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907 days ago
China has started its own virtual world, as an alternative to "Second life". What an intertesting idea. I for one would love the options to be able to teach in a space like that rather than have to communte to a real office each day. In the Guardian this morning I was reading about Chinas new global warming policy. It makes an interesting point that, "The carbon footprint of the average Chinese citizen is less than a fifth of that of an American, and just over a third of a European's." Given the rise in cancer rates, and big issues with water quality and pollution, Beijign has hinted that cleaning the landscape is a bigger priority than reducing carbon emissions. Got to say I agree. Ethically, a government has to first represent the wellbeing of its citizens, and second to be a good global citizen. There is a great deal of noise and public discussion about the environment, and quite rightly so. It's a dirty country, and people want a clean healthy place ...
919 days ago
Chinese government decides to subsidize all rural poor China's State Council, or the cabinet, on Wednesday held an executive meeting on expanding a rural subsistence allowances system that will satisfy the rural poor's minimum requirements for living. The meeting, chaired by Premier Wen Jiabao, decided to cover all needy people in rural areas across the country under the allowance program, including the aged, the disabled and those who are unable to work. Premier Wen promised in the government work report at the annual parliament session in March to expand the allowance system to all rural areas this year after experimenting in some places. Twenty-three provinces have already established the system, benefiting 15.93 million people, about 70 percent of the total number of China's rural poor. Local governments are responsible for the operation of the allowance program, and the central budget will allocate subsidies to areas with financial difficulties, according ...
920 days ago
China's Solar-Powered City by Xuemei Bai Buildings in Rizhao, a coastal city of nearly three million on the Shandong Peninsula in northern China, have a common yet unique appearance: most rooftops and walls are covered with small panels. They are solar heat collectors. A combination of regulations and public education spurred the broad adoption of solar heaters. The city mandates all new buildings to incorporate solar panels, and it oversees the construction process to ensure proper installation. To raise awareness, the city held open seminars and ran public advertising on television. In Rizhao City, which means City of Sunshine in Chinese, 99 percent of households in the central districts use solar water heaters, and most traffic signals, street and park lights are powered by photovoltaic (PV) solar cells. In the suburbs and villages, more than 30 percent of households use solar water heaters, and over 6,000 households have solar cooking facilities. More than 60,000 greenhouses ...
922 days ago
I type this last entry with one hand, because in the other rests my new born child. I have to make changes to the way I use my time, and this will mean I will stop udating this space regularly. Thanks for reading, and all the best. Greg, Shanghai
937 days ago
China closed down a total of 3,176 polluting enterprises amid a campaign in which 720,000 companies have been checked for their pollution discharges last year, according to the country's top environment watchdog. In the campaign, the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) and other departments investigated 28,000 cases violating related environmental laws and regulations and settled 13,000 of the total. Threats to the sources of drinking water, industrial parks densely distributed with polluting enterprises and construction projects likely to damage the environment were the major targets in the campaign, according to the administration. "Pollution by industrial parks has been curbed effectively," said an official with the administration. A total of 1,981 industrial parks across the country, involving 29,890 enterprises, were subject to investigation, and 4,162 polluting companies got severe punishment, the official said. more at ...
