https://www.scmp.com/rss/292983/feed The Chinese capital has for many years suffered from serious air pollution. Primary sources of pollutants include exhaust emission from Beijing's more than five million motor vehicles, coal burning in neighbouring regions, dust storms from the north and local construction dust. A particularly severe smog engulfed the city for weeks in early 2013, elevating public awareness to unprecedented levels and prompting the government to roll out emergency measures. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Nora Mankel,Sam Phillips Nora Mankel,Sam Phillips Over the past decade, clean-up efforts in East Asia have reduced air pollution significantly, improving quality of life and health in the region. But they may also have inadvertently contributed to speeding up global warming, by removing particles that helped to cool the Earth. Pollutants are made up of aerosols, liquid and solid particles suspended in the air. Although their removal is good for public health, this can lead to less cloud and less ground protection from the sun, and may have... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3320546/new-climate-study-revisits-tie-between-air-pollution-east-asia-and-global-warming?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3320546/new-climate-study-revisits-tie-between-air-pollution-east-asia-and-global-warming?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Aug 2025 06:00:13 +0000 Laura Wilcox,Bjorn H. Samset Laura Wilcox,Bjorn H. Samset Global warming has picked up pace since around 2010, leading to the recent string of record hot years. Why this is happening is still unclear and is among the biggest questions in climate science today. Our new study reveals that reductions in air pollution – particularly in China and East Asia – are a key reason for this faster warming. Clean-up of sulphur emissions from global shipping has been implicated in past research. But that clean-up only began in 2020, so it is considered too weak to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3318806/asias-cleaner-air-driving-global-warming?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3318806/asias-cleaner-air-driving-global-warming?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Jul 2025 02:30:08 +0000 It was a dark day when news broke last week that Washington would halt a worldwide air pollution monitoring programme. Citing budget constraints, the US State Department effectively shut down the programme that has provided critical air quality readings at more than 80 American embassies and consulates for more than a decade, mostly in places where such data is scarce or unreliable. Unlike most of US President Donald Trump’s controversial domestic policies, the move felt particularly... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3301972/smog-and-silence-does-halt-global-air-quality-monitoring-signal-end-us-engagement?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3301972/smog-and-silence-does-halt-global-air-quality-monitoring-signal-end-us-engagement?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Mar 2025 12:15:55 +0000 China’s capital city has increased the quota for new energy vehicle number plates to encourage consumption, a move that arrived the day after top leaders placed a focus on boosting domestic demand and “unwaveringly” accomplishing this year’s economic targets. The Beijing municipal government is set to issue 20,000 new energy passenger cars with number plates to be used by families from Sunday, the Beijing Daily newspaper said on Friday. Many Chinese metropolises – including Beijing, Shanghai,... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3271148/beijing-seeks-drive-chinas-much-needed-consumption-upping-nev-number-plate-quota?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3271148/beijing-seeks-drive-chinas-much-needed-consumption-upping-nev-number-plate-quota?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Jul 2024 10:00:12 +0000 Environmental protection tends to be an afterthought rather than a priority for governments the world over, especially when such measures may take a long time to produce concrete results. But it justifiably becomes a pressing agenda when put against the actual health and economic benefits for the people and society. From fighting air and water pollution to cutting waste and promoting recycling, there is no shortage of studies and data to prompt a greater sense of urgency for actions. A fresh... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3255672/link-between-clear-air-and-fewer-suicides-another-reason-act?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3255672/link-between-clear-air-and-fewer-suicides-another-reason-act?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 16 Mar 2024 17:14:06 +0000 Two people have died and dozens were injured when a blast caused by a gas leak tore down a four-storey building near Beijing early on Wednesday. A government statement said the blast occurred at 7.54am in Sanhe county of Langfang in northern Hebei province, which neighbours the capital city. It said the blast occurred at a fried chicken restaurant in Yanjiao, a town in Sanhe. According to state broadcaster CCTV, two people died, 26 were reported injured and 28 people were rescued from the site... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3255188/one-dead-and-more-20-hurt-china-after-blast-tears-down-four-storey-building-near-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3255188/one-dead-and-more-20-hurt-china-after-blast-tears-down-four-storey-building-near-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Mar 2024 04:46:45 +0000 Chinese scientists are conducting trials on a new treatment that could become the first therapy in the world to reverse and repair the damage caused by a severe lung disease. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which is primarily caused by smoking and household pollution, obstructs airflow and causes breathing problems in about 700 million people globally. It is the third leading cause of death in the world, however there is no treatment to repair lung cells damaged by the condition,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3252047/chinese-team-tests-lung-treatment-may-be-first-reverse-damage-chronic-disease-affecting-700-million?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3252047/chinese-team-tests-lung-treatment-may-be-first-reverse-damage-chronic-disease-affecting-700-million?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Feb 2024 07:15:34 +0000 India’s financial capital of Mumbai has asked construction sites to use barricades and banned the burning of rubbish on open ground in a bid to combat worsening air quality, according to a government notification. The move comes two days after Swiss group IQAir rated Mumbai with an air quality index (AQI) of 160, making it the second most polluted city in the world on Monday, behind only China’s Beijing. A score between 151-200 is classed as ‘unhealthy’, while a score below 100 is... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3239208/behind-only-chinas-beijing-poor-air-quality-indias-polluted-mumbai-issues-new-construction-rules?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3239208/behind-only-chinas-beijing-poor-air-quality-indias-polluted-mumbai-issues-new-construction-rules?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Oct 2023 01:30:12 +0000 A company responsible for treating the bulk of Beijing’s medical waste during the Covid-19 pandemic is under investigation for allegedly doctoring air pollution monitoring data. Police in Beijing detained eight people from the company after finding numerous changes to sulphur dioxide data in the records of the company’s automatic monitoring equipment, state news agency Xinhua reported on Thursday. It is the first case of its kind in the Chinese capital, according to the report. Xinhua did not... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3228639/beijing-detains-waste-firm-workers-fake-air-pollution-data-case?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3228639/beijing-detains-waste-firm-workers-fake-air-pollution-data-case?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Jul 2023 13:00:10 +0000 Beijing and Ulaanbaatar have stepped up joint efforts to prevent sandstorms that swept across northern China earlier this year, with a Chinese delegation set to visit Mongolia from later this month to jointly work on solutions, according to information obtained by the Post. A delegation led by Nyamosor Batkhuu, an environment and green development policy adviser to Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh, and forestry department head Byambasuren Oyunsanaa visited China for six days in early May... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3224051/china-mongolia-fight-sandstorms-amid-calls-curb-economic-and-ecological-harm?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3224051/china-mongolia-fight-sandstorms-amid-calls-curb-economic-and-ecological-harm?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jun 2023 05:25:26 +0000 Top officials from Hebei province have visited some of China’s biggest state firms in Beijing as part of President Xi Jinping’s push to relocate some leading institutional headquarters to one of Xi’s signature projects. The visit came just over a month after Xi’s latest inspection trip to Xiongan New Area in an apparent attempt to dispel reluctance about the project and give another strong push to move “non-essential institutions” from China’s capital to the zone in neighbouring Hebei... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3223921/top-provincial-officials-survey-state-owned-enterprise-hqs-help-president-xi-jinping-move-key?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3223921/top-provincial-officials-survey-state-owned-enterprise-hqs-help-president-xi-jinping-move-key?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Jun 2023 09:16:54 +0000 Sandstorms plaguing northern China have spread across the sea, shrouding skies from South Korea to Japan and bringing the first yellow dust to Tokyo since 2021. Sandstorm particles have been detected in the northern and western parts of Japan and are expected to be found throughout Thursday, according to a Wednesday statement from the Japan Meteorological Agency. Visibility could be less than 5km in some places, it said. Particles were detected in Tokyo for the first time in two years, according... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3216897/sandstorm-sweeping-china-hits-japan-south-korea-air-quality-worsens?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3216897/sandstorm-sweeping-china-hits-japan-south-korea-air-quality-worsens?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Apr 2023 05:24:02 +0000 Beijing was struck by a sandstorm on Monday, bringing severe pollution in its wake, with more storms forecast for Thursday and Friday. It was the eighth sandstorm to hit Beijing this year. Sandstorms typically hit the capital city and surrounding areas in the spring. “The frequency of sandstorms this year, compared with other spring seasons, marks the highest for Beijing in the past decade,” said Ma Jun, director of the Institute for Public and Environmental Affairs, a non-profit environmental... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3216681/sandstorm-strikes-beijing-more-way-hazy-windy-weather-sweeps-across-northern-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3216681/sandstorm-strikes-beijing-more-way-hazy-windy-weather-sweeps-across-northern-china?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Apr 2023 09:32:56 +0000 A severe dust storm turned the sun blue and sent air pollution levels soaring in the Chinese capital on Wednesday. The city’s air quality index showed concentrations of PM10 above 999 micrograms per cubic metre at noon. World Health Organization guidelines recommend a maximum exposure of 20mcg per cubic metre. The Beijing-based non-profit Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs (IPE) said the dust storm was likely to have originated from a cyclone that swept across south-central Mongolia... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3214452/how-dust-storm-turned-sun-over-beijing-mars-blue?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3214452/how-dust-storm-turned-sun-over-beijing-mars-blue?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Mar 2023 11:02:08 +0000 It’s no secret that air pollution is a serious problem facing the world today. Just how serious? A new study on global daily levels of air pollution shows that hardly anywhere on Earth is safe from unhealthy air. About 99.82 per cent of the global land area is exposed to levels of particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) – tiny particles in the air that scientists have linked to lung cancer and heart disease – above the safety limit recommended by the Word Health Organization, according to the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3212595/asia-has-worlds-worst-air-quality-australia-new-zealand-have-some-best-study-finds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3212595/asia-has-worlds-worst-air-quality-australia-new-zealand-have-some-best-study-finds?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Mar 2023 02:31:09 +0000 Several Chinese energy and steel companies – all of them state owned – have been singled out for breaking pollution rules after the country’s environment chief made a surprise inspection tour of Henan province this week, according to the environment ministry. The two-day visit, which ended Tuesday, was led by Huang Runqiu, the minister of ecology and environment, and the highest-ranking member in the central government who is not a member of the Communist Party. Climate change: can China... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3211149/chinas-environment-chief-names-and-shames-state-owned-pollution-cheats-snap-inspection?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3211149/chinas-environment-chief-names-and-shames-state-owned-pollution-cheats-snap-inspection?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Feb 2023 12:53:58 +0000 When Ding Aijun was studying meteorology at Hong Kong Polytechnic University two decades ago, on chilly spring days he saw a blanket of smoke in the sky caused by forest fires burning in Southeast Asia. It made him wonder how air pollution interacts with weather and climate to affect people’s health around the world. Now, after leading a team from Nanjing University and international collaborators, Ding has revealed that wildfire smoke, once in the atmosphere, can quickly change the weather and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3209032/wildfire-study-shows-feedback-loop-between-smoke-and-weather-causes-flames-spread?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3209032/wildfire-study-shows-feedback-loop-between-smoke-and-weather-causes-flames-spread?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Feb 2023 10:38:58 +0000 Despite several efforts to tackle air pollution, India’s New Delhi continues to be the world’s most polluted capital city. As winter approaches, millions across Delhi and much of north India will struggle to breathe as the air turns deadly because of high concentrations of particulate pollution which cause smog. In November 2017, the toxic smog reached such high levels that it caused a health emergency, with schools, industries and airports shutting down. There has been no respite from the smog,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3197171/india-must-follow-chinas-lead-showing-political-will-fight-air-pollution?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3197171/india-must-follow-chinas-lead-showing-political-will-fight-air-pollution?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Oct 2022 08:30:08 +0000 The UN health agency says nearly everybody in the world breathes air that does not meet its standards for air quality, calling for more action to reduce fossil-fuel use, which generates pollutants that cause respiratory and blood-flow problems and leads to millions of preventable deaths each year. The World Health Organization, about six months after tightening its guidelines on air quality, on Monday issued an update to its database on air quality that draws on information from a growing number... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3173063/who-millions-dying-across-world-due-poor-quality-air-were-nearly-all?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3173063/who-millions-dying-across-world-due-poor-quality-air-were-nearly-all?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Apr 2022 14:26:38 +0000 The Chinese capital and its neighbouring province of Hebei will take temporary measures to shut down companies and stop traffic during the Winter Olympics to clean up the air. Hosted by Beijing and the Hebei city of Zhangjiakou, the Games will begin on February 4 and will be followed in March by the Winter Paralympics. In addition to controlling the spread of the coronavirus during the Olympics, Beijing is under huge pressure to improve its air quality. Environment ministry spokesman Liu Youbin... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3164567/china-targets-companies-and-traffic-improve-air-quality-winter?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3164567/china-targets-companies-and-traffic-improve-air-quality-winter?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Jan 2022 12:07:11 +0000 Clean air and blue sky are still a luxury to many cities. Beijing is one of them. Despite its vigorous anti-pollution drive in recent years, the capital still makes headlines for its smoggy weather from time to time. The images that its people are often choking in bad air do not do justice to the country’s efforts in improving air quality. That perception is being dispelled by the latest report issued by Beijing’s environmental protection bureau. For the first time, the national air quality... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3162447/battle-clean-beijing-air-will-be-long-one?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3162447/battle-clean-beijing-air-will-be-long-one?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Jan 2022 21:25:54 +0000 China’s capital met national air quality standards for the first time last year, reaching a milestone in its anti-pollution drive, according to Beijing’s environmental protection bureau. But the levels of particularly fine pollutants remain well above World Health Organization recommendations. The bureau said on Tuesday that concentrations of small, lung-damaging particles known as PM2.5 averaged 33 micrograms per cubic metre in Beijing in 2021, 13 per cent lower than in 2020 and a 63 per cent... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3162121/chinese-capital-makes-clean-air-grade-first-time?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3162121/chinese-capital-makes-clean-air-grade-first-time?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Jan 2022 13:20:26 +0000 The Beijing Winter Olympics may weigh on China’s economy as authorities close scores of factories in northern production hubs to cut pollution and ensure blue skies, economists say. “Although the Yangtze River Delta and the Pearl River Delta are not involved, the area that is affected is also a relatively important part of China’s economy, especially in terms of raw material productions,” Lu Ting, chief China economist at Nomura, said at a webinar on Monday. Efforts to reduce smog have been... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3159643/chinas-goal-blue-sky-beijing-winter-olympics-set-cause-supply?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3159643/chinas-goal-blue-sky-beijing-winter-olympics-set-cause-supply?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Dec 2021 07:02:06 +0000 China used cloud seeding to control rain and pollution in the capital ahead of a major political event in July, according to scientists at Tsinghua University. They said the government launched the large-scale operation – lacing clouds with chemicals to bring on rainfall – over suburban Beijing and some neighbouring areas hours before the Communist Party marked its centenary on July 1. In a research paper, they estimated the artificial rain that was created reduced the level of the air pollutant... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3158417/china-modified-weather-communist-party-marked-centenary-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3158417/china-modified-weather-communist-party-marked-centenary-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Dec 2021 09:32:09 +0000 This second instalment of a four-part series on the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow looks at coal, and why it is shunned by environmentalists as the “dirtiest” of all fossil fuels. Coal is the focus of discussions at the annual United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, as political and corporate leaders debate how to handle the most carbon-intensive of all fossil fuels in their fight against climate change. Over 40 countries – minus two of the three biggest... https://www.scmp.com/business/commodities/article/3155543/cop26-can-china-quit-its-coal-habit-while-world-wrangles-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/commodities/article/3155543/cop26-can-china-quit-its-coal-habit-while-world-wrangles-over?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Nov 2021 00:00:22 +0000 The Chinese capital Beijing and its neighbouring smog-prone province of Hebei have recorded their best monthly air quality since records began in 2013, as China vows to tackle pollution. The monthly average concentration of small, lung-damaging particles known as PM2.5 stood at 16 micrograms per cubic metre in July, the lowest reading there since China’s records began, according to the latest statistics from the Beijing Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau. The capital’s average... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3145533/beijing-area-has-its-lowest-ever-pm25-levels-after-air-quality?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3145533/beijing-area-has-its-lowest-ever-pm25-levels-after-air-quality?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Aug 2021 23:00:24 +0000 Extreme weather events have been a dominant theme across the Pacific this summer, prompting Greenpeace experts in China to appeal for greater awareness of climate risk and response. In cities in America’s Pacific northwest, including Portland and Seattle, the US National Weather Service saw record high temperatures in late June. The heatwave has killed about 200 people in the United States and about 500 people in British Columbia, Canada. In China, hundreds of thousands of people had to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3141051/climate-change-could-bring-china-more-frequent-disasters-and-add?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3141051/climate-change-could-bring-china-more-frequent-disasters-and-add?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Jul 2021 06:34:49 +0000 When the US embassy in Beijing started tweeting figures from its rooftop air quality monitor it did not anticipate the far-reaching consequences. It started publishing hourly measurements of PM2.5 levels – the most dangerous small particles – on Twitter in March 2008 at a time when the city was choking on dense smog. The tweets eventually prompted the Chinese authorities to start releasing that data themselves after the US embassy readings started to appear on social media platforms such as... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3138646/us-embassy-beijing-turns-attention-ozone-levels-more-decade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3138646/us-embassy-beijing-turns-attention-ozone-levels-more-decade?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Jun 2021 22:00:18 +0000 Beijing has reportedly reached peak carbon emissions well ahead of schedule, but an environmental expert says it is an achievement other Chinese cities may have difficulty replicating. A report in Communist Party mouthpiece People’s Daily cited research from an “authoritative institute” that showed the capital hit peak emissions in 2012 – eight years before President Xi Jinping announced China’s target of reaching the peak before 2030. It said emissions had significantly declined since... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3137726/beijing-hit-peak-carbon-emissions-2012-due-war-pollution?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3137726/beijing-hit-peak-carbon-emissions-2012-due-war-pollution?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Jun 2021 13:30:00 +0000 Before the pandemic, firms and workers around the world used emails and conference calls to reduce communication costs. But a lack of coordination made it difficult to use these technologies fully. Firing off an email was easy, but there was no guarantee of when the other person would respond. People were reluctant to break old habits. More broadly, low demand discouraged product development, leaving much to be desired in many workplace apps. By forcing entire economic sectors into virtual work,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3133435/working-home-low-cost-solution-two-chinas-biggest-problems-low?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3133435/working-home-low-cost-solution-two-chinas-biggest-problems-low?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 May 2021 19:30:18 +0000 The skies above Beijing turned yellow and air pollution soared to severe levels as a giant cloud of sand and dust particles rolled into the city, propelled by strong winds from the north of China. Beijing’s air quality index rose to 324 as of 4pm local time on Thursday, mainly due to larger particles of sand and dust, municipal authorities said. It worsened in the evening, exceeding 1,300 in some parts of the city, according to the Swiss IQAir app. The particles originated from Mongolia and the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3129731/beijing-skies-turn-yellow-under-cloud-sand-dust?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3129731/beijing-skies-turn-yellow-under-cloud-sand-dust?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Apr 2021 15:00:46 +0000 A sandstorm that hit Beijing on Sunday morning pushed air pollution levels off the charts, turned the sky yellow and reduced the sun to a blue dot. The storm was the second to hit the Chinese capital in less than two weeks and came after the Beijing Meteorological Bureau issued a yellow warning (the second lowest in a four-tier system) on Saturday. It also warned of high winds and advised citizens to stay at home where possible. As of noon on Sunday, the city’s air quality index had stopped... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3127317/china-pollution-beijing-sandstorm-turns-sky-yellow-and-sun-blue?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3127317/china-pollution-beijing-sandstorm-turns-sky-yellow-and-sun-blue?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Mar 2021 05:33:27 +0000 After making Tomb-Sweeping Day a national holiday in an effort to prevent the erosion of traditional culture over a decade ago, Chinese authorities are now trying to eliminate a major ritual on the day — burning joss paper for the dead. A number of Chinese cities have launched a crackdown on the thousand-year-old custom ahead of the festival to remember ancestors, also known as the Qingming Festival, which falls on April 4. The governments of several northern cities including Harbin have warned... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/article/3127005/china-moves-ban-burning-joss-paper-cut-pollution-and-help?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/article/3127005/china-moves-ban-burning-joss-paper-cut-pollution-and-help?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Mar 2021 23:15:12 +0000 Nuclear power has the potential to compete with wind and solar farms in China in the long term, energy experts said, as the segment’s notoriously high construction costs come down. Nuclear power’s future in the country will depend on whether the recent on-time construction of the first China-designed third-generation Hualong One reactor can be sustained in future projects, and whether it can establish a good safety record, they said. “The high costs of the world’s initial few third-generation... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3126397/hualong-one-success-suggests-nuclear-can-compete-wind-solar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3126397/hualong-one-success-suggests-nuclear-can-compete-wind-solar?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Mar 2021 04:30:09 +0000 Much of northern China remained blanketed under sand and dust on Wednesday although the worst sandstorm recorded in a decade was expected to gradually settle from Thursday as cold and wet weather fronts moved in. Earlier this week the storm had caused pollution levels to spike in some of the country’s biggest cities, including Beijing, due to high levels of hazardous small particles in the air. The National Meteorological Centre said a blue sandstorm alert – the lowest level of the four-tier... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3125839/northern-china-still-suffering-under-worst-sandstorm-decade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3125839/northern-china-still-suffering-under-worst-sandstorm-decade?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Mar 2021 12:57:56 +0000 Not for a decade has northern China been so badly affected by sand and dust storms. The images of Beijing shrouded in a choking yellow cloud are a reminder that despite the best efforts to stop the spread of deserts and prevent overgrazing by animals, goals cannot be attained overnight. Complicating matters is climate change, which is behind rising temperatures, lower rainfall and stronger winds. These are things the nation can do its part to alleviate through resolute policies, but cannot bring... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3125566/chinas-long-fight-reclaim-land-sand?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3125566/chinas-long-fight-reclaim-land-sand?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Mar 2021 16:59:21 +0000 China has been hit by the worst sandstorm in a decade, with 12 provinces in the country’s north blanketed in yellow sand and dust, according to the National Meteorological Centre. The sandstorm also covers the widest area seen in the past 10 years, from Xinjiang and Gansu in the northwest to the northern regions of Inner Mongolia and Hebei, the centre said in a notice on Monday. Mongolia’s National Emergency Management Agency said on Monday that the strong sandstorms had caused six deaths and 81... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3125433/worst-sandstorm-decade-hits-beijing-huge-parts-northern-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3125433/worst-sandstorm-decade-hits-beijing-huge-parts-northern-china?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Mar 2021 03:39:20 +0000 Officials in China’s steelmaking hub have vowed to crack down on illicit emissions after two weeks of heavy smog across northern China. In an emergency municipal meeting on Saturday night, Li Guifu, the vice mayor of Tangshan, a city in Hebei, ordered factories to limit or halt production on days when a heavy pollution alert was in place to reduce the overall emissions of air pollutants such as sulphuric dioxide or nitrogen oxide by 50 per cent. Li issued the warning after a surprise inspection... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3125409/chinas-steel-city-tangshan-vows-crack-down-pollution-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3125409/chinas-steel-city-tangshan-vows-crack-down-pollution-after?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Mar 2021 15:00:18 +0000 China’s environment minister lashed out at four steel mills in the country’s northern industrial heartland, accusing them of faking production records and tipping each other off about government inspections. In a trip to Tangshan in Hebei province on Thursday, Environment Minister Huang Runqiu and his team of inspectors found that the mills had violated regulations by continuing to operate during days of heavy pollution. They also doctored production records and some of them even tipped off each... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3125226/smog-choked-northern-china-these-steel-mills-kept-polluting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3125226/smog-choked-northern-china-these-steel-mills-kept-polluting?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Mar 2021 12:00:18 +0000 Beijing and much of the northern China have been blanketed in choking smog since Sunday, as heavy industry steps up production to help with the country’s economic recovery. Beijing sounded the alarm about severe air pollution and stopped all outdoor activities in schools and kindergartens on Wednesday, forecasting a “medium to severe pollution process” until Monday in Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and neighbouring areas. According to the air quality index issued by the US embassy, Beijing’s PM2.5... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3124997/heavy-beijing-smog-clarifies-chinas-balancing-act-between?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3124997/heavy-beijing-smog-clarifies-chinas-balancing-act-between?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Mar 2021 09:48:00 +0000 Air quality in China improved so much during last year’s coronavirus-related lockdowns the country beat its national standard for levels of harmful PM2.5 particulates, a key pollution indicator. Liu Bingjiang, head of the environment ministry’s air quality management department, said on Thursday PM2.5 concentrations fell to an average of 33 micrograms per cubic metre in the 337 cities across the country where the pollution is monitored. Once the effects of lockdowns were discounted, the figure... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3123161/covid-19-lockdowns-give-china-breathing-room-air-quality?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3123161/covid-19-lockdowns-give-china-breathing-room-air-quality?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Feb 2021 13:30:39 +0000 Beijing and North China were blanketed in heavy smog for a third consecutive day on Saturday, as the government blamed fireworks set off to celebrate the Year of the Ox. Serious air pollution has been recorded in several provinces in northern and central China, which the environment ministry said was unlikely to disperse until Monday. As of midday, the Air Quality Index (AQI) released by the US embassy in China showed that the average concentrations of lung-damaging particles known as PM2.5 had... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3121653/lunar-new-year-fireworks-blamed-heavy-smog-blankets-chinese-capital?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3121653/lunar-new-year-fireworks-blamed-heavy-smog-blankets-chinese-capital?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Feb 2021 11:15:07 +0000 This third part of a series on China’s carbon neutrality goal looks at the social transformations and technological hurdles along the path to meet the government’s target in 2060. The rest of the series is here. . China’s renewable energy industry is poised to lead an unprecedented industrial transformation that would turn the world’s largest greenhouse gases emitter into a carbon neutral country in less than four decades, at an estimated cost of US$5 trillion. The nation, already the biggest... https://www.scmp.com/business/commodities/article/3112594/climate-change-china-sowing-seeds-industrial-and-social-change?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/commodities/article/3112594/climate-change-china-sowing-seeds-industrial-and-social-change?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Dec 2020 02:00:19 +0000 The East Asian powers are moving on climate change. In recent months, South Korea has launched a Green New Deal and committed to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Japan has also pledged net-zero emissions by 2050. In September, Chinese President Xi Jinping surprised the United Nations General Assembly by committing to achieving carbon neutrality before 2060. With these countries responsible for one-third of global emissions, East Asia’s growing ambition is the biggest international... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3111655/how-china-japan-and-south-korea-can-make-their-carbon-neutral-goals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3111655/how-china-japan-and-south-korea-can-make-their-carbon-neutral-goals?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Nov 2020 05:00:17 +0000 How far would you go to obtain a licence plate for a car? In Chinese cities, the rationing of plates to limit car use – as a way to reduce air pollution and traffic congestion – has spawned a cottage industry of entrepreneurs who offer ways of jumping the queue. The capital, Beijing, with its notorious smog and jammed streets, has strict limits on the number of licence plates it issues – meaning there are over 3,000 applicants for every plate for a petrol vehicle. Those seeking a licence plate... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3110031/drivers-beijing-get-fake-married-licence-plate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3110031/drivers-beijing-get-fake-married-licence-plate?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Nov 2020 23:15:12 +0000 China has doubled down on its environmental diplomacy, making pledges on global issues such as climate change and biodiversity and projecting itself as a world leader. In his address to the United Nations General Assembly last month, President Xi Jinping said China would reach peak carbon emissions before 2030 and become carbon neutral by 2060. The pledge was welcomed by the international community. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she welcomed China’s ambition to curb... https://www.scmp.com/politics/green-push-rare-bright-spot-chinese-diplomacy/article/3107113?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/politics/green-push-rare-bright-spot-chinese-diplomacy/article/3107113?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Oct 2020 11:36:21 +0000 HERE COMES THE FILTH I think most people would agree with the observation that the air quality in Hong Kong this year seems to have improved. Certainly the flora and fauna on Lantau appear to be thriving: I see a lot more birds flying around, the local moo cows have not had to resort to the Fusion fruit counter for food, and I hear the pink dolphins off Tai O are faring a lot better with less pollution in the sea. The dirty rain stains on outdoor furniture have certainly been easier to clean off... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3106690/japans-full-wind-china-could-blow-away-competition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3106690/japans-full-wind-china-could-blow-away-competition?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Oct 2020 00:00:06 +0000 A drop in air pollution during China’s mass lockdowns to block the spread of Covid-19 earlier this year may have kept thousands of people out of hospital with other illnesses, new research has found. Reduced levels of the tiny hazardous particles known as PM2.5 were likely to have resulted in an estimated 5,000 fewer hospital admissions and 60,000 fewer respiratory illnesses, like asthma attacks, from late January through February, according to a team of researchers from China, the US, Japan and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3104741/covid-19-air-pollution-improved-during-chinas-lockdowns-and-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3104741/covid-19-air-pollution-improved-during-chinas-lockdowns-and-it?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Oct 2020 22:00:16 +0000 US-China acrimony loomed large at the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, with US President Donald Trump using his speech to lash out at China, and Chinese leader Xi Jinping warning the world to avoid “stigmatisation” over the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. In pre-recorded addresses to the assembly – held virtually this year because of the pandemic – the leaders of the world’s two largest economies offered sharply differing visions of the international order, which... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3102539/china-vs-us-welcome-two-new-world-orders-un-turns-75?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3102539/china-vs-us-welcome-two-new-world-orders-un-turns-75?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Sep 2020 12:30:05 +0000 When Hong Kong native Lo Sze-ping went to mainland China in 2000 to help Greenpeace set up its first branch there, in Beijing, he found the concept of non-governmental organisations helping to conserve the environment was not taken seriously. “I felt like Don Quixote tilting at windmills,” recalls Lo, the former CEO of Greenpeace China and outgoing CEO of WWF China. His first idea for a campaign at Greenpeace China was given short shrift even by the liberal Chinese media. Lo, now 47, was... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/3097621/20-years-progress-environment-china-former-greenpeace-china-and-wwf-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/3097621/20-years-progress-environment-china-former-greenpeace-china-and-wwf-china?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Aug 2020 21:15:15 +0000