Support the Arctic Sea Ice Forum and Blog

Author Topic: But, but, but, China....  (Read 218432 times)

Sigmetnow

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 25754
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1153
  • Likes Given: 430
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #300 on: March 10, 2016, 01:58:28 AM »
Bernanke: A Fresh Approach to Fiscal Stimulus Is China's Only Solution to the Impossible Trinity
Devaluations and capital controls won't work.
Quote
Former Fed Chair Ben Bernanke offered a solution to the problem that's long vexed Chinese policymakers and spurred turmoil in financial markets.

As economic growth in China moderated and capital outflows picked up steam, market participants have become focused on how the world's second-largest economy will resolve the so-called "impossible trinity."

Under the Mundell-Fleming model, an economy can choose only two of three following options at the same time: a fixed exchange rate, independent monetary policy, and an open capital account.

The liberalization of China's capital account coupled with recent measures to ease monetary policy have left Beijing in the unsustainable position of being in defiance of this impossible trinity, Bernanke wrote in a blog post. Attempts to bolster the economy via monetary accommodation have increased the incentive for capital to flow out of the country, which is a negative for the currency.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-03-09/bernanke-a-fresh-approach-to-fiscal-stimulus-is-china-s-only-solution-to-the-impossible-trinity
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

Sigmetnow

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 25754
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1153
  • Likes Given: 430
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #301 on: March 17, 2016, 08:49:13 PM »
China goes big on clean energy in latest Five-Year Plan
Quote
For the first time ever, China will cap its total primary energy consumption, and set targets to improve its air quality, outlined in its 13th Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development.

China also plans to cut energy and CO2 intensity by 15 per cent and 18 per cent respectively in the next five years, putting the country in a position to likely surpass its 2020 carbon intensity reduction target.

This announcement comes at a time when coal use continues to decline throughout the country and renewable capacity is soaring.

A recent study shows that the country is likely to meet its climate pledges quicker than expected, to protect the vulnerable from adverse climate impacts. As emissions stall and renewables surge, China is on a path that cleans up its air, cuts coal reliance and ends extreme poverty.

http://tcktcktck.org/2016/03/china-goes-big-on-clean-energy-in-latest-five-year-plan/#sthash.dBShj6Cl.dpuf
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

Sigmetnow

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 25754
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1153
  • Likes Given: 430
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #302 on: March 23, 2016, 03:26:57 PM »
Report Ties Coal Plants to Water Shortage in Northern China
Quote
China’s consumption of coal, a major contributor to climate change and the country’s horrific air pollution, is worsening a severe water shortage in the northern part of the country, Greenpeace said in a report released Tuesday.

China’s coal-fired power plants consume more water where water is scarce than plants in any other country, according to the report, which assessed global water depletion from coal use.

A decades-long drought in northern China — home to the bulk of the country’s coal production and consumption — is worsening, and the central and local governments are grappling with widespread desertification. Officials have relocated millions of people. Beijing, the capital, where more than 20 million people live, has extremely low water levels.

The problem is so severe in the north that China has built an enormous series of canals, the South-North Water Diversion Project, to transport water hundreds of miles from the Yangtze River.

Greenpeace said the continuing burning of coal for power plants and factories in northern China, along with the growth of the coal-to-chemicals industry, was exacerbating the water crisis. In much of northern China, people are using water faster than it can be regenerated, Greenpeace said, “posing a serious threat to local ecology.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/23/world/asia/china-coal-power-water-shortage-greenpeace.html
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

mati

  • Frazil ice
  • Posts: 268
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #303 on: March 23, 2016, 07:38:07 PM »
china to add 15-20 gigW of solar electricity per year .
China plans to more than triple solar power capacity by 2020 to as much as 143 gigawatts to help reduce carbon emissions.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-03-21/china-to-more-than-triple-solar-power-capacity-in-five-years
and so it goes

AbruptSLR

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 19703
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 2268
  • Likes Given: 286
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #304 on: March 29, 2016, 04:41:42 PM »
Per the linked article, it is premature to claim that China's CO₂ emissions have dipped (certainly their CH4 emissions have increased):

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-climatechange-china-idUSKCN0WU1CU

“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.”
― Leon C. Megginson

Bob Wallace

  • Young ice
  • Posts: 3855
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 41
  • Likes Given: 5
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #305 on: March 29, 2016, 09:53:32 PM »
It seems to be safe to say that China's use of coal seems to be plateauing.  The amount might bounce around a few years before we see a strong decline signal that even the China-doubters would accept.

Stopping growth should be celebrated.  Gotta stop before putting into reverse.

AbruptSLR

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 19703
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 2268
  • Likes Given: 286
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #306 on: March 29, 2016, 11:01:01 PM »
It seems to be safe to say that China's use of coal seems to be plateauing.  The amount might bounce around a few years before we see a strong decline signal that even the China-doubters would accept.

Stopping growth should be celebrated.  Gotta stop before putting into reverse.

The attached Mauna Loa CO2 concentration thru March 28 2016 indicates that w.r.t. CO2 we remain on a BAU pathway.  Maybe China is pulling their weight in the climate change fight, and maybe they are not; but before I celebrate "Mission Accomplished" let's just say that I am from Missouri (the "Show Me" state), and I want to see verifiable proof.
« Last Edit: March 29, 2016, 11:06:08 PM by AbruptSLR »
“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.”
― Leon C. Megginson

Bob Wallace

  • Young ice
  • Posts: 3855
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 41
  • Likes Given: 5
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #307 on: March 29, 2016, 11:20:54 PM »
Mauna Loa is a global measurement.  It does not tell us if China increased, slowed, or decreased its CO2 output.

I suspect it will take a few years before we can reliably assess whether China and/or the globe has stopped CO2 growth or cut annual emissions.  Like sea ice melting, there's year to year variation that can be driven by multiple factors.


AbruptSLR

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 19703
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 2268
  • Likes Given: 286
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #308 on: March 30, 2016, 12:41:15 AM »
Mauna Loa is a global measurement.  It does not tell us if China increased, slowed, or decreased its CO2 output.

I suspect it will take a few years before we can reliably assess whether China and/or the globe has stopped CO2 growth or cut annual emissions.  Like sea ice melting, there's year to year variation that can be driven by multiple factors.

In the meantime, I assume that you will celebrate dubious local successes, even if planetary energy imbalances continue to accelerate; while, I will endeavor to take a more holistic view.
“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.”
― Leon C. Megginson

Bob Wallace

  • Young ice
  • Posts: 3855
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 41
  • Likes Given: 5
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #309 on: March 30, 2016, 04:36:22 AM »
You're damned right I'll celebrate individual country success in lowering their CO2 emissions. 

I don't ride a purity pony.  My steed is a pragmatic ox.  We plod along toward the goal and try to recognize progress wherever we find it.

 ;D

ghoti

  • Grease ice
  • Posts: 767
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 12
  • Likes Given: 15
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #310 on: March 30, 2016, 04:38:03 PM »
I'm with Bob. This can be done incrementally (though I wish the steps were bigger and faster). The small successes show that it can be done and the doubters are wrong.

Impossible to get rid of coal? Quebec and Ontario prove coal isn't needed or even helpful.

Can't have more than a few percent wind and solar and keep the grid stable? Germany, Denmark, Spain and more in their gradual stepwise fashion have shown gird stabilty with  25% "intermittent" electricity sources.

Now you continue to insinuate China can't reduce their GHG emissions. They are proving they can.

AbruptSLR

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 19703
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 2268
  • Likes Given: 286
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #311 on: March 30, 2016, 06:48:28 PM »
I'm with Bob. This can be done incrementally (though I wish the steps were bigger and faster). The small successes show that it can be done and the doubters are wrong.

Impossible to get rid of coal? Quebec and Ontario prove coal isn't needed or even helpful.

Can't have more than a few percent wind and solar and keep the grid stable? Germany, Denmark, Spain and more in their gradual stepwise fashion have shown gird stabilty with  25% "intermittent" electricity sources.

Now you continue to insinuate China can't reduce their GHG emissions. They are proving they can.

While it is nice to quote reductions in tonnes of coal consumed, it is better to talk about changes in radiative forcing.  The linked reference confirms, and quantifies, what we have long known; which is that as China cleans-up its aerosol emissions, GMST will increase due to CO₂ that is already in the atmosphere (and this does not consider the large recent increases in methane emissions from China due to such considerations as: (a) increased meat and rice production; (b) increase coal to synfuel production, and (c) leakage from natural gas sources/distribution lines:

Bengang Li, Thomas Gasser, Philippe Ciais, Shilong Piao, Shu Tao, Yves Balkanski, Didier Hauglustaine, Juan-Pablo Boisier, Zhuo Chen, Mengtian Huang, Laurent Zhaoxin Li, Yue Li, Hongyan Liu, Junfeng Liu, Shushi Peng, Zehao Shen, Zhenzhong Sun, Rong Wang, Tao Wang, Guodong Yin, Yi Yin, Hui Zeng, Zhenzhong Zeng & Feng Zhou (17 March 2016), "The contribution of China’s emissions to global climate forcing", Nature, Volume: 531, Pages: 357–361, doi:10.1038/nature17165


http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v531/n7594/full/nature17165.html


Abstract: "Knowledge of the contribution that individual countries have made to global radiative forcing is important to the implementation of the agreement on “common but differentiated responsibilities” reached by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Over the past three decades, China has experienced rapid economic development, accompanied by increased emission of greenhouse gases, ozone precursors and aerosols, but the magnitude of the associated radiative forcing has remained unclear. Here we use a global coupled biogeochemistry–climate model and a chemistry and transport model to quantify China’s present-day contribution to global radiative forcing due to well-mixed greenhouse gases, short-lived atmospheric climate forcers and land-use-induced regional surface albedo changes. We find that China contributes 10% ± 4% of the current global radiative forcing. China’s relative contribution to the positive (warming) component of global radiative forcing, mainly induced by well-mixed greenhouse gases and black carbon aerosols, is 12% ± 2%. Its relative contribution to the negative (cooling) component is 15% ± 6%, dominated by the effect of sulfate and nitrate aerosols. China’s strongest contributions are 0.16 ± 0.02 watts per square metre for CO2 from fossil fuel burning, 0.13 ± 0.05 watts per square metre for CH4, −0.11 ± 0.05 watts per square metre for sulfate aerosols, and 0.09 ± 0.06 watts per square metre for black carbon aerosols. China’s eventual goal of improving air quality will result in changes in radiative forcing in the coming years: a reduction of sulfur dioxide emissions would drive a faster future warming, unless offset by larger reductions of radiative forcing from well-mixed greenhouse gases and black carbon."


See also (& image):
http://www.carbonbrief.org/21000-2
“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.”
― Leon C. Megginson

AbruptSLR

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 19703
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 2268
  • Likes Given: 286
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #312 on: April 01, 2016, 05:09:41 PM »
The linked article & associated plot shows that for sometime now (three to four decades) China's increase in GHG radiative forcing has been offset by a parallel growth in negative radiative forcing from aerosol emissions.  However, it is clear that as China rapidly reduces its aerosol emissions, its net contribution to global radiative forcing will increase:

http://www.carbonbrief.org/china-is-responsible-for-10-of-human-influence-on-climate-change-study-says
“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.”
― Leon C. Megginson

AbruptSLR

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 19703
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 2268
  • Likes Given: 286
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #313 on: April 04, 2016, 10:11:48 AM »
The linked article indicates that many international experts think that it may be premature to conclude that China's carbon emissions have already peaked:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/04/world/asia/china-climate-change-peak-carbon-emissions.html?_r=0


“I would be more confident to say that China has reached a plateau or period of low growth,” said Glen Peters, a scientist at the Center for International Climate and Environmental Research-Oslo. “I think to say ‘peak’ is a little bold.”
“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.”
― Leon C. Megginson

oren

  • First-year ice
  • Posts: 9805
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 3584
  • Likes Given: 3922
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #314 on: April 04, 2016, 08:04:59 PM »
It seems China is indeed plateauing on coal use, and perhaps on carbon emissions. Is this good? Of course. Will this be enough? It seems not. But any change in the global trajectory could do some good down the line.
Note that China may be already be exporting manufacturing to other countries, which of course lessens the good impact of the Chinese emissions slowdown, Same as happened in the US and Europe. I know that many things that used to be made in China are now made elsewhere, but can't quantify anything about this.

Bob Wallace

  • Young ice
  • Posts: 3855
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 41
  • Likes Given: 5
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #315 on: April 05, 2016, 06:57:57 AM »
Quote
The Chinese government may finally be making strong moves against further coal energy development in the country, going by recent reports — with news of the blocking of development of new coal-fired power plants in 15 regions apparently having been confirmed by the country’s National Energy Administration.

The regions in question — according to the Southern Energy Observer: Shanxi, Shandong, Inner Mongolia, Hubei, Guangdong, and Yunnan, among others — saw regulators block development owing to worries about growing overcapacity, reportedly.

The move will lead to substantial carry-on impacts considering that, according to Greenpeace, at least 250 coal-fired power projects will be affected — altogether totaling more than 170 gigawatts (GW) of project electricity generation capacity.

A related move was also recently made by the Chinese National Energy Administration (NEA) that saw regulators postpone new coal-mine developments in the country until at least 2019 — partly owing to overcapacity, and partly owing to worsening air pollution problems in much of the region.

http://cleantechnica.com/2016/04/04/chinese-government-reportedly-planning-block-new-coal-fired-power-plant-development-15-regions/

Anne

  • Grease ice
  • Posts: 531
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 13
  • Likes Given: 2
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #316 on: April 06, 2016, 09:22:30 AM »
Where will climate change impact China most?

Quote
New research from the Environmental Change Institute at the University of Oxford has identified China’s infrastructure hotspots – the geographical regions most vulnerable to serious economic impact from climate change.
The top infrastructure hotspots are:

1. Beijing
2. Tianjin
3. Jiangsu
4. Shanghai
5. Zhejiang



Quote
Given that infrastructure development will remain a top priority for China’s government in the future and climate change is projected to aggravate the impacts of natural disasters, understanding the exposure and vulnerability of these assets is crucial. It requires the modelling of climate hazards (i.e. how the distribution and frequency of natural hazards will change in the future) and proper assessments of infrastructure vulnerability/capacity, engineering standards to withstand disasters, the number of customers served and how infrastructure is interconnected, so that if one service goes down, others are affected as little as possible.

The hotspot analysis presented here focuses on assessing infrastructure exposure and vulnerability. It demonstrates the areas of priority for the Chinese government in protecting its vital infrastructure networks. To deepen understanding of how climate change will affect the Chinese infrastructure system and hence its economy, climate change models need to be added.

Read more at the WEF summary here:
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/04/where-will-climate-change-impact-china-most

wili

  • Young ice
  • Posts: 3342
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 602
  • Likes Given: 409
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #317 on: April 27, 2016, 05:44:24 PM »
http://foodchainreaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Findings-Report.pdf

 China says more than half of its groundwater is polluted


Quote
Number of groundwater sites of poor or extremely poor quality increases to 59.6%, Chinese government says
"A force de chercher de bonnes raisons, on en trouve; on les dit; et après on y tient, non pas tant parce qu'elles sont bonnes que pour ne pas se démentir." Choderlos de Laclos "You struggle to come up with some valid reasons, then cling to them, not because they're good, but just to not back down."

Sigmetnow

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 25754
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1153
  • Likes Given: 430
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #318 on: May 01, 2016, 05:25:49 PM »
China's newly added solar power capacity rise 52% over Q1 2015
Quote
BEIJING -- China's installed 7.1 million kilowatts of new photovoltaic power capacity in the first quarter, the National Energy Administration said on Friday.

This brings the country's total installed photovoltaic power capacity to 50.3 million kilowatts, up 52 percent from the end of Q1 last year, according to a statement on the administration's website.

The country's photovoltaic power generation jumped 48 percent year on year to 11.8 billion kilowatt-hours during the first quarter, according to the statement.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2016-04/23/content_24780071.htm
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

Sigmetnow

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 25754
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1153
  • Likes Given: 430
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #319 on: July 21, 2016, 01:14:54 AM »
China’s Massive Effort to Purify Seawater Is Drying Up
Stalled projects and underperforming plants have hampered China’s desalination plans.
Quote
China has much to benefit from more abundant freshwater resources. Government statistics show that by 2030, the water shortage in China’s coastal areas will reach 21.4 billion cubic meters, despite water conservation efforts and the massive South-North Water Diversion Project, which pumps 25 billion cubic meters of water per year from the Yangtze River in southern China to the north China plain via two routes that are each more than 1,000 kilometers long. Of China’s 669 largest cities, at least 400 already suffer from water scarcity. Water security also underpins the economy, since 93 percent of power generation in China relies on water, according to China Water Risk.
...
“When there is a drought, local officials and enterprises all come to see us and say, ‘We want to desalinate seawater,’” says Wang Zhi, director of the Key Laboratory of Membrane Science and Desalination Technology at Tianjin University. “But if there is sufficient rainfall the next year, they will drop the idea and invest their money in other things first.”
...
In an effort to prioritize the already dwindling freshwater resources, the Chinese government rolled out a new policy a few years ago: new water-intensive industrial facilities in the coastal areas cannot draw local surface water and are required to provide their own water supplies. As a result, over 60 percent of the desalinated water produced in China is for industrial use, often in the form of individual plants for generators or oil refineries along the country’s east coast.
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/601861/chinas-massive-effort-to-purify-seawater-is-drying-up/
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

Sigmetnow

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 25754
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1153
  • Likes Given: 430
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #320 on: July 26, 2016, 02:27:21 AM »
China's coal peak hailed as turning point in climate change battle
Quote
China is the world’s biggest polluter and more than tripled its coal burning from 2000 to 2013, emitting billions of tonnes of climate-warming carbon dioxide. But its coal consumption peaked in 2014, much earlier than expected, and then began falling.

The economists argue in a new paper on Monday that this can now be seen as permanent trend, not a blip, due to major shifts in the Chinese economy and a crackdown on pollution.

“I think it is a real turning point,” said Lord Nicholas Stern, an eminent climate economist at the London School of Economics, who wrote the analysis with colleagues from Tsinghua University in Beijing. “I think historians really will see [the coal peak of] 2014 as a very important event in the history of the climate and economy of the world.”
...
Stern said that China’s progress indicates its total carbon emissions will start falling before 2025, well ahead of its official target date of 2030. Prof John Schellnhuber, at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and a former adviser to German premier Angela Merkel and Pope Francis, said it could even happen by 2020, which would represent stunning progress.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jul/25/china-coal-peak-hailed-turning-point-climate-change-battle
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

Sigmetnow

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 25754
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1153
  • Likes Given: 430
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #321 on: August 11, 2016, 06:28:33 PM »
Australia and the U.K. put a hold on big energy plans involving Chinese money.

China’s $15 Billion Energy Ambitions Crushed Within Two Weeks
Quote
U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May’s government is reconsidering a plan to build Britain’s first nuclear-power facility in more than 20 years. China General Nuclear Power Corp. had agreed to pay for about one-third of the 18 billion-pound ($23.4 billion) project, which has been progressing for years. May’s administration said last month it wanted more time to study the deal.

One of May’s advisers, Nick Timothy, warned last year that China’s involvement in nuclear projects might allow it to “shut down Britain’s energy production at will.”
Quote
Morrison warned of the risk to Ausgrid’s critical power and communication services in explaining his decision. The grid powers more than 1.6 million homes and businesses in Sydney and the surrounding area.

A sale would help Mike Baird, the premier of Australia’s most-populous state, approach the A$20 billion he pledged to raise for building infrastructure. With the mining boom fading, the federal government encouraged states to sell assets to fund projects such as railways, schools and hospitals.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-08-11/china-s-15-billion-energy-ambitions-crushed-within-two-weeks
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

Sigmetnow

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 25754
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1153
  • Likes Given: 430
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #322 on: August 14, 2016, 04:01:57 PM »
China’s Crude Oil, Coal Output Declines Deepen Amid Cutbacks
Quote
China’s crude oil and coal production declines deepened as the nation’s oil companies cut spending amid low prices and coal miners slashed output to meet government-set targets.

Crude production last month in the world’s largest energy consumer dropped 8.1 percent to 16.7 million metric tons from a year ago, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics on Friday. That’s about 3.95 million barrels a day, sliding to the lowest since October 2011. Output is down 5.1 percent during the first seven months of the year. Coal mining during that period slowed 10 percent to 1.9 billion tons.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-08-12/china-s-crude-oil-coal-output-declines-deepen-amid-cutbacks
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

Sigmetnow

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 25754
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1153
  • Likes Given: 430
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #323 on: August 28, 2016, 03:55:09 AM »
Dark Clouds Loom for Oil as China Chases Blue Skies for G-20 Summit
Quote
China is throwing the world’s leaders a party, and oil bulls may be hit with the hangover.

Authorities in the Asian nation have ordered hundreds of factories to curb activity ahead of the Group of 20 summit in Hangzhou in early September, in a bid to ensure blue skies when the red carpet is rolled out. The curtailments, along with flooding earlier this summer, may cut petroleum demand in the world’s second-biggest oil consumer by 250,000 barrels a day in the third quarter, according to industry consultant Energy Aspects Ltd.

The slowdown at facilities including refineries and petrochemical plants along the Yangtze River threatens to weaken Chinese oil imports that rose to record highs in the first half of the year, at some times exceeding even those of the U.S. Those unprecedented purchases, along with supply disruptions, helped crude rally about 80 percent from a 12-year low earlier in 2016, and any sustained recovery will hinge on continued strong demand from the world’s biggest energy consumer.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-08-22/oil-faces-dark-clouds-as-china-chases-blue-skies-for-g-20-summit
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

AbruptSLR

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 19703
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 2268
  • Likes Given: 286
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #324 on: September 30, 2016, 07:19:54 PM »
The linked article is entitled: "China’s $450 billion farm plan could determine our fate".  It will be interesting to see if China jumps to a sustainable agricultural future or to more conventional ag-business:


http://grist.org/food/chinas-450-billion-farm-plan-could-determine-our-fate/

Extract: "China’s choices, not to put too fine a point on it, will determine the fate of the world. If China were to follow the same path as the United States and Europe, by using inefficient fossil fuels to lift its 1.3 billion people to a comfortable standard of living, it could be pumping 30 gigatons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere by 2030 — that’s three times as much as the whole world emits now. As the country feeding the largest population in the world, China’s policies on fertilizer use, genetically modified seed research, and agricultural regulations will matter to us all.

Last year, the Chinese government announced its intentions to become a leader in the genetically engineered crop market. “We cannot lag behind others in the GMO research. Our GMO market should not be saturated by foreign brands,” said agriculture official Han Jun.
China sees control of its food as a matter of national security, said Scott Rozelle, who studies Chinese agricultural policy at Stanford. And it’s hard to control your food if you rely on foreign countries for your seed.
The world got a major hint that China has been trying to catch up with American seed companies in 2012, when the FBI caught three men trying to smuggle corn kernels from Iowa fields into China. As journalist Ted Genoways wrote in his telling of the story: “The Department of Justice maintains that China is quietly permitting and even encouraging companies to steal American agricultural secrets right out of the ground.”

“They recognize that their agriculture is enormously inefficient, and they want to fix that,” Economy said.
The primary inefficiency is the amount of fertilizer that Chinese farmers use — more than twice as much as their U.S. counterparts. That fertilizer washes off the fields and pollutes waterways. It turns into nitrous oxide gas and warms the earth.

If this is all just a gesture meant to mollify a political faction, it won’t change much of anything. But, if China actually figures out a way to deploy some of this money in a way that upgrades its farms, it will almost certainly be good for the environment."
“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.”
― Leon C. Megginson

AbruptSLR

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 19703
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 2268
  • Likes Given: 286
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #325 on: October 06, 2016, 11:38:20 PM »
China is now relaxing its regulations in order to promote more coal production:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-10-04/china-scrambles-to-boost-coal-as-rally-warns-winter-is-coming

Extract: "China Rushes to Boost Coal as Rally Warns: Winter Is Coming"
“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.”
― Leon C. Megginson

Sigmetnow

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 25754
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1153
  • Likes Given: 430
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #326 on: October 21, 2016, 07:53:57 PM »
Goldman Sees China’s ‘Stealth’ Coal Bailout Lasting to 2020
Quote
• Miners unable to service 3 trillion yuan debt without cuts
• Qinhuangdao prices up about 65% as YTD output drops 10.5%

China’s coal production restrictions are a “stealth” bailout for miners and their creditors that may last until the end of the decade as the policies help boost prices, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

Without government intervention, China’s coal industry wouldn’t be able to service the nearly 3 trillion yuan ($444 billion) in debt from investing in new mines before demand started to drop, the banks analysts including Christian Lelong wrote in an Oct. 20 note. The twin goals of the mining restrictions have been to develop a “safe, solvent and efficient” industry and protect the country’s financial system from the risk of large-scale defaults, they wrote.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-10-21/goldman-sees-china-s-stealth-coal-bailout-lasting-until-2020
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

Sigmetnow

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 25754
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1153
  • Likes Given: 430
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #327 on: October 22, 2016, 06:23:01 PM »
China starts cancelling under-construction coal plants
Quote
Chinese leaders have called a halt to construction work on 30 large coal-fired power plants with a combined capacity of 17GW — greater than the UK’s entire coal fleet.

This unprecedented move indicates just how serious the Chinese authorities are about bringing the country’s coal power bubble under control.

And those 30 plants aren’t the only ones that are being stopped.

The policy also dramatically scales down plans for transmitting coal-fired power from the west of China to the coast through a network of very long-distance transmission lines.

Another 30 large coal plant projects, for which transmission lines were already under construction, are being axed. 

Ten of those plants were already under construction but will now be marooned as they will have no connection to the grid.
http://energydesk.greenpeace.org/2016/10/21/china-coal-crackdown-cancel-new-power-plants/
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

Sigmetnow

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 25754
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1153
  • Likes Given: 430
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #328 on: November 05, 2016, 08:12:54 PM »
CHINA ANNOUNCES PLAN TO CURB CARBON EMISSIONS
Quote
BEIJING (AP) -- China has announced a plan to curb greenhouse gas emissions over the next several years, while capping coal consumption and increasing the use of non-fossil fuels.

Under the plan, by 2020, the level of carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP will be 18 percent lower than in 2015, the State Council said on its website Friday, the same day that the Paris climate agreement came into effect.

Coal consumption must be capped at about 4.2 billion tonnes (4.7 billion tons), while non-fossil fuel energy generation capacity like hydropower and nuclear power will be expanded to 15 percent of China's total capacity.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_CHINA_CLIMATE_CHANGE
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

RichardStamper

  • New ice
  • Posts: 19
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 12
  • Likes Given: 5
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #329 on: November 06, 2016, 02:56:28 PM »
CHINA ANNOUNCES PLAN TO CURB CARBON EMISSIONS
Quote
BEIJING (AP) -- China has announced a plan to curb greenhouse gas emissions over the next several years, while capping coal consumption and increasing the use of non-fossil fuels.

Under the plan, by 2020, the level of carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP will be 18 percent lower than in 2015, the State Council said on its website Friday, the same day that the Paris climate agreement came into effect.

Coal consumption must be capped at about 4.2 billion tonnes (4.7 billion tons), while non-fossil fuel energy generation capacity like hydropower and nuclear power will be expanded to 15 percent of China's total capacity.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_CHINA_CLIMATE_CHANGE
A really very poor headline from AP.  What is described does not constitute a plan to curb CO2 emissions at all.

Reducing emissions per unit of GDP by 18% over 5 years amounts to a 3.9% reduction per year.  If GDP grows by more than 4.1% per year then that reduction in "carbon intensity" is cancelled out. China is definitely planning to increase GDP by more than 4.1% per year for those five years.  Given that we have already had nearly two of those five years, and annual GDP growth has been at least 6.7% in every quarter since the start of 2015, the only way that China will not more than cancel out the decrease in carbon intensity is by crashing their economy.  Which is not their plan.  A headline "China announces plan to increase carbon emissions more slowly" doesn't have quite the same impact though.

Sigmetnow

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 25754
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1153
  • Likes Given: 430
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #330 on: November 11, 2016, 02:34:09 AM »
Beijing Residents Told to Limit Outdoor Activity as Smog Returns
Quote
Beijing’s frequent bouts of smog have forced the government to take tougher action to avoid any social unrest sparked by frustration over the city’s fouled and polluted air. Beijing phased out coal-fired heating facilities in 75,000 households during the first 10 months of the year, cutting consumption of the fuel by 225,000 metric tons, Xinhua News Agency reported on Nov. 9, citing the city’s Environmental Protection Bureau.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-11-10/beijing-residents-told-to-limit-outdoor-activity-as-smog-returns
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

mati

  • Frazil ice
  • Posts: 268
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #331 on: November 29, 2016, 06:32:43 PM »
and so it goes

AbruptSLR

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 19703
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 2268
  • Likes Given: 286
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #332 on: November 30, 2016, 05:50:28 PM »
The linked article is entitled: "Despite Climate Change Vow, China Pushes to Dig More Coal".

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/29/business/energy-environment/china-coal-climate-change.html?_r=2

Extract: "America’s uncertain stance toward global warming under the coming administration of Donald J. Trump has given China a leading role in the fight against climate change. It has called on the United States to recognize established science and to work with other countries to reduce dependence on dirty fuels like coal and oil.

But there is a problem: Even as it does so, China is scrambling to mine and burn more coal.
A lack of stockpiles and worries about electricity blackouts are spurring Chinese officials to reverse curbs that once helped reduce coal production. Mines are reopening. Miners are being lured back with fatter paychecks.

China’s response to coal scarcity shows how hard it will be to wean the country off coal. That makes it harder for China and the world to meet emissions targets, as Chinese coal is the world’s largest single source of carbon emissions from human activities."
“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.”
― Leon C. Megginson

Sigmetnow

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 25754
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1153
  • Likes Given: 430
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #333 on: December 19, 2016, 09:33:54 PM »
December 19:

China chokes on smog so bad that planes can't land
Quote
Major cities across northern China choked Monday under a blanket of smog so thick that industries were ordered shut down and air and ground traffic was disrupted.

At least 23 cities issued red alerts for a swath of pollution that has hovered over much of the nation since Friday, China's Xinhua news agency reported. Alerts are expected to remain in effect through Wednesday.
...
Dangerous smog levels are a recurring theme for Beijing and other major Chinese cities struggling to balance desperately needed industrial growth with environmental concerns. Much of the pollution is blamed on coal burning for electricity, and smog levels often are worse in winter when cold weather drives up energy use.

Earlier this month, Beijing authorities caused a stir when a draft of the Beijing Meteorological Disasters Prevention and Control Regulations defined smog as a meteorological disaster mainly caused by haze, blizzards or unfavorable meteorological conditions.

Tianjin and other cities already list smog as a meteorological disaster in local regulations, but the State Council has yet to issue a similar national regulation.

“'Meteorological disasters' are caused by natural conditions and cannot be controlled by human activity,"  Zhang Zitai, a Fudan University professor, told Legal Daily. "Smog, on the other hand, is mainly caused by human activity. Thus the plan to list it as a meteorological disaster not only goes against science, it will also create an excuse for polluters to escape their culpability."
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/12/19/china-chokes-smog-so-bad-planes-cant-land/95604308/


North China cities choked by smog shut factories, stop cars (Update)
http://phys.org/news/2016-12-cars-china-smog-red.html
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

Sigmetnow

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 25754
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1153
  • Likes Given: 430
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #334 on: December 26, 2016, 09:58:17 PM »
China to levy new taxes in bid to strengthen pollution fight
Quote
China's largely rubber-stamp parliament passed a law on Sunday that will levy specific environmental protection taxes on industry for the first time from 2018, as part of a renewed focus on fighting the country's pollution woes.

Anger has risen in the world's second-largest economy at the government's repeated failure to tackle land, water and air pollution, with large parts of northern China enveloped in dangerous smog in recent days.

"Tax revenue is an important economic means to promote environmental protection," the Finance Ministry said in a statement.

The tax rate will be 1.2 yuan ($0.17) per unit of atmospheric pollution, 1.4 yuan per unit of water pollution, 5 yuan per tonne of coal waste and 1,000 yuan per tonne of "hazardous waste".

Industrial noise polluters will also be levied 350 yuan per month if they exceed limits by 1-3 decibels, 700 yuan for 4-6 decibels and 11,200 yuan per month for 16 decibels and more.

The law goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2018.

China has not previously imposed any specific environmental taxes, and the new levy will replace an earlier system of miscellaneous charges that are regarded as far too low to deter polluters. ...
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-environment-idUSKBN14E05T
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

longwalks1

  • Frazil ice
  • Posts: 204
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 65
  • Likes Given: 19
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #335 on: December 26, 2016, 11:33:23 PM »
I have liked Mr. Binoy  Kampmark's writing for years.  He is slighty away from his usual subject matter, but elegant as always.  Maybe I am just a sap for any "thanatos" mention.

http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/12/26/cities-of-death-history-pollution-and-chinas-smog/

Quote
As Greenpeace East Asia notes through the toxic cloud darkly, “Millions of people in China are breathing a hazardous cocktail of chemicals everyday.  These chemicals are caused by coal-fired power plants, factories and vehicles, and are responsible for heart disease, stroke, respiratory illnesses, birth defects and cancer.”
  actually a quote of a quote. 

And Mr. Kampmark's views on the new tax

Quote
These amounts, or details of the new law, are hardly being delivered from a unified front.  The bureaucrats are fighting acrimonious turf wars, from the State Taxation Administration to the Ministry of Environmental protection.  In this age, it will take far more than levies to reduce the pollution of cities, a problem that was even faced, albeit unsatisfactorily, in Han China and ancient Rome.

Sigmetnow

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 25754
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1153
  • Likes Given: 430
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #336 on: January 01, 2017, 06:25:54 PM »
SCMP article link at the twitter link:

South China Morning Post news: Smog levels in #Beijing exceed maximum 500 mark on index, #US embassy claims.
https://twitter.com/scmp_news/status/815589313094291459
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

AbruptSLR

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 19703
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 2268
  • Likes Given: 286
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #337 on: January 06, 2017, 05:10:02 PM »
The linked article is entitled: "How climate change in Central Asia is threatening to spark regional conflict".  Will we soon see China throw its weight around in Central Asia?

http://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2059862/water-conflicts-central-asia-pose-threat-chinas

Extract: "Lower water supplies, caused by rising temperatures, is increasing risk of political tensions, Chinese researchers warn.

Global warming and retreating glaciers in the Tianshan range – the “water tower” of the region – have raised the spectre of water shortages that will affect “the relationship between countries in Central Asia,” the researchers warned in a report on the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ website."
“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.”
― Leon C. Megginson

Sigmetnow

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 25754
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1153
  • Likes Given: 430
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #338 on: January 09, 2017, 03:44:03 AM »
China cementing global dominance of renewable energy and technology
It now owns five of the world’s six largest solar-module manufacturing firms and the largest wind-turbine manufacturer

“At the moment China is leaving everyone behind and has a real first-mover and scale advantage, which will be exacerbated if countries such as the US, UK and Australia continue to apply the brakes to clean energy.”

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jan/06/china-cementing-global-dominance-of-renewable-energy-and-technology
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

DrTskoul

  • Nilas ice
  • Posts: 1455
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 210
  • Likes Given: 60
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #339 on: January 09, 2017, 04:57:00 AM »
China cementing global dominance of renewable energy and technology
It now owns five of the world’s six largest solar-module manufacturing firms and the largest wind-turbine manufacturer

“At the moment China is leaving everyone behind and has a real first-mover and scale advantage, which will be exacerbated if countries such as the US, UK and Australia continue to apply the brakes to clean energy.”

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jan/06/china-cementing-global-dominance-of-renewable-energy-and-technology

That is not necessarily a bad thing. Somebody has to take the lead!

Sigmetnow

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 25754
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1153
  • Likes Given: 430
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #340 on: January 16, 2017, 01:03:18 AM »
“You ask me why I left Beijing? It’s because I want to live.”

Smog refugees flee Chinese cities as 'airpocalypse' blights half a billion
Thousands head to pollution-free regions as haze descends on the country’s northern industrial heartland
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/21/smog-refugees-flee-chinese-cities-as-airpocalypse-blights-half-a-billion

"A picture from Henan province, showing more than 400 students sitting an exam on a football pitch after their school was forced to close, was widely circulated on social media:"
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

Sigmetnow

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 25754
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1153
  • Likes Given: 430
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #341 on: January 16, 2017, 04:14:38 PM »
Beijing's smog: A tale of two cities
Quote
Beijing (CNN)The first thing Jiang Wang does when she wakes up in the morning is check on her daughter to make sure she's breathing clean air.
Next, it's time to start making breakfast. She's already made sure all the groceries come from an organic farm.
She'll wash her produce with tap water filtered through a separate treatment system under her sink.
But that water isn't for drinking -- there's imported bottled water for that.
This is how Wang typically starts her day, trying to minimize the effects of the toxic environment in Beijing.
"From the moment you open your eyes till the moment, you rest in the evening," she says, "you have to pay really (close) attention, to the air, to the water, to the food you eat."
...
With their newfound wealth, China's upper and middles classes have been able to travel abroad and see more of the world -- and in turn learn about the dangers of pollution and how to avoid it.

But on the street during a red alert it is still commonplace to see ordinary people wearing a scarf over their mouth and nose, rather than a protective mask.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/15/health/china-beijing-smog-tale-of-two-cities/index.html
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

Sigmetnow

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 25754
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1153
  • Likes Given: 430
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #342 on: January 17, 2017, 06:25:35 PM »
It Can Power a Small Nation. But This Wind Farm in China Is Mostly Idle.
Quote
...Gansu now has some of the highest rates of underutilization in the wind sector in China; in 2015, 39 percent of wind capacity in the province was wasted, according to statistics compiled by the National Energy Administration.

Mr. Frankl said inefficiency in Gansu was “astronomically high” and underscored the need for China to build more ultrahigh-voltage transmission lines to carry electricity long distances, and to position new turbines closer to major metropolises.
...
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/15/world/asia/china-gansu-wind-farm.html
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

Sigmetnow

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 25754
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1153
  • Likes Given: 430
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #343 on: January 24, 2017, 03:27:41 PM »
China's Birthrate Rises After One-Child Policy Loosened
Quote
Beijing (AP) -- The number of births in China has risen nearly 8 percent in the year after the government loosened its unpopular one-child policy.

China's National Health and Family Planning Commission said this week that 17.86 million children were born last year, an increase of 1.31 million from 2015. Nearly half of the children born were to couples who already had a child, the commission said.

China enacted its one-child policy in 1979 to control population growth, enforced with fines and in some cases state-mandated abortions. But it now faces a rapidly aging workforce and the prospect of not having enough younger workers to support them....
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-01-24/china-s-birthrate-rises-after-one-child-policy-loosened
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

oren

  • First-year ice
  • Posts: 9805
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 3584
  • Likes Given: 3922
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #344 on: January 24, 2017, 11:10:12 PM »
China's Birthrate Rises After One-Child Policy Loosened
Quote
Beijing (AP) -- The number of births in China has risen nearly 8 percent in the year after the government loosened its unpopular one-child policy.

China's National Health and Family Planning Commission said this week that 17.86 million children were born last year, an increase of 1.31 million from 2015. Nearly half of the children born were to couples who already had a child, the commission said.

China enacted its one-child policy in 1979 to control population growth, enforced with fines and in some cases state-mandated abortions. But it now faces a rapidly aging workforce and the prospect of not having enough younger workers to support them....
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-01-24/china-s-birthrate-rises-after-one-child-policy-loosened
This is probably good from the point of view of many Chinese, but adds to the global population overshoot.

wehappyfew

  • Frazil ice
  • Posts: 170
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 48
  • Likes Given: 5
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #345 on: January 24, 2017, 11:31:45 PM »
China will need some cannon-fodder to take on TrumPutin. They're planning ahead.
"If we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It’s simply too painful to acknowledge, even to ourselves, that we’ve been taken" - Carl Sagan

Sigmetnow

  • Multi-year ice
  • Posts: 25754
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 1153
  • Likes Given: 430
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #346 on: February 28, 2017, 09:21:32 PM »
China smashes solar energy records, as coal use and CO2 emissions fall once again
Quote
We are witnessing a historic passing of the baton of global leadership on technology and climate from the United States to China.

The new U.S. administration has said it will abandon climate action, gut clean energy funding, and embrace coal and oil — the dirty energy sources of the past that experts say can’t create a large number of sustainable new jobs. At the same time, China is slashing coal use and betting heavily on clean energy, which is clearly going to be the biggest new source of permanent high-wage jobs in the coming years.

Indeed, Beijing plans to invest a stunning $360 billion by 2020 in renewable generation alone, and China’s energy agency says the resulting “employment will be more than 13 million people.”

In 2016, Chinese coal consumption fell for the third consecutive year, Beijing reports, while it installed almost twice as many solar panels as it had in 2015, which was also a record-setting year. Beijing projects both trends will continue in 2017.

China’s solar installation target for 2020 is likely to be achieved in 2018, which as Greenpeace’s Energy Desk noted in January, is “a pretty impressive feat given that the target was set only a couple of months ago.”

All of these policies have helped make China a new global leader in climate action, as their own CO2 emissions have plateaued and declined since 2013....
https://thinkprogress.org/with-millions-of-jobs-up-for-grabs-china-seizes-clean-tech-leadership-from-u-s-a37154d02d0
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

rboyd

  • Nilas ice
  • Posts: 1334
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 226
  • Likes Given: 52
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #347 on: March 13, 2017, 10:52:25 PM »
Chinese Non-fossil energy includes a very large nuclear buildout, they are going flat out on the "all of the above" non-fossil sources. I still worry though that they have been cutting the "low hanging fruit" and it gets harder from here. Also, car usage is growing rapidly - which will drive up the usage of oil. Seem to be really good on car efficiency standards though.

They also revise their usage statistics every five years, and the last revision included a big increase in coal usage. So, a little caveat until the next revision.

rboyd

  • Nilas ice
  • Posts: 1334
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 226
  • Likes Given: 52
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #348 on: March 17, 2017, 08:14:10 PM »
In the short-term (i.e. the next couple of decades), the reduction in coal usage may actually increase the rate of climate change, as the climate-dimming sulphur particles are washed out of the atmosphere quickly (in days) while the historical carbon dioxide emissions stay in the atmosphere. Same effect may have been seen in Europe and the USA when clean air acts were put in place in the 1980's/1990's.

Worst possible thing is just to put sulphur-scrubbers on the coal plants, then you lose the climate dimming and continue to increase the CO2.

DrTskoul

  • Nilas ice
  • Posts: 1455
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 210
  • Likes Given: 60
Re: But, but, but, China....
« Reply #349 on: March 20, 2017, 12:16:48 PM »
China reducing their coal huh???

http://www.desdemonadespair.net/2017/03/china-kickstarting-new-coal-boom-in.html?m=1


China kickstarting new coal boom in Pakistan



Quote
(Climate Home) – Chinese investments are speeding up new coal developments in the Thar region of Pakistan, despite local water scarcity and pollution and an abundance of solar energy potential.

The CEO of Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECM), Shamsuddin Ahmad Shaikh, said on Thursday that with government and investor support – particularly from China – its coal developments in Thar are running quicker than expected.

SECM is developing a 1,320MW coal power plant in Thar which is expected to be completed by June 2019.

Also under development is the Sino-Sindh Resources Limited (SSRL)’s open pit mine, which is expected to produce 6.5m metric tonnes a year. It will reach commercial operation as early as 2018. Coal from this pit will power a 1,320MW plant, expected to be operational by 2019.

Addressing a seminar in Karachi, Shaikh said that SECM can “considerably” reduce electricity costs to 6¢ per unit once its Thar coal production reaches a capacity of 4,000MW.

Thar’s provincial chief minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, said the coal projects will “change the face” of Pakistan’s biggest city Karachi and Sindh, the province in which Thar is located. […]