Dr Eric Lai – SCMP | Updated on Oct 31, 2008 Paper exporters are reported to be cutting their intake of recycled paper and drastically reducing the price they pay to collectors. This has spelled trouble for those in the various tiers of the paper recycling sector. From the scavengers to the companies that collect [...]
Posts from ‘October, 2008’
Brand-name Shops Accused Of Light Pollution
SCMP | Updated on Oct 31, 2008 A green group has accused five brand-name shops of excessive use of lighting on their outlets’ exterior walls and in advertising that has caused electric-light pollution in Central. The five shops are Louis Vuitton in The Landmark, H&M in Queen’s Road Central, the flagship shop of Coach in [...]
Should There Be Laws To Control Light Pollution?
SCMP | Updated on Oct 31, 2008 It seems that people are becoming more aware of the effects of climate change. We appreciate the threat posed by greenhouse gas emissions. Yet although people have this awareness, many do little in the form of practical action to curb the effects of global warming. We must address [...]
Reliance On Coal Hurts Climate Change Fight
Shi Jiangtao – SCMP | Updated on Oct 30, 2008 China’s reliance on coal for economic growth has made it difficult to curb growing greenhouse gas emissions, according to the central government’s first policy statement on climate change. “Developing the economy and improving people’s lives are imperative tasks currently facing China,” the white paper, issued [...]
Pollution-reduction Goals Still Far Away, Admits Official
Agence France-Presse in Beijing | Updated on Oct 29, 2008 Mainland is having trouble meeting energy efficiency and pollution-reduction goals, but the government remains determined to reach the targets, a top official said on Wednesday. Vice-Minister of Planning Xie Zhenhua also said Beijing will consider controls on the greenhouse gas emissions of its worst polluting [...]
Ministers Announce 10-year Smart Meter Roll-out For Households
New Energy Focus – 29-10-08 The government announced yesterday that it will require all households to have smart meters installed over the next decade. The decision was announced by the energy minister Lord Hunt of Kings Heath as the House of Lords debated the Energy Bill yesterday afternoon. The move to introduce smart meters – [...]
True Cost Of Coal To Nation ‘Far Exceeds’ Market Price
Shi Jiangtao in Beijing – SCMP | Updated on Oct 28, 2008 The environmental and social costs of China’s reliance on coal as an energy source have been grossly underestimated, a joint study by environmentalists and economists says. For each tonne of coal consumed last year, China paid 150 yuan (HK$170) extra in environmental damage, [...]
Biofuels “Better” Than Standard Jet Fuel, Says Boeing
NewEnergyFocus – 27-10-08 Aviation experts have said it is now “unequivocally” certain that biofuels could be used to fuel aircraft – and that they could even deliver better performance than standard kerosene. The government is expected tomorrow (October 28) to include aviation within its proposed tougher climate change emission curbs being added to the Climate [...]
Cinderella Industries Await Their Prince
Potentially Lucrative Projects Devoted To Clean, Renewable Energy Languish For Want Of Financing Eric Ng – SCMP | Updated on Oct 27, 2008 The United States’ property bust and the subsequent global credit crunch have many investors fretting that the mainland’s economic miracle is coming to an end. Yet, amid the gloom and doom, renewable [...]
Companies Look For Short Payback Period When Investing In Green Projects
Eric Ng – SCMP | Updated on Oct 27, 2008 Energy conservation and pollution reduction are industries that have been around for decades, but their fastest growth could well lie ahead given the mainland’s status as the world’s factory and rising pressure for it to get its act together on sustainable development. Manufacturers can either [...]