No, I’m not talking about myself, although I am a Californian and I am suffering through the Biblically nasty Beijing Airpocalypse. Rather, I’m talking about actual residents of the U.S. West Coast, which is apparently enjoying all kinds of icky goop that floats across the Pacific Ocean from the PRC and into U.S. airspace. They [...]
So yeah, we’ve been having a bit of bother here in Beijing with our air. Not exactly a new development, although this particular episode is rather alarming when you look at the numbers. If you’ve seen the press coverage, you’re probably aware that the tracking system the municipal government here uses to measure air quality [...]
China Daily tells us that perhaps we shouldn’t drink tap water in Beijing. {Gasp!} I guess it’s better than not that this sort of “news” gets in the paper. In the old days, we wouldn’t have seen this kind of negative coverage of public services at all. On the other hand, I don’t know anyone [...]
After so many recent high-profile environmental protests in China, it appears that the government is looking for a systematic way to avoid these “mass incidents.” The solution? Better vetting of projects at the local level.
China’s Nimbies are happy today, but how are local governments going to respond to future pushback?
If we want to hold companies responsible for the bad acts of their suppliers, how close should the relationship between the two enterprises be?
We are about to find out whether clean air and traffic reduction are more important than propping up auto sales.
Beijing’s having trouble getting people to sort trash. Time to bring out the big guns – from the 70s.
Can the government slow new car ownership in Beijing, or are the lobbyists already too powerful?
Those impressive energy efficiency targets in China’s Five-Year Plan may turn out to be a bit too ambitious.