Beijing’s Smog Smoothers Autumn

October 12, 2002

Beijing's cool and crisp, autumns seem to be something of the past as a pall of heavy smog has once again descended over the city.

Coal smoke and increasing emissions from motor vehicles and dusty construction sites have added to the smog. The pollution index was about 230, with 100 the ceiling for healthy air quality. City workers were also seen wetting down streets to keep dust under control.

Emissions-Trading Moving Forward in China

October 7, 2002

Mainland officials and business people are expected to scramble to trade in pollution emissions - a market estimated to be worth up to $13 billion a year. While China has been identified as a pioneer among developing nations in the market-based approach to reducing pollution, obstacles such as corruption need to be addressed. Experts also claim that China is starting to lag behind in tapping international markets.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) claims the mainland market for sulphur dioxide trading could be worth at least $1 billion, depending on future penalties for pollution associated with acid rain.

The penalty for an industrial source producing sulphur dioxide is US$ 0.60 per ton, which is low by international standards. Analysts have speculated that the levy could rise to US$ 24 per ton. In the US, sulphur dioxide trades for up to US$200/ ton.

Mainland authorities took a step closer to establishing a market for emissions trading in March when the State Environmental Protection Administration (Sepa) announced that Shandong, Shanxi, Henan and Jiangsu and three cities - Shanghai, Tianjin and Liuzhou - would pioneer China's first cross-provincial border trading scheme.

Hong Kong's ambitions to conduct emissions trading between the SAR and its neighboring province have attracted the attention of the ADB, which said it might provide support for the project. The lack of trading regulations, regulatory body, education and, existing institutional and policies, are obstacles to implementing emission trading programs.

Beijing Backs HK Emissions Trading

September 30, 2002

Hong Kong has received permission from the central government to join an experimental pollution-control scheme on the mainland which could lead to the creation of a market for emissions trading worth at least $1 billion a year.

SEPA had agreed to include the two special administrative regions and Guangdong province in the trials which already cover heavily polluted cities such as Shanghai and Tianjin.
The mainland, which has been experimenting with pilot schemes since 1991, is viewed as a pioneer in emissions trading, according to the Asian Development Bank.

SEPA announced in March that four provinces (Shandong, Shanxi, Henan and Jiangsu) and three cities (Shanghai, Tianjin and Liuzhou) which had conducted local pilot projects would pioneer an emissions trading scheme across provincial borders - the first of its kind in China.

Beijing to Promote Use of Bikes

September 21, 2002

Beijing in a bid to cut pollution ahead of the 2008 Olympics will build new bicycle routes will be built - despite widespread encouragement of private car ownership in recent years. The effort is being made to help curb air pollution.

The push for increased bicycle use runs counter to most recent policies that have been aimed at promoting car ownership at virtually any cost. A booming car industry has been seen as helping the entire economy, along a number of related sectors, from car radios to roadside fast-food catering.

Beijing, a city of 13 million, has almost 1.8 million cars, a figure that could rise to four million by 2010 according to some estimates. There are an estimated 500 million bikes in use in the mainland.

(Source: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE)

Clean-air Campaign and Peking Duck's Goose

Monday, September 2, 2002

The centuries-old art of slowly roasting ducks over an open wood fire to make Peking duck is under threat as environmental regulators try to clean up the capital's sooty skies before the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The method of roasted directly over flames stoked by fruit-tree wood, always results in a lot of smoke and dust.

About 1,000 restaurants specializing in Peking duck are being urged by the city's EPA to switch from wood fires to electric or gas equivalents, a change that threatens to ruin the taste of Beijing's most famous delicacy. EPA has asked that all restaurant emissions meet air quality requirements. The campaign has targeted large restaurants and next year on smaller ones.

The EPA refused to confirm whether it was preparing regulations to ban wood-fired ovens, but hinted that restaurant emissions were among the first targets in a war to clean Beijing's air.

This week, the Bianyi Roast Duck restaurant, a long-time Quanjude rival, introduced its "crisp fragrance" roast duck, cooked using natural gas. The restaurant has lodged a patent application for the environmentally friendly cooking method, which also includes special spices and marinades to get the "wood flavor".

(Source: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE)

Shanghai to Ban Motorbikes

July 31, 2002

Motorbikes are to be phased out in Shanghai's downtown areas by the end of 2005, according to Xinhua news. As of July 26, 2002, motorcycles were banned from a number of Shanghai's busiest streets.

In 1997, Shanghai had only 40,000 motorcycles and motor-scooters. Today, it boasts some 140,000 motorcycles and 500,000 scooters. These figures do not include the 140,000 unlicensed "black motorcycles" currently in use.

Motorcycles and motor-scooters account for more than half of Shanghai's vehicles, but they only account for 2.1 per cent of the daily passenger volume.
Officials said the purpose of the motorcycle ban was to improve Shanghai's road safety, raise transport efficiency and reduce pollution. Motorcycles are also high sources of air pollution in China.

Cross-border Emission Credit Trading Program?

July 11, 2002

A cross-border emissions trading scheme - under which polluting companies could pay other firms to share their burden of reducing contamination - could be in place within three years under a proposal to be put forward by the Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works.

Under the proposed scheme, cleaner firms in Hong Kong and Guangdong could invest in poorly equipped companies to minimize the latter's excessive emissions, gaining "environmental credits" in order to reach tightened targets set by their local governments.

Companies could negotiate payments among themselves, based around the gains in emissions reductions and the savings made by the cleaner plants from not having to invest large amounts to upgrade their facilities.

Shanghai Plans to Ease Traffic Problems

June 22, 2002

The Shanghai has released a policy blueprint aimed at improving traffic management by limiting the number of cars and implementing tougher pollution standards. Shanghai's traffic in terms of the quantity or the quality, still cannot fully meet the development needs of the city according to a recent white paper.

The number of vehicles in Shanghai is forecast to hit 1.5 million by 2005, up from one million in 2000, according to the white paper. Some smaller cities nearby have cut their fees for car license plates, sparking debate on whether Shanghai should follow suit. Shanghai still auctions license plates to the highest bidder while keeping a strict limit on the number issued every year.

The city plans to keep the number of taxis stable at about 43,000, while reducing the number of bicycles by 25 per cent and decreasing the number of motorcycles in use. Shanghai wants more residents to use public transport, and will increase bus services and expand subway and light rail lines to make this possible, spending US$ 2.5 billion on infrastructure this year.

The city aims to reduce air pollution by cutting nitrous oxide emissions from cars. China has already banned the use of leaded gas and some car manufacturers have started to implement European Union emission standards.

No Expansion of LPG to Diesel Vehicles in HK

June 13, 2002

The Government will not extend the liquefied petroleum gas conversion scheme to diesel-powered light goods vehicles because of the time it would take to expand the gas supply infrastructure. Under the plan no other types of vehicle or than those under the voluntary LPG minibus scheme in August, which seeks to convert 4,350 minibuses by 2005 will be converted to run on LPG in the short term.

A feasibility study on the conversion of light goods vehicles concluded that conversions were technically feasible, but highlighted the difficulty in providing an adequate gas supply and refilling infrastructure for 70,000 light goods vehicles which might take at least six years to plan and build additional facilities. Some feel by the time the facilities were completed, there might be a new form of clean, affordable fuel available.
Meanwhile, the Environment and Food Bureau will seek $212.6 million from the legislature next month to subsidise the LPG minibus conversion scheme.

Under the revised scheme to be discussed today in the legislature, each operator will be offered a grant of $60,000 and the deadline will be extended by one year. Minibuses aged seven years or below have to be converted before the end of 2004 and those younger than 10 years by the end of 2005.

Hong Kong Group Forms Air-Monitoring Team

May 29, 2002

A think-tank has launched a cross-border air quality study following a Government report last month which the group said might not accurately reflect the problem. Hong Kong's Civic Exchange has formed a research team comprising experts from the United States, Beijing, and Hong Kong to conduct research over a 28-month period. Eight monitoring stations will be set up in Guangdong and Hong Kong to collect air samples to determine the sources of pollution and its spread.

The study will concentrate on fine particles, known as PM-2.5, a type of pollution which does not have to meet specific air quality standards either on the mainland or in the SAR.
PM-2.5 were not included in the Government's Pearl River Delta study, which found that air quality had deteriorated sharply, with visibility in Shenzhen nine times worse in the late 1990s than in 1991. The report also warned that air quality could further worsen by eight per cent in Hong Kong and 28 per cent in Guangdong if nothing was done by 2010.

Study Suggest Ways to Ease Car Pollution

May 17, 2002

China could significantly reduce damaging emissions from its increasing number of cars by adopting new transport strategies such as increasing the cost of cars, using electric and natural-gas vehicles and promoting intelligent transport management to cut congestion according to a new report which took Shanghai as an in-depth model for the country.
The report took the Shanghai municipality as its case study.

There are currently over 700,000 cars in Shanghai, accounting for only about 6.4 per cent of the city's greenhouse gas emissions. However, the number of cars is rising at an alarming rate: over the past 10 years, ownership has been increasing by an average of 10 per cent. The report estimated that by 2020, the city's vehicle greenhouse gas emissions could increase sevenfold were it to continue its current vehicle ownership and use patterns.

According to the report if Shanghai were to incorporate transport measures such as encouraging smaller and cleaner cars and better mass transit facilities, the city's transport greenhouse gas emissions would only increase by 3.7 times by 2020.

Pollution level in Hong Kong double London’s

May 15, 2002

Des Voeux Road users are exposed to about twice as much of a form of fine pollutant associated with health problems as those in London's busy Marylebone Road. Some areas of the UK meet United States safety standards on PM2.5, but in Hong Kong even rural Tap Mun recorded double the US limit. Fine particles come from sources including industrial combustion and vehicle exhausts, while coarse particles include material such as dust from construction sites.

Some experts think this may be because of Hong Kong's taller buildings the air can not disperse.
In 1997, the US set limits on PM2.5 but both London and Hong Kong continue to concentrate air-quality objectives on a different pollution measure called PM10, which is the combined total of coarse and fine particle Hong Kong plans to review its position on fine particle pollution next year, as does the European Community.

Hong Kong’s Air Pollution Causes 17,000 Yearly Hospital Admissions

May 4, 2002

More than 17,000 Hong Kong people are admitted to hospital each year and spend nearly 76,000 days off work or school because of air pollution-related heart and lung ailments, according to a recent study. Updated figures now estimate that about 4,300 people die prematurely each year from inhaling polluted air in the territory and that 7,724 people were admitted to public hospitals for cardiovascular diseases, including heart attacks and strokes, in 2000. Another 9,831 people were in hospital for respiratory or lung problems.

The team called for "urgent and radical air-quality interventions" in Hong Kong, including a moratorium on more roads, expanding pedestrianisation and encouraging the use of electric, hybrid or hydrogen cell-powered cars. The study team charted the number of patient admissions due to average levels of four pollutants in Hong Kong - nitrous dioxide, sulphur dioxide, ozone and fine particulates.

The heart disease patients spent a total of 35,660 days in hospital, and the lung patients 40,171 days. Given that the Hospital Authority spends about $3,000 a day to operate a bed, this works out to $227.5 million a year treating pollution-related illnesses.
In 2000, the team estimated there were 4,261 avoidable deaths due to air pollution.

Hong Kong and Guangdong to Clear Smog

April 30, 2002

Hong Kong and Guangdong will work together to clear smog from the Pearl River Delta within eight years under an ambitious plan unveiled yesterday that aims to reduce dangerous emissions by up to 55 per cent.

The $20 million Pearl River Delta study, which has been two years in the making, concluded that pollution was caused mainly by power plants, vehicle emissions and factories. The key pollutants from these sources are nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulphur dioxide (SO2), respirable suspended particles (RSP) and volatile organic compounds (VOC). A target has been set for both sides to reduce emissions from 1997 levels by 2010, cutting NOx by 20 per cent, SO2 by 39 per cent, VOC by 54 per cent and RSP by 55 per cent.
Environmentalists welcomed the report but questioned whether the mainland had the political will to meet the objectives.

The report recommends cleaner fuel for power plants, tighter controls on vehicle and industrial emissions, and control of organic air pollutants on both sides. A regional air-quality management plan will be drawn up for both sides to follow and a taskforce will be formed to determine priorities and monitor the scheme. It claims measures such as introducing electric vehicles and electronic road pricing might not be appropriate at the moment.

The report found that 80 to 95 per cent of the pollutants were generated in Guangdong and air quality had deteriorated sharply with visibility in Shenzhen nine times worse in the late-1990s than in 1991. Air quality had become five times worse in Guangzhou over this period and three times worse in Hong Kong.

China'a Air Pollution Kills almost 500,000 a year

April 27, 2002

A recent report by World Health Organization and United Nations Development Program states that China's air pollution is responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths a year among city residents. One of the report's conclusions is that outdoor air pollution claimed the lives of 376,000 people each year from 1991 to 1998.

During the same period, the number of deaths from indoor air pollution annually was upwards of 110,000. The data showed that respiratory illnesses, cardiovascular diseases and lung cancer were the main causes of death. The information was taken from hospital reports in 28 main cities. China cites are infamous for air pollution as they have concentrations of suspended particles and sulphur dioxide that are among the world's highest. Cities such as Taiyuan, in Shanxi province, and Lanzhou, in Gansu province, have stubbornly held on to their positions on the list of the world's 10 most polluted cities for years. Coal use and motor vehicle emissions are the major sources of air pollution in China.

Medical expenses from increased mortality rates are estimated at about added 1 USD billion to 1998 costs. Factoring in the loss of human capital the total economic losses for that year reached USD 6 billion. The report stated the complicated nature of indoor air pollution, which may be responsible for 111,000 premature deaths every year in China. Some local researchers have claimed that the figures fell far short of the true amount. They say that toxic or hazardous materials used for interior decoration were a great threat to people's health.

Hong Kong's Mobile Air Monitoring Vehicle
April 9, 2002

Hong Kong scientists have built the [world's first] air-monitoring van, which will be used to compile a pollution map of the territory. The vehicle, which has been developed by researchers at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, can detect both gaseous and particulate matter. It will be put into service in July and should produce the pollution map within a year. The vehicle is being planned to monitor air pollution from Hong Kong to Beijing and visiting visit Guangzhou, Wuhan, and Shanghai.

The $USD 800, 000 vehicle was the result of a three-year project developed by the university with a $USD 1.5 million grant from the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. Green groups say the vehicle will provide valuable data and help authorities formulate better plans to solve Hong Kong's air-pollution problems.

Beijing to Curb Air Pollution

April 2, 2002

This April Beijing launched a nine-month campaign to rid the city of air pollution. The main tasks include bringing suspended particles under control and substantially reducing the discharge of contaminants. The goal is that 55 per cent of the 2002 calendar days will have at least a Grade-2 air pollution index, this equates to five percentage points higher than last year.

By the end of this October, Beijing should have finished renovations on 1,500 coal fired boilers to reduce an estimated 24,000 tons of pollutants. Motor vehicles older than 10 years and taxis over five years old are to be examined by the environmental protection and communications management departments. Vehicles not meeting emissions standards have to be scrapped.

Forty factories from downtown areas that emit pollutants the will be removed this year contributing to the 4 million square meters of unused land in Beijing that will be transformed into a pollution-free zone.

A complaint telephone line has been established for residents who want to reports on environmental problems.

Beijing's rivers are getting cleaner as the capital's sewage treatment is improving. The Beijing Government plans to invest US$95.5 million this year on seven sewage treatment projects include building four sewage treatment plants and three sewage conveyance systems.

Shanghai Sets New Fuel Emission Standard

April 7, 2002

The Shanghai Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision set the maximum amount of sulfur allowable in fuel on April 1, 2002, to control toxic sulfur dioxide, a chemical pollutant, emitted into the atmosphere.
The bureau said the content of sulfur must be less than 0.8 per cent in coal and 1 per cent in petroleum and diesel. Statistics show that the city's annual coal consumption reached 45 million tons in 2000, when 460,000 tons of sulfur dioxide was discharged in the air.

(Source: China Daily News)

Hangzhou Set for Switch to Natural Gas

March 28, 2002

Hangzhou's the capital of East China's Zhejiang Province is only one step away from turning itself into a clean "natural gas city."
Hangzhou, will be the eastern terminus of China's new natural gas transmission line, will be equipped with the basic facilities for the use of natural gas by the end of 2003.

The famous tourism city expects the entire project will soon be under construction, and that about 40,000 households in the eastern part of the city will be the first to benefit from the project by using a "natural gas substitute" a mixture of liquid gas and air until the end of 2003, when natural gas line will be complete.

Hangzhou is still a coal-based city. About 80 per cent of the city's annual energy supply comes from burning coal and is a major source of pollution.

(Source: China Daily)

Shanghai’s Environmental Monitoring Plan

March 28, 2002

Shanghai due to its rapid development realizes the importance of further up-grading and expanding their environmental monitoring program for both air and water. Under the new monitoring program 50 plus Shanghai industries will be required to install air and water discharge monitoring equipment. Parameters to measured/monitored in air stream sampling are NOx, SOx, HC, PM10, CO, VOC’s, and Ozone. Water samples will require the analysis of BOD, COD, pH, Turbidity, Nitrate/Nitrite, DO, Ammonia, Suspended Solids, Oils/Grease, phenols, and some metals.

Also under the new plan the Shanghai EPB will also be seeking laboratory equipment mainly, Gas Chromatography, Mass Spectrometry, High Pressure Liquid Chromatography, Flame Ionization Analyzers to upgrade the Shanghai Academy of Environmental Sciences (SAES) and the Shanghai Environmental Monitoring Center (SEMC) analytical capabilities in order to meet the new analytical requirements and increased sample loads. The estimated total cost of this environmental monitoring system expansion and upgrading is $25 million.

China’s Automobile Emissions and Testing Market Overview

March 28, 2002

Within the ten years due to economic growth and rising incomes there has been a dramatic increase in the private ownership of automobiles in China from 816,000 units in 1990 to 5,340,000 units in 1999 or about 23% per year. China’s vehicle population is centered around its more affluent cities including, Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou. Beijing has about 1.60 million cars while Shanghai has about half this number.

Most of the domestic car manufactures use outdated technology, so as compared to foreign makes, their fuel consumption is 10%-30% higher with 1.5-2 times more emissions of air pollutants. Automobile emissions have become the primary source of air pollution in China, typically greater than 60%, in most major cities. In response to this problem the Chinese government has been developing stricter guidelines and encouraging the expansion of the vehicle emissions control market.

Export Potential and Technology Transfer of Emission Testing Equipment:

March 27, 2002

Current estimates indicate that there maybe 500 vehicle emission stations planned for Shanghai’s emission testing program. China currently lacks the technology to produce high-tech chassis dynamometers that meet ASTM standards.

Presently there is a need for high tech, portable survey instruments, such as infrared inspecting systems to meet the EURO standards since most domestically produced units can not measure NOx concentrations.

Under China’s WTO agreement US companies within 2 years US companies should be able to directly import, sell, and repair cars creating a greater demand for US emission testing equipment.

Potential Partner

March 27, 2002

DC Consultants is currently aware of a Chinese company that is seeking a foreign partner to manufacture more advanced emission testing equipment in China.

China New Regulations to Reduce Acid Rain

March 2, 2002

China's State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) has released a detailed plan aimed at reducing acid rain damage caused by widespread emissions of sulphur dioxide. According to SEPA, more than 10 provinces and municipalities across the country, which makes up 30 per cent of Chinese territory, have been suffering problems caused by acid rain. China, along with part of Europe and North America, has become the world's three major areas affected by acid rain.

The State Council in its 10th Five-Year Plan for Environmental Protection (2001-05) said the country will reduce its total discharge of sulphur dioxide to below 18 million tons, 10 per cent less than levels in 2000.

SEPA, together with the Ministry of Science and Technology and the State Economic and Trade Commission have set regulations for the control of exhaust gases from the use of coal the major source of sulphur dioxide emissions, accounting for 90 per cent.

Under the regulations coal mines across the country are forbidden from producing coal containing more than 3 per cent of sulphur by the end of 2005. All coal mines containing sulphur are required to set up desulphurization facilities by 2005.

Environmental officials are to inspect coal mines across the country to shut down "all unqualified mines" - especially those small coal mines with no funds to upgrade their equipment. The regulations require industrial businesses, especially power plants, to establish desulphurization facilities and to save on total coal use.

Alternative fuel for Beijing’s Public Transportation

February 22, 2002

Beijing’s city government has made plans that by 2007, 90% (8,000) of Beijing’s buses and 70% (40,000) of its cabs will be fueled by natural gas, from the 168 planned natural gas stations, according to Beijing’s Mayor Liu Qi.

Beijing plans to use more than US$ 5.5 billion for environmental protection over the five years, including the use clean-fuel automobiles and 1.5 billion US$ over the next few years on new buses to replace over ten thousand old ones.

Beijing’s automobile population has been growing by more than 10% every year. By 2008 it is estimated there will be 2.5 million from the present 1.6 million. Currently, motor vehicles are one of the major sources of air pollution in Beijing and other major cities in China. In 1998 Beijing was the first city in China to implement the Euro I emission standards, the use of lead-free gasoline and green fuels. By 2007 Beijing will use the Euro III emission standards, three years earlier than required by national law, which will reduce pollution by 60 percent from the current level.

Xu Guanhua, China's Minister of Science and Technology, said that China expects to increase exchanges and cooperation with the US in the fields of clean energy and environmental protection.

(Source: People's Daily)