance with the new situation and with public opinion, SEPA will continue to carryout open governance, reforming their behavior of governance and strengthening the management of their environmental assessment team.  

To finish up, Pan Yue said that within only 40 working days, Qinghua University had bravely upheld their social responsibility, which was to be encouraged in environmental assessment organizations in the whole of China . Uniting together Beijing Normal University, Beijing Agricultural University, Capital Normal University and Beijing Geotechnical Institute, they worked hard to overcome problems encountered due to the anti-infiltration project having been so near to completion and the current environmental situation which is not yet set up for carrying out environmental investigations and impact assessments. Despite these difficulties, they carried out a large number of in depth and meticulous assessment jobs on the groundwater, surface water, ecology, membrane material, cultural relic site, recycling and reuse of water, public participation, improvement plans, project analysis and other affecting issues. On the basis of a lot of investigations, monitoring, testing and simulations and through the extensively consulting for expert opinion, they obtained a factual, scientific and rational assessment report. SEPA fully respects the verdict made within this report.

The Yuanmingyuan lake bed project case has brought up an incredibly complex mix of issues. It has grabbed hold of the attention of the media and the general public and brought forth a stream of varied opinions and voices. This case is unprecedented in the way it has been dealt with. By carrying out public hearings and openly documenting the whole investigation process and the full-text environmental impact report on their official website, SEPA have provided an open forum through which relevant government departments, experts and academics, NGOs and the public have been able to exchange ideas, understand each others standpoints and work together to come up with the most viable solution.

NGOs have had a big part in this process, leading the call for public participation and bridging the gap between the government and the public. By calling for SEPA's public hearing and creating a public space for all sorts of different members of society with different interests and perspectives to meet and confer, NGOs really have understood the meaning behind the public participation buzzword. It is through these kinds of activities and interactions that China will hopefully eventually realize a strong and active civil society and the government will start to act in a transparent and accountable way on issues which affect the public like this one. --- Sub-editor

  Tips for Green Tourism

By Poppy Toland

Before you go:

? Research place you are planning to go, understand the local environment and culture, respect it when you arrive.

? Choose a tourist destination which has the conditions to be visited, avoid areas with weak or sensitive environments (if in doubt, seek expert opinion).

? To the best of your ability, use hotels that are run locally, which is not set up in an environmentally weak or sensitive area and operates in an environmentally-sound way.

? Find out about the temperature and climate at the time you are going. Pack accordingly so you will have appropriate clothes and will no have to use air-conditioners or heaters excessively.

While you are there:

? It is best to use a local guide who understands the local environment and has been trained to carry out green tourism. With his/her guidance you and your group will be able to appreciate the trip without damaging the environment and will benefit from their deeper understanding of local environment and culture, ability to talk in locals in dialect, etc.

? If you decide to rent or use a car, make sure that it is a suitable size for your needs and uses fuel efficiently. If possible, try to use local transport or rent bicycles as an alternative. It is better for environment and will give you more of a sense of local life as well.

? Be aware of the local environment of your destination and make sure that you use resources such as water sparingly. If you have an air-conditioning unit in your room, make sure you only use it when it is absolutely necessary.

? Buy local products. Buy most of your things from the shops of local people, as this will guarantee that most of the money you spend benefits the local area and people and will be more likely to have a positive effect on the local environmental. It also cuts down on pollution caused long-distance transportation and guarantees you fresh and local tastes and flavors.

? When visiting nature reserves, don't wear bright colored clothes. Don't approach or chase the animals, try and scare them, throw food to them or try to hug them. Remember they are wild animals, not pets or toys, by behaving inappropriately you are likely to be disturbing and upsetting them. This is their home that you are visiting; you must therefore act accordingly and show them respect. Just enjoy the fact that you have the opportunity to watch them displaying their natural behavior in their natural environment.

? Do not feed little animals. They may become reliant on receiving food from tourists and start taking it for granted, no longer storing up food for the winter. When winter comes and the tourist numbers dwindle, these animals will have nothing to eat and are likely to starve. Too much interaction with human beings could also cause them to become semi-domesticated and lose some of their natural instincts such as migratory patterns.

? Be careful where you walk. Ecologies can be very sensitive to human disturbance; a whole colony of ants could be destroyed by one careless footstep. Stick to set paths wherever possible.

? Do not litter. Come prepared with a bag to take away all your rubbish. Do not pour any liquid out into the lakes or rivers, whether it be petrol oil or soft drink, it is not meant to be there and could therefore have a damaging effect on the freshwater ecology.

? If you are planning to go camping, check will local authorities or environmental groups which areas are suitable. Do not light fires in areas where it is forbidden. Be aware that being noisy could disturb and upset the local wildlife. Remember to take all your rubbish with you when you leave.

? If you are taking a dog with you, make sure that he doesn't chase after and scare or harm the local wildlife. Before you go, make sure that it is suitable for him to be there. Make sure you take plastic bags to clean up after him.

? Don't buy food or souvenirs made from protected or endangered plant or animal species.

? Don't remove animals, plants or objects from their natural habitat. Do not take bird nests or bird eggs. Be careful not to introduce, knowingly or unknowingly any non-native plants species to the local area. Ecosystems are very sensitive and the introduction of foreign species could have a potentially very damaging effect on local plants and the organisms that live off them, even wiping them out completely.

? If you go snorkeling or scuba diving, do not touch or disturb the fish or sea creatures. In no circumstance should you touch coral or take it away with you. Coral is a living organism and plays an important part of the complex underwater ecosystem, acting as habitat and a hiding place for huge numbers of the ocean's fish and sea creatures. Much of the world's coral has already been destroyed due to irresponsible anchoring and bayonet fishing. You have an important responsibility to protect it rather than damaging it even further. Be an underwater ‘spy', not a ‘robber'.

? Do not take home small animals, even if you expect that they are injured. Particularly in the spring, you may come across fledglings (baby birds) alone on the ground, looking injured and a little hopeless. Do not move or touch them. The mother birds often leave them alone like this for a while when they are learning to fly. Most likely, she is watching him from a tree somewhere, however, if you touch him, she will reject him and he will have no way to survive.

? Imagine if everyone who went to visit the Great Wall took a brick from it home with them, in no time at all there would be no Great Wall. When you go to a place of nature, take back with you photographs and memories, leave the nature for others to enjoy.

Cartridges for Dragon Recycling – Reflections on the first phase of the program

By Poppy Toland

· Introduction

According to a statistic by the Ministry of Information Industry, in 2002, China consumed over thirty five million ink cartridges and three million toner cartridges, and this amount is increasing by approximately 30% each year. However, as there is a general lack of understanding of the potential harm of dumping cartridges, only 1% of these cartridges are being recycled. In order to face this challenge, Global Village of Beijing(GVB) have been working with Hewlett Packard (HP) since December 2004 to establish a program for recycling printer cartridges in China .

HP has a worldwide cartridge recycling program in place called HP Planet Partners, which is currently operating in 36 countries in the world today. To expand their program in China ， they decided to engage local NGOs, namely GVB, Roots and Shoots (R&S) Shanghai, R&S Beijing and Friends of Nature (FoN). We have worked together to create a program called Cartridges for Dragon Recycling (C4DR).

HP works with recycling stations in China and Australia who have developed specialised technology for recycling HP products. The recycling process aims to maximise material recovery, leaving minimal waste to landfill. For the past 2 years, HP has achieved zero waste to landfill for all returned HP LaserJet cartridges. The cartridges are shredded and the plastics and metals are extracted and processed into raw materials which are used to make new products. Any other materials, including the left over ink or toner powder can be used to generate energy or disposed of in an environmentally responsible way.

We have just completed the first stage of the project and our achievements to date are entering into partner relationships with 11 companies and 37 partner schools, 17 in Beijing , and 20 in Shanghai . Our partners have showed their commitment to the project by setting up recycling boxes in their offices or school buildings and using them to collect up all their used printer cartridges.

· Preparations for the project

In December, HP held a training session for GVB and R&S Shanghai in Beijing , at the HP building near the World Trade Centre. We spent two days with Lynn Loh, the Singapore HP representative assigned to work with us. During this training we got to learn a lot about the technical side of printer cartridge production and recycling and HP's concepts and practices with regards to cartridge recycling. We discussed how we wanted the project to work and firmed up a framework for the project's first phase.

The following few months were spent in preparation, creating a brand name for the project, a logo, information brochures, a training film and making initial contact with target groups, while at the same time holding weekly conference calls with Lynn in Singapore and R&S Shanghai to keep each other up to date with our progress and make sure that everything was running smoothly and uniformly.

At the start of the year, GVB's HP Project Manager, Claudia Nanninga, was invited by HP to Australia to inspect the recycling facility for herself. She was very impressed by how efficient and environmental their recycling system is and came back full of enthusiasm and totally convinced about the project's potential benefits in China .

· Implementing the first phase of the project

GVB were assigned to the task of approaching companies, whilst overseeing the other NGOs, who were responsible for contacting schools. The two target groups were approached in very different ways: we wanted to appeal to the companies on the grounds of their sense of corporate social responsibility and not through the offering of material incentives. On the other hand, we wanted to get the school children enthusiastic and actively involved during the few months before their summer holidays began, so we decided that as well as giving them the information about cartridge recycling, we would arrange activities and give them little presents and incentives.

We made company visits; either pre-arranged to HP's corporate customers or unannounced to companies we predicted would be using a high volume of HP cartridges. Mostly we were welcomed and treated courteously and the details of our program were listened to patiently and with interest. We were able to distribute our information brochures, explain the project, show our training film or power-point and discuss partnership opportunities.

Many companies we approached had been collecting up their used cartridges, not quite sure of how to dispose of them. One particular company had a cupboard full of cartridges that they had been storing, others were throwing them in the bin or even paying for their cartridges to be collected and recycled. All of these companies were more than happy to join the program. Some companies signed up to our project on the spot, while others said they would rather wait and apply through our website. However, quite a few companies were distrustful of us and some went to verify who we were and that the recycling we did was in fact environmental and in line with the ISO 14000 certification, and were not just collecting cartridges for economic benefit. We were very happy when we met with companies who wanted to check our credentials as it showed that they had enough environmental awareness to differentiate between the cartridge recycling processes that were environmentally beneficial and those that were dishonest and potentially environmentally harmful, but some were just incredulous that we were doing this for no monetary benefit whatsoever and could not understand our motivations.

A large number of companies, especially local small to medium-sized ones would rather sell their empty cartridges than recycle them. When there is no shortage of people offering 30-50 Yuan for empty cartridges, it is a temptation that many feel they cannot refuse. For these companies, we still explained the program and left them with our contact details, in case they wish to change their way of doing things in the future.

R&S and FoN got to work contacting schools in Beijing and Shanghai . They involved schools that they had worked with before and also made contact with new schools. Convincing schools to participate in the project wasn't as easy as it sounds as teachers would have to put a lot of extra work in and take on the responsibility of ensuring the cartridge collection bins remained secure, which they weren't always prepared to do. However, the team worked really hard, making many personal visits to schools and patiently explaining the project to them. Their effort paid off and they managed to meet the target number of schools.

The NGOs organised a training session for each participating school. They explained to the students about printer cartridges and why they should be recycled. The students watched the training video and had the chance to meet “Mr Cartridge”, our fluffy cartridge-shaped mascot! Each student who attended the training was given a ruler, made from the recycled plastic from cartridges, which had written on it “I used to be a cartridge!” Although the children themselves may not be at the stage in life when they decide how to dispose of used cartridges, they will be in the future and it is important for them to learn this information as young as possible. Furthermore, they are very good messengers, and we urged them to actively go out into the community and spread the information they'd learned about recycling to their families, neighbours, friends and anyone else they knew who would be using cartridges.

The students collected up cartridges from April through to June, during which time the NGOs returned back to the schools to organise promotional events. At the end of the phase, all of the cartridges collected at schools were counted up before being taken off to the recycling plants and printer prizes were awarded to the schools which had collected the most cartridges and individual students in each school whose names were picked in lucky draws.

In Shanghai , the promotional activities in schools have attracted media attention. Reports by newspapers like Shanghai Daily, Shanghai Evening Post and Xinwen Evening News allowed the Shanghai general public to hear about the project and start build up an awareness on the issue of cartridge recycling. It was reported by the English newspaper, Shanghai Daily that the international community have also been impressed by the efforts of the Chinese NGOs.

· The second phase

The first phase is over now and we are quickly moving ahead. For the second phase, we are still carrying out regular company visits, and come the autumn, will engage more schools, the aim being to work with 40 schools in Beijing and another 40 in Shanghai . We will also expand our project to target the general public, green communities and possibly university students and government departments. We hope to deploy media assistance during this phase to help us reach out to the public. Although the general public who actually have a home PC and printer is proportionally very small, it is still a huge amount of people and this campaign is also important for its ability to raise awareness of these issues to the many people who will undoubtedly be owners and operators of such equipment in the not-so-distant future. If they have a firm understanding of these issues and they are aware that there is a recycling program in place and how to use it, when the issue becomes relevant to them, they will know what to do.

· Summing up our Experiences

We feel pleased that we have established this recycling network and are reaching out to all our target groups, giving them education about recycling issues and providing them with the possibility to use this environmentally-friendly way of recycling their cartridges. HP care a lot about this project and are very supportive of us carrying it out. It is a partnership that feels very comfortable and works well. Although HP are well in the lead when it comes to market share of cartridge sales in China, in the future we are looking to expand C4DR to make it a multi-vendor program by working with other cartridge manufactures who wish to follow HP's initiative in this field. It feels like we have already achieved so much and it is exciting to imagine what would be possible working with more partners and to have more people on board working for this common goal.

These last eight months have brought quite a mix of experiences but I think that the overall results have been pleasing. We have had to learn to be more realistic about what is possible in China at present and readjust our goals but with the knowledge we have gained during the first phase, I am full of confidence that in the second phase the results will be even better.

Before we started the project we were aware that empty cartridges were commonly bought on the street and were therefore it did not surprised to encounter a lot of people who would rather sell their cartridges than recycle them, however what we weren't expecting was for people to be distrustful of us and our motives, thinking that we were somehow involved in the remanufacturing industry as well. I regularly receive emails from companies saying that they have cartridges collected up which we are welcome to buy from them. Our project being misinterpreted in such a way illustrates that purely environmental inspired actions are still far out of a lot of people's conceptual capacity. Thinking that this is the case is a little depressing, but this is exactly why we have worked so hard to establish such a program in the first place and incidents like this just have to motivate us to work even harder in the future in order to achieve our aims.

However, there are also a number of examples of stories which give us hope and encouragement, two which particularly stick in my mind. One student was so inspired by the project that he contacted everyone he knew and collected a total of 43 cartridges! With his amazing efforts this boy also won a printer for his school. The second example is an employee from one of the companies who became part of our program in May. This lady is currently organising a seminar and activity day specifically related to cartridge recycling for 30 of her company employees next month. GVB will be involved in this event and Lynn Loh has even coordinated her trip to China to coincide with this activity so she can attend and give a presentation.

Although it is tempting to revel in stories like this, individuals and companies who are this environmentally aware and who are willing to participate in programs like ours in such a pro-active capacity are something of a rarity. We still very much have our work cut out for us. It is as pointless to deny the economic pull that cartridges possess in China as it would be futile to try and fight it. Instead we see the role of C4DR as a long-term, sustainable solution to tackle the problem. We can set up the project, put the recycling logistics in place and we can promote it, making sure people are aware of its existence. We can also continue to gently educate people about making the right choice and using the right method to recycle their cartridges. Other than that, we must be patient and wait for things to get better. However, I trust that our successes during this phase tell us that that we wont have that long to wait.

Articles selected by Lim Hsieh Hsien

China plants 4.8m hectares of trees in 2004

Source: Xinhua July 24 th , 2005

China planted 4.8 million hectares of trees in six major forestry projects in 2004, accounting for 86 percent of its afforested area of the year, according to a bulletin publicized by the State Forestry Bureau on Saturday. The Chinese government invested 35.1 billion yuan (US$4.3 billion) in the forestation projects in 2004, the bulletin said. A total of 25.32 million hectares of trees have been added thanks to the nationwide projects launched in 1998, which have cost 126.4 billion yuan (US$15.6 billion), it said. The projects will cost more than 700 billion yuan (US$86.3 billion) and cover over 97 percent of counties across the country.

Hydropower mania poses challenges

Source: China Daily, 27 th July 2005

Four ministries have called off the construction of 32 hydroelectric projects that failed to abide by relevant land, environmental and resource regulations. The projects, the completion of which would have cost an astronomical 85.5 billion yuan (US$10.5 billion), were already underway with spending at the 20 billion yuan (US$2.46 billion) mark. The huge economic losses incurred from the cancellation of the projects do not justify the wild pursuit of hydroelectricity by some local governments and businesses. We may suffer even greater losses, economic, environmental or social, in the future if projects violating relevant laws go ahead unchecked.

This is not the first time the central departments have stepped in to stop such large-scale, illegal projects. Predictably, it will not be the last either. Despite repeated central government orders, fines and punishments, a large number of projects have gone ahead without adhering to the correct procedures. Last year, the National Development and Reform Commission approved construction of hydroelectric projects with a total installed capacity of 60 million kilowatts. However, the real installed capacity of hydroelectric projects launched that year reached 180 million kilowatts.

What is behind the hydroelectric mania? Answers to this question would help us better understand the many challenges the country's policy-makers face in carrying out economic policies. Two factors are behind China 's cat and mouse situation in the hydro power sector: The rising demand for power and the interest discrepancy between the central and local governments. China 's economy has cruised on for many years, gobbling up huge amounts of energy and resources, including electricity. Energy shortages have reached crisis levels nationwide in the past two years with two-thirds of provinces suffering their worst shortfalls and brownouts for many years. In a market economy, where there is demand, there is supply. Businesses have understandably gone crazy seeking profits by constructing hydro electricity plants to tap low-cost water resources in the country's southwestern regions. But national policy-makers need to strike a balance between power plant construction and other targets to achieve sound national development. Apart from environmental damage, unrestrained construction of hydroelectric plants may lead to a production glut and the wasting of resources. Excessive investment is also a culprit in the overheating economy. This may not have happened in economies where property rights are clearly defined and someone must be held responsible for bad investment decision-making. But in China , where a sound accountability system is yet to be established in both corporate and government investment mechanisms, there is greater opportunity for disorderly construction.

It is estimated that if the current construction drive continues, after the nation's power demand and supply reach a balance point next year, oversupply will occur and peak in 2008. If that happened, many hydroelectricity investors would be plunged into the red. Since a large part of the investment is borrowed from the bank, the fragile domestic banking system would inevitably suffer.

Making things worse, the investment impulse of businesses is often egged on by local governments, which benefit from the introduction of outside investment and impressive local gross domestic product figures.

New technology combats paper mill pollution

Source: Liang Chao, China Daily, 27 th July 2005

Li Chaowang, president of Beijing Doo Research and Development Centre, set the centre's newest pulping production line into operation this month. According to Li, the line can produce 30,000 tons of straw pulp each year without discharging waste water and polluting environment.

Invented by Li and two of his colleagues, Li Keshi and Li Gangrong, the newly patented technology could be the answer to the pollution, energy consumption and raw material supply problems that have plagued China 's papermaking industry.

At the moment even the world's most efficient pulp manufacturing systems need 20 tons of water to produce just 1 ton of pulp. But, with their new technology, only 6 to 8 tons of water is needed to produce each ton of paper pulp, the three inventors say. "The water, electrical power and coal consumption of the new technology used for producing the same amount of paper pulp only account for 40, 53 and 20 per cent respectively of the traditional paper-making industry," they said.

Furthermore, during the entire paper-making process, no polluting alkali, sulphur or chlorine chemicals were used to bleach the pulp and the paper it produces still adheres to all State quality standards. China has become the world's second-largest paper consumer after the United States , and the country's domestic demand is expected to rise to 50 million tons this year from 47 million tons in 2004. It is estimated that the paper demand in China will reach 70 million tons by the end of 2010. Demand for paper will continue to outpace production during the next five years because of the country's rapid economic growth, experts say. "The new technology will help China ease up key issues restricting the development of its paper-making industry, reducing the discharge of waste water and the resulting pollution," said Hu Zongyuan, adviser to the China Technical Association of the Paper Industry.

Shark Fin Stays on Official Menus

Source: Shenzhen Daily /Agencies July 25, 2005

The Hong Kong government has refused requests from environmentalists to follow Disneyland 's example by taking shark's fin soup off the official banquet menu for visiting dignitaries. Green group, the Friends of Hoi Ha, wrote last month to Secretary for Environment, Transport and Works, Sarah Liao Sau-tung seeking an assurance that the government would not allow shark's fin soup to be served at its banquets. The appeal is backed by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Hong Kong , which wants the government to help set an example after Disney bowed to pressure from environmentalists and removed the dish from banquet menus at its theme park hotel.

WWF Hong Kong chief executive Eric Bohm said: "We feel that until such time as there is a sustainable and certifiable source of shark's fin, it should be removed from government banquet menus because sharks are coming under increasing threat."

However, a spokeswoman for Liao said the government would not impose a ban, saying sharks were not listed as an endangered species. It is not known how often shark's fin is served at government banquets but green groups believe the dish has been made available in the past. Asked how often the dish was served, Liao's spokeswoman said: "I don't have the figures … It is up to individual departments. I don't think shark's fin is a must at banquets. It really depends on your guests and what you think you should serve. I don't think shark's fin is always on the menu, but I can't tell you that it has never been served."

Asked whether the government was considering following Disney's lead she said: "We can't give such an undertaking. Other people are against eating tuna. It is a question of a difference of culture. It is very difficult for us to ban something when there is no consensus in the community, to ban something which is not illegal according to international conventions."

Friends of Hoi Ha spokesman David Newbery said that while the dish might be legal, it was unregulated and there was no way of sourcing fin to ensure it came from non-threatened species. Green groups said that because of the high price of shark's fin, the practice of "finning," where fins were cut off and the fish thrown back into the water to die, was widespread

China to Implement Rules on Electronic Waste Treatment

Source: Xinhua News Agency July 18, 2005

China is expected to "put into compulsory implementation" regulations governing the treatment of waste electrical and electronic equipment this year, the Beijing-based Legal Evening News has reported. The regulations stipulate that producers will be responsible for the collection, recycling and reuse of their products at the end of their life, otherwise, they will be fined up to 100,000 yuan (about US$12,091).

Starting August 13, China-made mechanical and electrical products will be charged an extra several euros to several dozen euros upon exporting to the European Union. The extra payment will be used by EU countries to recycle electronic garbage.

Promote Use of Small Cars to Save Energy

Source: China Daily July 26, 2005

Petrol and diesel oil prices rose by around 6 percent on Saturday, a larger jump than any of the other four increases this year. T his is bad news for car owners, current and potential. To cushion the blow, drivers can use their vehicles less or change their habits. The cost-conscious will opt for a more economical model. But sadly there may be a limit to how economical one can be, depending on where you live.

In Beijing , if your car's engine displacement is 1 liter or less, you are not permitted to drive down Chang'an Avenue , nor through the centre of the city bounded by the second ring road. In Shanghai cars with a 1.2-litre engine or smaller are prohibited from using the city's viaducts. One simply cannot get a license plate for a 1-litre car in Suzhou . While one can drive a 1-litre car in Guangzhou , the city's main trunk roads are off-limits. Across China , more than 80 cities have installed restrictions on small vehicles. Small cars are usually more economical. That is common sense. They consume less oil, emit less hazardous exhaust gases and take up a smaller amount of parking space. But why do our governments find them intolerable? Are they out of their minds?

This is exactly what we have had difficulty figuring out.

We are the world's second largest consumer of oil and our appetite keeps growing. To fuel our economy we have to buy from overseas. Oil is one of our premier imports. But we all know heavy reliance means large risks.

 An effective way to lower our vulnerability to uncertainties in external oil supply is to use less of the fuel. One of the most inspiring recent developments in the country is the idea of saving resources. From the capital to small, remote communities, officials have the same slogan on their lips - build a thrifty society. While officials of all ranks make elaborate promises to execute the so-called scientific perspective of development the most fashionable political catchphrase the media is tirelessly showing the public the best ways to save resources.

Accounting for the most rapid sector of growth on the nation's energy bill, vehicles should be no exception. Consider the relatively low proportion of car owners in China and the increasingly popular and accessible dream of owning one's own set of wheels. Many are itching to start their life in the fast lane. Automobiles account for more than a third of our entire oil consumption. By 2020, when the country is expected to have between 130 million and 150 million cars on the road, it will be two-thirds. People want a new way of life. The government has its heart set on automobile manufacturing as a new growth point for our economy. But we are short of oil. The most logical solution is to let people buy smaller, more economical models. The State should encourage the development of low displacement vehicles.

The national plan for mid- and long-term energy conservation also proposes to "nullify all unreasonable rules that restrict the use and operation of automobiles featuring low oil consumption, low engine displacement and low emissions."

But such policies have turned out to be impotent in the face of local bureaucrats' determined rejection of energy-saving cars. Despite efforts they have taken to save water and electricity, we are curious to know why so many local governments stick with irrational restrictions on small cars. It is bewildering that almost all such restrictions were installed without proper procedures or convincing arguments. If they lack legitimacy, why should they stay?

We are tired of excuses such as small cars cause more congestion and are not safe. The excuses are too porous and ridiculous to deserve serious counter-argument. We sense hypocrisy in the contrast between the lip service paid to becoming more economical and the recalcitrant hostility towards small cars. The policy-makers have to be serious about such a credibility test.

Northern Shaanxi Climbs Out of the Sand

Source: China Daily July 26, 2005

Years of hard work and determination are finally paying off with the announcement that the area is at last winning the battle against encroaching desert.Some 400,000 hectares of sand in the Maowusu Desert in Shaanxi Province have been brought under control thanks to organized grass and tree planting.

"In the past 15 years, local people in Yulin have planted forests each with an area of more than 670 hectares in the desert. Four forest belts with a length of 1,500 kilometers are now growing, which stops the flowing sand and improves the ecological environment," said Lu Xuebin, general engineer of the Forestry Bureau of Yulin, a city in northern Shaanxi Province .

Forest-grass coverage has increased from 0.9 percent to 25 percent in Yulin, and the city is now witnessing desertification in reverse. Sandstorm frequency has fallen from 30 days a year in the 1970s to less than 10 in recent years, the general engineer said.

"We used to suffer from sand which came into our houses with the wind some years ago and we even thought we would have to leave the city because of it. But now we enjoy a better environment that attracts many birds to our city, with clean water in the river and green trees along the river and roads," said Guan Zexi, a 64-year-old Yulin resident.

The Maowusu Desert is between the southern Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and northern Shaanxi , and covers more than 32,000 square kilometers of barren land which nibbled away at all sides and gradually increased the area of desert. Most of the desert here was flowing sand, covering some 573,333 hectares around Yulin city, which is the capital of Yulin Prefecture . Yao Zhongxin, 70-year-old researcher at the Shaanxi Provincial Anti-desertification Research Institute, said the desert was some 500 meters from Yulin city 40 years ago, but now the sand had been pushed back and cannot be seen within 50 kilometers of the city.

Shaanxi , a northwest inland province which extends across two major basins of the Yellow River and the Yangtze River , suffers from terrible soil erosion and desertification. Yulin has been forced to move its urban centre south three times to escape the sand in history, Yao said. Shaanxi has been making more efforts to improve its environment and its forest-grass coverage rate increased from 28 percent in the 1990s to 31 percent in 2004, according to official provincial sources. A report issued by the Shaanxi Provincial Forestry Bureau in June shows that the area of desert in Shaanxi has fallen by 275,000 hectares since 1999. "From next year to 2010, the province will aim to plant another 450,000 hectares of trees and control soil erosion, in a bid to basically stop desert expansion," Vice-Governor Wang Shousen said.

Pollution Poses Grave Threat to the Poor

Source: China Daily July 26, 2005

Residents living along the Zaojiang River in Changzhou , east China 's Jiangsu Province , were found to be indifferent to worsening pollution in the already filthy river last week. Zaojiang flows into the Yangtze River . Apparently disappointed at the failure of the authorities to improve the situation for at least four years, people did not even bother to complain, a Xinhua report said. Such an attitude is more worrying than the pollution itself, given the fact that pollution is getting worse in China . It seems that more and more people are trying to learn to live with an increasingly unhealthy environment rather than complain about it.

It is not difficult to know why a scandal does not hold people's attention for long, though, as there seem to be too many to take notice of. Also last week, a sewage disposal facility worth US$8 million was found lying idle, letting toxic water flow by to harm people downstream in Tongchuan, a city in Northwest China 's Shaanxi Province . This aroused concern about public money being spent on the environment. In spite of worsening pollution there, the facility has never operated since being built about two years ago, allegedly because of a lack of cash, China Central Television reported last week. The scandals are just two of many such cases. Some are much bigger in nature and relate to bad planning, inefficiency, the misuse of public funds or even corruption.

In 2003 alone, 426,000 complaints about the contamination of waterways, air and land were acknowledged by the environment authorities. Reports say that due to bureaucracy, many complaints have been shelved for years. In 2003 alone, unsolved problems led to 60,000 disputes or incidents, posing a threat to social stability, the China Environment Daily said. The statistics make people wonder whether these pollution problems reported so far are just the tip of the iceberg. In addition to media reports, people judge the situation by what they see everyday as they go about their business at home or while traveling to other parts of China .

They are right to question a situation that concerns their health