Newsy tidbits on green developments in China, sans analysis.
Super eco-cities? The unstoppable drive in China towards increased urbanization in the midst of the massive scale of
rural-to-urban migration is well known. A report by McKinsey, the prestigious global consulting firm, advocates that China undertakes a more concentrated form of urbanization by building 15 “supercities” each with populations of 25 million each, in order to facilitate the massive scale of rural-urban migration. This is in contrast to the more dispersed approach of developing dozens of smaller cities, and the development of the rural western inland regions of the country.
As stated in the press release announcing the report:
MGI [McKinsey Global Institute] finds that concentrated urban growth scenarios could produce 20 percent higher per capita GDP than that yielded by China’s current urbanization path, would have higher energy consumption but also higher energy efficiency, and would contain the loss of arable land. Concentrated urbanization would also have the advantage of clustering the most skilled workers in urban centers that would be engines of economic growth, enabling China to move more rapidly to higher-value-added activities.
Rule of Law. Earlier, I lamented about the need to improve environmental governance at the provincial and local levels. The head of the newly-named Ministry of Environmental Protection is vowing to tighten up enforcement of environmental laws.
Increased Government Investment. The government plans to pump in 41.8 billion yuan (about US$5.9 billion) this year to help meet its 2010 environmental targets, which include reducing energy intensity by 20% compared to 2005 levels. According to Xinhua News, 7.5 billion yuan would be invested in ten energy-saving programs, 4 billion yuan in closing inefficient coal-fired power units and outmoded steel plants, and 5 billion yuan to tackle water pollution.
Government White Papers. Charlie McElwee of China Environmental Law blog breaks down the National 11th Five-Year Environmental Protection Plan (2006-2011), the English version of which has only be been released earlier this month. While I’m at, I should mention the official white paper on China’s energy policy, available in English here.
Recyling Auto Parts. As part of China’s Circular Economy initiative, the National Development and Reform Commission has signed and agreement with three auto makers and 11 parts manufacturers letters of commitment to set up a pilot auto parts recovery program. As the New York Times reports, China is becoming a big player in the auto parts industry.
The Green Leap Forward 绿跃进 