China Energy Monthly- April 2010
CLIMATE CHANGE
The West’s Global Warming Hoax and China’s Low-carbon Economy (4-21-2010)
Many radical Chinese nationalists claim that global warming is merely a conspiracy that the western world is using to depress the economic development in China. Climate change skepticism in the US has also experienced renewed support in recent months, but the obvious effects of profligate energy use are increasingly more visible in China than in the US. For instance, the number of full-cover smog days has significantly increased in the past 20 years. This has led some voices in the Chinese media community to condemn the skeptics regarding change—regardless of whether climate change is real, realizing a low-carbon economy will ultimately benefit all of China. Short-term economic disadvantages are a real concern, but China must embrace a new globalization that recognizes the security a low carbon economy would provide.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/opinion/2010-04/21/content_9755908.htm
Climate Change threatens to Steal Spring (4-23-2010)
Spring in Beijing seems to have delayed its arrival—and climate change is at the heart of the problem. Cold fronts and snowstorms have pounded the northern regions, and low temperatures are beginning to impede crop growth. Additionally, the number of sand storms and other natural disasters is at the highest level in 50 years. These signs of global climate weirding are just another indicator that sustainable development and cleaner fuels are needed not only in China, but also across the globe.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/opinion/2010-04/23/content_9765358.htm
Department of Energy Partners With China (4-2-2010)
The Dept. of Energy has announced that it will provide $37.5 million dollars to aid in the development of clean energy technologies in China. Stephen Chu recognized the fact the US and China are the two largest emitters of carbon, and, thus, they must work together ithatn order to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. The DOE funding will go only to American companies in China, and those companies have agreed to match DOE funding, raising the total to $75 million dollars. China will also provide $75 million dollars to Chinese researchers. The projects will focus specifically on improving building efficiency, developing clean coal technologies, and updating vehicle technology.
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/02/boost-for-u-s-china-clean-energy-research/
Financing China’s Energy Smart Growth Plan(4-20-2010)
The World Bank estimates that China will need $64 billion dollars annually over the next two decades to finance a transition to an “energy-smart” growth plan. Such a plan would be aimed at increasing energy efficiency and developing renewable fuel sources. Wang Xiaodong, a senior energy specialist for the World Bank, says that China’s technical and policy regimes are ready to make this plan a reality, but funding the plan is still an issue. China would need developed countries to provide $25 billion annually in concessional financing to ease the large financial burden.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2010-04/20/content_9751344.htm
China Supports Iran’s Right to Energy (4-14-2010)
Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai has announced that China supports Iran’s desire to have free energy trade with all countries. The Chinese official reiterated China’s willingness to discuss sanctions as promulgated by the UN Security council, but any China-supported decision will require input from all nations involved in the issue, not just the US.
http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=1226853&lang=eng_news
China has overtaken the US as the leading purchaser of oil from Saudi Arabia. In recent months, diplomatic visits between China and Saudi Arabia have greatly increased, resulting in stronger ties between Saudi oil producers and Chinese refineries. Saudi Arabian officials are using this burgeoning relationship as a bargaining tool against the United States. Indeed, ramping up exports to Asian nations will decease Saudi Arabia’s reliance on the American oil addiction.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=afA7qKyLK44s&pos=10
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao cited rising fuel prices and increasing demand as the motivation behind a push to increase available renewable fuels. Additionally, Jiabao said that energy independence would reduce the affects of climate change and bolster energy security. China’s energy plan for 2020 includes a renewable portfolio that meets 15 percent of China’s energy needs.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2010-04/22/content_9764389.htm
Chinese automakers push for electric vehicles (4-25-2010)
Chinese automobile makers are rolling out plans to build a line of environmentally friendly electric cars. The cars will reduce pollution and mitigate some of the green house gases that the 11 million cars produced in 2009 emitted into atmosphere. Nonetheless, automobile executives cited energy security and independence as one of the most important considerations behind the push to low- and no-carbon cars, not environmental improvement. With 60 percent of the population willing to try new technology, Geely, a Chinese auto manufacturer, estimates that 2 million electric cars will be on the road by 2020.
http://detnews.com/article/20100425/AUTO01/4250310/China-going-green--but-not-to-save-environment
RENEWABLES
March 2010
According to a March, 2010 report from Center for American Progress, China is rapidly overtaking the US in the emerging clean energy field. China, though still partly in the stages of an industrial revolution, has taken measures comparable to Spain and Germany to improve the chances for a successful low-carbon economy. China, Spain, and Germany have certainly reaped the environmental benefits of early investments in clean energy, but their motivations have largely been economic. China, for instance, will rely on the clean energy industry to replace entire sectors of the economy, namely coal mining and processing. Without substantial improvement in its domestic energy policy, the US will fall further behind China in the race to produce clean energy.
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/03/out_of_running.html
WIND
China stands on top of wind power (4-15-2010)
The Global Wind Energy Council estimates that China will be the lead producer in wind technology for at least the next five years. China’s wind capacity stands at 25.9 GW, thus overtaking Germany as the lead wind producer in the world. China is expected to provide the lion’s share of new generation, with total global generation scheduled to increase by 160 per cent to reach 409 GW by 2015.
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