SHANGHAI, Feb. 5 (SMM) –
National Environmental Standards Take Effect on February 1, 2013
The National Meteorological Center of CMA issued a yellow category haze warning for the first time at 10 a.m. January 28. The center issued the same warning again at 6 p.m. on the same day. According to the National Meteorological Center, most parts of central and eastern China have seen large scale fog & haze weather four times so far this year, deteriorating air quality in cities. The Ministry of Environmental Protection said December 31 that air quality in many cities in central and eastern China is heavily or severely polluted as fog & haze weather spreads. Haze weather covered 1.3 million km2 nationwide on the morning of December 31. The damage of haze on cities and areas has become increasingly severe in recent years. Deputies to the People’s Congress at provincial levels have voiced their concerns over haze weather. Here are some of their proposals to combat haze weather: establish sound air quality monitoring networks; adjust energy and industry structure; strengthen control on exhaust emission of motor vehicles.
Proportion of Clean Energy to China’s Energy Mix Up 1.5% Again
With soaring demand for energy and emphasis on environmental protection, clean energy has accounted for an increasingly bigger proportion of China’s energy mix.
Energy-saving and emission-cutting have become one of the top priorities of the central government during the12th Five-Year Plan period. The target and policies regarding energy efficiency will help stimulate China’s economy. Efforts to save energy and cut emissions will be crucial to China’s economic development.
China Molybdenum Involved in Tailing Ponds Disputes
China Molybdenum and one of its subsidiaries have recently been involved in a civil suit case due to tailing ponds disputes.
Heavy casualty was reported at Zijin Mining Group’s silver rock tin ore Gaoqiling tailing pond earlier.
Environmental Protection and Prevention of Air Pollution Focused
An official from the Ministry of Industry & Information Technology said during a press conference recently held by the News Office of the State Council that efforts must be made to accelerate transition of development model and push ahead with low-carbon circular economy in the course of industrialization, informationization, urbanization and agricultural modernization.
Air Pollution Treatment to Become Focus in NPC and CPPCC
China’s eastern parts have been hard hit by haze weather. With PM2.5 pollution getting more and more serious day by day, industry insiders believe air pollution prevention and treatment will surely become the focus of deputies to the National People's Conference (NPC) and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). Although China has begun monitoring PM2.5, systematic treatment has not yet been put on the agenda. In order to ease air pollution in cities, cutting exhaust emissions of motor vehicles should be the top priority at the moment.
