The leader in fighting climate change is China
China leading in fight against climate change, argues report http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2264526/china-leading-in-fight-against-climate-change-argues-report 29 Apr 2013 As United Nations leaders today gather in Bonn to again discuss global efforts to tackle climate change, a new report has revealed that while China remains the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitter it is also taking some of the most ambitious strides to curb environmental impacts.
The Australian government’s independent advisor, the Climate Commission, has today launched a report showing how global action to tackle carbon emissions progressed during the last nine months.Analysis by Australian government’s Climate Commission warns other countries from using Chinese emissions as an excuse for inaction
The report shows that in 2012 China reduced the carbon intensity of its economy more than expected and almost halved the rate of growth for electricity demand. China remains heavily dependent on coal and other fossil fuels, making it the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gas emissions, but the report found that the rate of growth in coal use has flatlined.
Last year, China also cemented its position as a renewable energy powerhouse, expanding solar power capacity by 75 per cent, and investing more that $65bn in clean energy – 20 per cent more than in 2011 and far more than any other nation.
The report predicts China could see its emissions peak sooner than expected if investment continues to accelerate, driven by new initiatives such as the planned carbon markets that are due to launch from June in a number of cities.
The CC’s chief commissioner, Professor Tim Flannery, said the report showed other countries such as Australia could no longer use China’s vast carbon footprint as an excuse for inaction on climate change.
“China is vulnerable to a changing climate, but they are also motivated by reducing their air and water pollution and wanting to position themselves as the world’s renewable energy leader,” he said in a statement.
“Whatever the reason, the results speak for themselves. China is quickly moving to the top of the leader board on climate change.”
The report also noted that 98 countries have now committed to limit their greenhouse gas emissions, and that there are now 35 national emissions trading schemes in place around the world.
However, the report also warns that despite increased investment in clean technologies and the development of more ambitious climate policies, emissions continue to rise around the world, showing more action is needed to address the risk of rising temperatures.
China’s slower, more expensive, nuclear energy plan
China moves cautiously ahead on nuclear energy, China Daily Mail, BY MICHAEL B. CALYN ⋅ APRIL 25, 2013⋅ “…....Based on the new plan, China will only approve a few new reactor construction projects before 2016. China now expects to grow its total nuclear capacity to 58 GWe by 2020, rather than the more than 80 GWe previously expected.
The government resumed approval of new nuclear power projects in December 2012, just as the new plan was issued. Several inland nuclear power projects where significant preparation work had already begun will be suspended, with some of their equipment likely transferred to coastal sites. Read more »
China definitely keeping “no first nuclear strike” policy
. The original Chinese text is unambiguous and emphatic in its assertion that no first use has been “scrupulously” observed “from the start” and will continue to be “to the end” [始终恪守].
China Still Committed to No First Use of Nuclear Weapons http://allthingsnuclear.org/china-still-committed-to-no-first-use-of-nuclear-weapons/Gregory Kulacki, China project manager and senior analyst April 23, 2013
On April 16, the Chinese Ministry of Defense released a white paper that mentioned Chinese nuclear weapons but did not contain familiar language expressing China’s declaratory policy, particularly that China would never use nuclear weapons first, under any circumstances. This commitment to “no first use” has been a bedrock of Chinese nuclear weapons policy since the announcement was first made in 1964, immediately following China’s first nuclear weapons test. All previous white papers issued by the Chinese Ministry of Defense contained the language.
James Acton suggests the omission indicates China may be abandoning its long-standing commitment to no first use. It doesn’t. Read more »
Changing policy in China about the use of nuclear weapons?
Is China Changing Its Position on Nuclear Weapons? NYT, By JAMES M. ACTON April 18, 2013 NTERPRETING any country’s pronouncements about its nuclear weapons can be a study in fine distinctions, but occasionally a state says — or fails to say — something in a clear break from the past. A Chinese white paper on defense, released on Tuesday, falls into this category and now demands our attention, because it omits a promise that China will never use nuclear weapons first…….
- INTERPRETING ANY COUNTRY’S PRONOUNCEMENTS ABOUT ITS NUCLEAR WEAPONS CAN BE A STUDY IN FINE DISTINCTIONS, BUT OCCASIONALLY A STATE SAYS — OR FAILS TO SAY — SOMETHING IN A CLEAR BREAK FROM THE PAST. A CHINESE WHITE PAPER ON DEFENSE, RELEASED ON TUESDAY, FALLS INTO THIS CATEGORY AND NOW DEMANDS OUR ATTENTION, BECAUSE IT OMITS A PROMISE THAT CHINA WILL NEVER USE NUCLEAR WEAPONS FIRST…… Read more »
Birthpangs of a new capitalist industry – China’s solar technology
What’s going on with Chinese solar? The Conversation, John Mathews, 27 March 2013 ”….. The birth pangs of a capitalist industry What we’re seeing is the birth pangs of a new, capitalist industry. We should be rejoicing that some companies are going bankrupt – it shows that the industry really is competitive, and not subject to arbitrary state control.
There have been comparable episodes at the birth of every major industry. Detroit boasted hundreds of auto companies in the 1910s and 1920s before bankruptcies and consolidation led to the creation of the Big Three – Ford, General Motors and Chrysler. Likewise in electronics and computers. Now it is the turn of solar photovoltaics.
China has created an astonishingly successful solar photovoltaic industry, far beyond the imaginings of commentators even ten years ago. A decision was taken at the highest levels that China needed to promote renewable energy industries to complement and offset its rapid escalation of coal-burning and fossil fuel driven industrialisation. Read more »
China likely to abandon three major nuclear energy projects
No nuclear restart in sight Global Times | 2013-1-29 By Liang Fei
China’s three largest major inland nuclear projects, operated by China
National Nuclear Corp, China Power Investment Corp and China Guangdong
Nuclear Power Holding Co respectively, are not likely to resume
construction any time soon, experts said Tuesday. ….
The three inland nuclear power projects, located in Taojiang county in
Central China’s Hunan Province, Tongshan county in Central China’s
Hubei Province, and Pengze county in East China’s Jiangxi Province,
have already invested around 10 billion yuan ($1.6 billion), China
Economic Weekly reported Tuesday.
“It is very likely that these inland projects will ultimately be
abandoned,” Lin Boqiang, director of the China Center for Energy
Economics Research at Xiamen University, told the Global Times. Read more »
China’s big steps forward in renewable energy
China unveils big renewable energy ambitions for 2013, The Age,
January 9, 2013 China, the world’s largest carbon emitter due to its
dependence on coal, plans to add 49 gigawatts of renewable-energy
capacity this year in an effort to boost power production without
increasing its reliance on fossil fuels.
China will add 21 gigawatts of hydroelectric capacity, 18 gigawatts of
wind generation and 10 gigawatts of solar, according to a statement
today on the website of the National Energy Administration. The
agency, a unit of the National Development Reform Commission, reported
the results of a national work meeting on energy in Beijing yesterday
and was attended by Zhang Ping, who heads the commission.
That will exceed other forecasts for China’s wind and solar
development. The country is expected to surpass Germany to become the
largest solar market by installing as much as 5.39 gigawatts of
photovoltaic panels this year, according to a November report from
Bloomberg New Energy Finance. The London- based research company
anticipates 16.3 gigawatts of new, land- based wind capacity in China
this year……. :
http://www.theage.com.au/business/carbon-economy/china-unveils-big-renewable-energy-ambitions-for-2013-20130109-2cfdd.html#ixzz2HX92zVT0
Cyber war – China’s advanced espionage
It’s global cyber war out there, Financial Review. CHRISTOPHER JOYE
02 JAN 2013“…..Since 2003 the Chinese have executed advanced
cyber-espionage operations against the West, including Australia,
stealing hundreds of billions worth of business and military secrets
in what United States officials say is “the greatest transfer of
wealth in history”.
The Chinese were fingered in the hacking of Barack Obama’s and John
McCain’s computers in the 2008 US presidential election campaign. Read more »
Continuing strong renewable energy growth in China
China’s Strong Renewable Energy Growth Continues Clean Technica, http://cleantechnica.com/2013/01/07/china-increases-overall-renewable-energy-capacity/#jmKrVGDEZY5PCtxO.99
January 7, 2013, Joshua S Hill In good news for planet Earth, and news
that should conversely kick us Western nations up the proverbial,
China has again stretched its renewable energy installed capacity,
increasing its wind energy capacity up to 56 megawatts at the end of
October 2012, and increasing its hydro power capacity to 206
megawatts.
China’s renewable energy capacity installation growth has
been impressive, and even more so when you consider that its growth
has been higher than the global average.
The global average growth of wind energy capacity over the past decade
was only 25% while China’s wind energy capacity rose at an annual
average growth of 60%.
When it comes to solar, the average global growth was 44%, while China
managed 50% over the same time period.
It’s good news to see China reaching and beating goals it has set for
itself, especially in light of its recently introduced 12th Five-Year
Plan, in which China has set a target of increasing its total
renewable energy consumption to 478 million tonnes of coal equivalent.
This would represent approximately 9.5% of the overall energy
consumption in the country by 2015.
Despite safety doubts, China resumes building big nuclear power plant
China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection said in a report in
October that the country’s nuclear safety situation was “not
optimistic”, and that the use of differing types of reactors in
Chinese plants made the sector “difficult to manage”.
China resumes construction of ‘biggest’ nuclear plant Australia
Network News, 4 Jan 13 Chinese state media says the country has
resumed construction of a nuclear power plant suspended after the 2011
Fukushima disaster. Read more »
Slowing down- China’s nuclear power programme
deciding not to build any inland nuclear power plants through 2015
Although China has not announced new nuclear power installed capacity targets for 2020, it is expected that targets will be adjusted downward from previous expectations. ….
China moves to strengthen nuclear safety standards and moderate the pace of its nuclear power development, Switchboard, Alvin Lin This post was co-written with my colleagues Jingjing Li, Jason Portner and Christine Xu, 23 Dec 12, .”……….. Before the March 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, China had been undertaking the world’s largest nuclear power plant construction program, with plans to expand its then approximately 11.5 GW of nuclear power to as much as 80 GW of nuclear capacity by 2020. (Given that current reactors are about 1 GW in size, this would be equivalent to building nearly 70 reactors over a decade.)
Following Fukushima, however, Beijing immediately suspended approval of all new nuclear power projects while it undertook a comprehensive safety review of existing and under-construction nuclear power plants, as well as research reactors and fuel cycle facilities, and developed its Twelfth Five Year Plan for Nuclear Safety……
The report concluded that operating reactors “basically fulfill” China’s nuclear safety laws and regulations and the International Atomic Energy Agency’s most recent standards, that they have the capacity to respond to design-basis accidents and severe accidents, and that safety risks are under control.
However, in spite of these conclusions, the inspection report and nuclear safety plan also identified areas for improvement. Read more »
China looks to thousands of jobs and cheap electricity with home solar connected to the grid
First Home Solar Array Connected To China’s State Grid 
http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=3531 27 Dec 12 For a nation that leads the world in solar panel production, China has been a little slow off the mark with grid connection in relation to home solar power – but that will change dramatically soon. China Daily reports the first residential solar power system has been connected to China’s State electricity grid in Qingdao, Shandong province. While grid connection is taken for granted in countries such as Australia, this first installation proved to be quite a task; taking 19 days to complete. However, we can expect grid connected residential solar to bypass Australia’s tally very soon. State Grid Corporation of China, the largest electricity utility in the world, only started allowing small-scale solar power systems to connect to the national grid in November.
The Qingdao installation will be the first of many millions as new policies mean the work needed to connect privately owned systems below 5 megawatts capacity to the grid will be carried out free of charge. State Grid will also purchase surplus electricity generated by these systems.
The scale of State Grid Corporation of China is staggering. It has over 1.5 million employees and in 2011, generated revenue to the tune of US$ 259.14 billion. Its service area represents 88% of the country and provides electricity to over one billion people.
There will be no shortage of work for those employees. According to RenewEconomy’s Giles Parkinson, rumour has it that China will boost their solar target to 40GW by 2015; which is an entirely achievable goal considering more than 5GW capacity has been installed in this year alone. While China’s love affair with solar is set to continue, its rapid ascent in solar manufacturing hasn’t been without its casualties; with numerous manufacturers falling by the wayside due to competition and external forces. China’s government recently announced it would carry out reforms to the industry; including promoting mergers and acquisitions and reducing government support for manufacturers.
China is often criticised; but something we can all be thankful for is the nation brought affordable solar to the world.
Wind energy taking off in a big way, in China
China’s Wind Power Sector Set for Rapid Development after Year of Stagnancy Renewable Energy World, By Liu Yuanyuan, December 11, 2012 BEIJING — China’s wind power sector, after stagnating for nearly a year, is expected to experience rapid development as local governments launch favorable policies. Read more »
Chinese serious radiation problem, uranium ash from coal mining
The environmental hazards caused by radioactive ash has been kept quiet.
Coal mines near uranium deposits spoiling value of nuclear fuel. Experts say many coal and uranium deposits are co-located and that extraction of the fossil fuel first is ruining the value of the nuclear fuel South China Morning Post, 18 November, 2012, Stephen Chen “…… And as China’s nuclear and coal sectors battle over the sites where the radioactive heavy metal lies buried, experts say the uranium is accidentally ending up in coal-fired power stations
- creating radioactive ash that is falling on surrounding cities.
One Canadian firm that declined to be interviewed has built a plant near one coal-fired power station in Yunnan to collect the uranium from the ash….. Read more »
China’s process of change in political leadership – anything but democratic
China’s chosen few get to glimpse behind the curtain, The Age, November 12, 2012, Virginie Magin, Malcolm Moore “…..in reality, the process has the thinnest veneer of democracy, since the number of places on the Politburo Standing Committee will match the number of candidates put forward..
… Overall, the proceedings at the congress have been carefully choreographed, with delegates chosen to reflect the party’s inclusiveness. In turn, they make speeches praising the party, Mr Hu’s leadership and occasionally themselves, …… http://www.theage.com.au/world/chinas-chosen-few-get-to-glimpse-behind-the-curtain-20121111-296eg.html#ixzz2C2o9sv8s
SEARCH for particular names or topics at the SEARCH BOX at very bottom of this sidebar
- AUDIO About San Onofre Nuclear plant. Nuclear Regulatory Commission – NRC: Lapdog or Watchdog? http://www.fairewinds.org/content/nrc-lapdog-or-watchdog
- and this Japan’s nuclear safety record criticised by regulator http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/radio/program/connect-asia/japans-nuclear-safety-record-criticised-by-regulator/1132464
VIDEO: Japan to open nuclear plant http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2013/s3761126.ht
From Fukushima to New York: Continuing Dangers of Nuclear Power
Women and nuclear radiation – Mary Olson speaks
Mary Olson, from Nuclear Information and Resource Service, spoke at the New York symposium on Fukushima’s effects, March 2013.
Here are some highlights:
Mary Olson discussed the findings of the latest National Academy of Sciences Biological Effects of Ionising Radiation ( BEIR VII) , illustrated by this graph:
This lifespan graph shows increased cancer risk by exposure to a given amount of radiation, The pink line shows the risk for girls, the blue line for boys. Look at left hand part of the graph. It covers from zero to 5 years, and includes pre birth. We see a striking difference between the blue line and the pink line. The nuclear regulators assume that the risk shown here at age 40 – in the blue line- is the same for every individual regardless of age or gender. Yet, even at ages 40 – 60 the cancer risk from radiation is significantly more for women, than for men.
The cancer danger from ionising radiation depends on the type of radiation, the amount, and the duration of the exposure. But it also depends on who is exposed. Radiation exposure endangers some individuals more than others. In order, the most vulnerable are:
Primary germ cells/ Embryo
Foetus
Children
Elders
Some genotypes
Females – both juvenile and adult
All of the world’s scientific authorities agree that there is no safe dose of radiation. That includes the WHO, EPA, NRC, and national Academy of Science.
The standards for permissable levels of ionising radiation were originally written to cover doctors using radiation, then were intended for the purpose of sending military into radiological areas. Yet these standads, based on a 30 year old man, are applied to everyone.
Over 100 years, man’s activities have increased the background radiation by 25%
The ratio of cancer risks from radiation for males and females is 3 to 2. That is for every 2 males who get cancer from ionising radiation, there are 3 females. In reports from BEIR and the Lifespan study of Hiroshima survivors only external radiation is considered, not internal radiation. The risk for females is being underestimated in reports and in regulations about radiation
The World Health Organisation is the first big agency to acknowledge this difference in radiation risk between males and females, in its latest report. WHO is also saying that there is 70% higher risk of thyroid cancer for little girls exposed to radiation.
Studies are continuing, and animal studies, too, are showing this gender difference. We must move towards prevention and precaution as the basis of policy. Sadly, it is too late for a lot of prevention. We need to cahnge the priorities – to protect first, study second
And we need to get a whole lot more women motivated to get involved.
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