Chinese Environmental Wire Nov. 9

哎哟呢么多！就是今天的环保新闻：

Quenching China's Thirst via ChinaDaily

Under Immense Pressure, Beijing Opens its Air Quality Ctrl Center to the Public via Xinhua

and... the Pressure Itself via China Daily

Hong Kong's Air, well.. Not Doing So Great via HK CAN

China's Energy Demands Are Destroying Farmland Other than their Own via Vancouver Sun

China and... Climate Blackmail?! via The Guardian

Global Warming Evaporating China's Hydropower Production.. ouch. via Consul Clima

Climate Change + Chinese Grain Crop Yields via China Daily

Enjoy!

Chinese Environmental Wire Nov. 8

Excuse the day-lateness! Lots going on as usual! Check it out.

Microbloggers Pressure for More Air Quality Monitoring via China RealTime Report

China's Water Plan for the Next Decade via State of the Planet

The Chinese Solar Industry Runs into Anti-Dumping Concerns via Want China Times

Chinese Government Buildings, and their Special Air Quality via HK CAN

China Produces Finally Phasing Out Incandescent Bulbs via The Guardian

Cigarette Smoking and Air Pollution via China Daily

Beijing: US Embassy and 'Pollution Hype' via Yahoo

Why China Needs a Stronger Clean Air Act via NRDC

more to come!

@ifce_dc

Celebrating 50 Years of USAID

On Friday, October 28, 2011, the Center for Strategic and International Studies hosted an event to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of USAID, the United States’ most prominent development agency. The event brought together four former administrators of USAID as well as the current administrator, Rajiv Shah, to discuss the agency’s accomplishments over the last 50 years, its current trajectory, and the issues that it will face in the future.

CSIS president and C.E.O. John Hamre opened the discussion by recalling the year 1962, the starting point for USAID. During the Cold War, the realization began to proliferate that the outcome of this conflict would not be decided by military action but rather through ideas. Innovation was necessary to demonstrate superiority, and the United States needed to act as a progressive world leader, especially in developing countries, to spread their innovations, and, subsequently, their political philosophy.

Daniel Runde, the co-director of the Project on U.S. Leadership in Development for CSIS, moderated the discussion, which featured Peter McPherson, Brian Atwood, Andrew Natasios, Henrietta Fore, and Shah.

Throughout the discussion, Shah emphasized his admiration of and appreciation for his predecessors, with whom he shared the stage. He noted that his administration would not have been able to achieve the results that they have without the extensive groundwork laid down by previous administrators. The beginning of the discussion focused on the many advancements made under the direction of the administrators in attendance, the most significant of which identified a need and strove to meet it in spite of the global atmosphere at the time. In particular, famine relief efforts in the 1980s, led by McPherson, in Ethiopia and Mozambique marked a defining moment in humanitarian efforts, with both countries representing Communist regimes. These relief efforts raised the question how to approach aid in the face of a fundamentally different system of governance.

As USAIS has matured, this question has been expanded to how to approach aid despite elementary differences in ways of life. Under Natsios, the answer lay in looking for overlap between the problems which developing countries faced—for example, combating food insecurity through improving the use of family planning. Fore built upon this principle by creating the Development Leadership Initiative, which seeks to establish a team of intellectual leaders focused on a results-based approach to international aid. Today, under Shah’s directorship, emphasis has been placed on empowering individuals—focusing less on a doctor or hospital’s ability to save a child’s life and instead putting the capability to do so into the mother’s hands—and thereby expanding the number of people that can be affected.

One of the major challenges facing the agency today is the issue of fragmentation. Although international development has risen on the agenda and the number of agencies involved in development work has increased substantially, this growth raises problems of how to coordinate all of these actors in the most efficient way possible. The administrators emphasized that any institution that has value to offer should be fully engaged and included. However, USAID should act a coordination point for all of these agencies, with approval necessary for any money spent. The event concluded with a discussion of the agency’s evolving relationship with the United States military and the need for a balance between security and development. As Shah reminded the audience, though, it is less expensive to do development work than to send soldiers, reinforcing the importance of USAID’s work over the past 50 years and their continued efforts to advance international development.

Colleen 

Daily Chinese Environmental Wire 11/2

UNDP Human Development Report out today! The USA leaves UNESCO! China... keeps on going. Check out today's wire:


Not Surprisingly, Asia is the Center of Green Investment via EcoBusiness
     and more than that... China! via MarketWatch

Analysts Say State-Owned Oil Companies are to Blame for Oil Shortages.. oops! via EpochTimes

Solectra Renewables to Open Factories in China via ChinaBriefing

BASIC Ministers Urge Developed Nations to Honor Climate Change Commitments via People's Daily

US Questions China's Smog Claims via CNN

HK Legislators Attack Government over Air Quality Issues via RTHK

The Hazardous Nature of Beijing Air Pollution via HK-CAN

Enjoy! Follow us on Twitter @IFCE_DC for up-to-date commentary, aggregation, and updates!


--Jiashi

Chinese Environmental Newswire 11/1

October come, and gone.

Six billion come, and gone.

As we rapidly approach that mystical carrying capacity of our planet, our environmental problems will only become further complication, more intense, and all the more important. Now too however, we have a great amount of potential, a high level of consciousness and years of experience. Hopefully, we can make the best of it. That however, will take some time to unfold. For instant gratification, check today's China-related environmental news!


Hasbro Joins others in Jumping the Sinking Ship that is Asia's Pulp & Paper via Greenpeace

India Moves Ahead With Thorium-based Nuclear Power Plant via The Guardian

Seven Billion, the Environment, and You. via NYTimes

China's First Biofuel Flight via China Real Time

The Center for Global Development's 2011 Commitment to Development Index via Poverty Matters Blog

Sanjeev Sanyal's 'The End of Population Growth' via Project Syndicate 

Trouble Strikes the Farmers of the Chinese Sugar Industry via China Daily


Enjoy!

-嘉石

Daily Chinese Environmental Wire 10/31

大家好！ 这是今天的最重要的环保的新闻。


1. First up, the NRDC has been busy today. Two great articles, and one good roundup:

--Cleaner textile mills, with a socioeconomic analysis of their benefits; as well as the CCP
   investment in EV vehicles and how they're leaving us in the [less-polluted] dust.

2. The incredible amount of energy solutions emerging from Hong Kong, via Renewable Energy World.

3. The push for the 'greening' of companies in Taiwan, via Taiwan News.

4. The heights of Taipei 101, via GreenBiz.

5. Increased [environmental] cooperation on either side of the straits, via Taiwan's China Post.

6. The opening of the International Forum of Climate Change in Beijing via China Daily, China.org.

Check back for more tomorrow!

－嘉石

"The Environmental and Social Consequences of Glacial Decline: Why Flatlanders Need to Care about High-Altitude Changes"

A few speakers from The Mountain Institute, along with panelists from ClimateWire magazine, USAID, and Center for Naval Analysis (CNA) met together at the Woodrow Wilson Center last Wednesday to discuss the consequences of melting glaciers, specifically in the Himalayan region.  Many of them had just recently been on expeditions to the Himalayas to study glaciers and meet with the local population.

Global warming will cause glaciers to melt much more faster and more often.  As glaciers retreat, they leave behind glacial lakes.  With the onset of glacier melt, floods will occur from ice avalanches falling from glaciers into glacial lakes.  These glacial lakes will then overflow over terminal moraines and cause flooding, called “outburst floods.”  These glacial lakes, which have the potential to cause outburst floods are named dangerous lakes.  There are about 400 marked dangerous lakes in the Himalayas, although this number is hard to calculate accurately.  As global warming continues, people must learn how to adapt or control and manage these dangerous lakes.  Historically it has been recorded that during periods of climate warming, glacial lake outbursts are more common.  Populations especially in the Andes and Himalayas will be at risk. 

The Andes government has already “turned a liability into an asset” by making tunnels for canals from the glacial lakes for use for hydropower and irrigation.  This is an example to follow for the Himalaya region. 

Besides glacial outbursts, there are other problems with melting glaciers.  People in the glacial areas use glaciers as reservoirs for fresh water – however in areas such as the Tibetan plateau and in Bhutan, land use is increasingly intense as deforestation and overgrazing occurs, which leaves little topsoil, so after the rainy season, or glacial melt, all the water runs off and floods the area.

An interesting point mentioned during the panel was how predictions can often times be exaggerated.  This is not necessarily a bad thing though since it leads to people taking action.  Unfortunately I do not remember the specifics, but an example one of the speakers gave was how someone predicted all forests in Ecuador will disappear within 25 years.  However, 25 years later, Ecuador had even MORE forest-cover than previously.  This is because people took action in planting trees and protecting the forests, after predictions looked dire. 

An important focus of the panel was how significant local knowledge is in thinking of solutions or way to adapt to the increasing possibility of glacial outbursts, and climate change in the glacial regions.  In the Andes, local people already have seeds for hundreds of varieties of potatoes for different possible changes in climate.  As stated earlier, the Andes government has already tried to make the travesty of melting glaciers into a benefit by making tunnels from the glacial lakes flow into canals for hydropower and irrigation purposes.  Hopefully the Himalayan people will also be able to adapt to the new glacial environment.  Many of the panel members had been on expeditions to the Himalayan glaciers.  They suggest a mixture of natural and social scientists along with local people in thinking of adaption and mitigation solutions to the melting glaciers and problems they will create.

Liz

Chinese Environmental News Wire 10/27

7 billion (!!!) people, new grid investment, and ending the Durban Deadlock.

In the pipeline: new site / blog, and a feature on Chinese investment in desalination

and the parallels between government investment in that industry, and the current

state of solar technology production, investment, and implementation. Enjoy!

*****************************************************************************

The investment of major CCP capital in water desalination via NYTimes

Sino-Iranian Cooperation on Wind, Solar, Hydro and Gas Energy Production via Celsias

More of 'Blame China' via The Energy Collective

Glaciers in SW China Feel the Pain via Eurek Alert

China: 'End the Deadlock on Durban Talks' via Reuters

Chinese Investment in Smart Grid Technology via Earth Techling

Seven Billion: Pictures and Workds via China Daily

Gates Foundation + Chinese Ministry of Sci & Tech focus on Health via China Daily

And finally, this is not about the environment, but those interested in Chinese online activism, and the relationship between the government, individuals, censors and the internet should check this wonderful article out.. via NYTimes

Enjoy!

Josh

Daily Chinese Environmental Wire 10/24

Wow! Busy day for China and the environment today. Then again, when isn't?

October 24 Brief:

China Aims to Dominate U.S. in Smart Grid Investments Just

As it has With Renewables via ThinkProgress

China's Great Wall is Crumbling Due to Mining via TreeHugger

Heavy Fog Dampens Beijing's Blue Sky Ambition via ChinaDaily

Suspension of Commercialization of GM Rice via FoodChainDB

China, Shale, Fracking, and Environmental Safeguards via ClimateProgress

Regional Energy Caps in China via BusinessGreen

Targets, not Goals for Chinese Solar Panel Trade via NYTimes

US Solar Panel Makers' Accuses Chinese Counterparts of Trade Rule Violations via NYTimes

and: China Replies With Accusations of Protectionism via NYTimes

and: US Expresses Outcry on Chinese [lack of] Anti-Dumping via RenewableEnergyFocus

Weekly Chinese Environmental News Alerts via NRDC

The Renewable Energy Arms Race [audio] via WBUR (NPR's Boston Affiliate)

as always, for up to date aggregation and commentary, follow us on twitter @IFCE_DC!

Jiashi

Germany and the Future of Clean Energy

          The Center for American Progress and the Heinrich Boell Foundation welcomed Franz Untersteller, minister for the environment, climate, and energy of the German state of Baden-Württemberg, on Monday, October 3 for a roundtable discussion on Germany’s simultaneous transition away from carbon and nuclear-based energies. As a German economic powerhouse, Baden- Württemberg will be a pivotal player in the country’s implementation of clean energy.

Untersteller began the discussion by identifying Germany’s main energy goals: the complete phase out of nuclear power plants by 2023; an increase in the share of renewable fuels in use; the addition of flexible gas power to their energy spectrum; and the adaptation of the current infrastructure to accommodate changes in energy sources. Untersteller emphasized that Germany’s decision to end its nuclear program does not suggest that it is abandoning its prior commitment to clean energy. Rather, Germany is focusing on other forms of clean energy, such as wind, hydro power, photovoltaic cells, and biomass—so long as it does not interfere with food production—as well as trying to improve efficiency. Untersteller highlighted the necessity of such a combination of tactics in order for Germany to reach its energy targets, with the ambitious goal of acquiring 80% percent of its power from non-carbon sources by 2050.

            Untersteller spoke to the anxieties associated with attempting such a dramatic shift, noting that a significant number of jobs and companies have already been created, contributing to Germany’s economy. In addition, the country’s eight oldest nuclear power plants have been shut down successfully, quelling fears of price shocks and destabilization. So far, Germany has provided as a model of success in the energy revolution. In 2000, Germany passed the Renewable Energy Act, which has served as a central political mechanism in the transition from fossil-based fuels to clean energy. This Act has influenced other countries in their parallel attempts to build their stocks of clean energy, partly because of the convergence of strategy drivers: energy independence, global climate change, and economic opportunity.

            Untersteller sees Germany’s planned nuclear and fossil-fuel phase-out as an opportunity to be on the forefront of the clean energy movement. He emphasized that the future of energy lies in the implementation of a second stage of transition in which the energy system experiences fundamental changes, with renewable energy dominating the energy sector, rather than merely being integrated. In addition, Germany’s leadership in the clean energy revolution introduces impetus for the United States to increase its commitment to the adaptation of clean energy.

Colleen Quinn

Migration as a result of climate change

This morning I attended Conversations about Climate Change Adaption: Displacement, Migration and Planned Relocation at the Brookings Institute.  I found this event particularly interesting because I am currently taking a Climate and Human Ecology class at George Washington University.  In my class we recently talked about how climate has influenced history and events.  For example the Irish potato famine in 1845 led to the Irish migrating to the Americas and New Zealand among other countries.  This historical migration relates to today’s event, which covered the impact on human mobility from climate change and how it is becoming increasingly discussed as it becomes more and more relevant. 

            The panelists held the event in the form of a conversation, exploring the potential impacts of climate change on migration, displacement and planned relocation. They first introduced approaches to climate change and how there is a  shift from trying to only practice climate change mitigation to also incorporating adaptation efforts.  One form of adaption is migration.  Climate change will lead to droughts and food shortages in certain parts of the world, while flooding and inundating others.  This means that migration is necessary.  In fact, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reported that, “the greatest single impact of climate change might be on human migration.”  Panelist Dr. Beyani, a rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons by the Human Rights Council, presented the statistic that by 2050, 100 million people may be displaced by climate change.  In some African countries such as Ethiopia, recent droughts and subsequent famines have already led people to move to other areas.

The last panelist, Dr. Mearns, presented criticisms of the argument that migration is an effective form of climate change adaption.  He argued that it is impossible to record exactly how many people migrated only for reasons of climate change.  He also pointed out that people should be careful about seeming deterministic in saying that migration is due directly from climate change.  Climate change does not directly cause migration; however there are many reasons for migration deriving from climate change such as economic incentives if the effects of climate change prevent someone from making a living how they previously did, such as farmers who live in an area that will be affected by an increasingly hotter and drier climate.

There will have to be a lot of policy written to accommodate all the future migration taking place, such as the planned relocation of peoples in islands that will be inundated, and policy of who or who doesn’t qualify as an urban resident.  In China a household registration system called hukou (户口) exists which keeps rural people in rural areas, and perpetuates China’s urban-rural divide.[1]  If your hukou says you are from the countryside but you work in a city, you don’t get many of the benefits that come from having a city hukou, and you probably have to pay more in fees.  Anyway it will be interesting to see what new policy is made across the world as migration becomes increasingly more relevant from changes in climate.

Liz

---

[1] Keith B. Richburg. “China ‘hukou’ system deemed outdated as way of controlling access to services.” The Washington Post. Aug. 15, 2010. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/14/AR2010081402009.html

Germany: Heading into the Second Phase of Clean Energy Industrialization Report of ‘Roundtable on German Success in Clean Energy Re-industrialization’

On October 3^rd, 2011, Center for American Progress hosted a roundtable discussion on Germany’s strategy and implementation of its clean energy development.  The discussion was led by Mr. Winfried Kretschmann, the minister of the state of Baden-Wurttemberg and politician from the Green Party.

The state of Baden-Wuttemberg lies in the southeastern corner of Germany.  Although it lacks natural resources, Baden-Wuttemberg is among the most prosperous states in Germany and one of the wealthiest regions in Europe with traditionally lowest unemployment rate. The state is heavily industrialized, with focus on Research and Development in the sustainable energy industry. One fifth of R&D personnel in Germany live in Baden-Wurttemberg. The state is also recognized as one of the Four Motors for Europe. It has great expertise in renewable energy engineering.

In March, 2011, Germany decided to shut down 25% of its nuclear power plants in the country, and completely phase out atomic energy by 2022. This strategy definitely put tremendous pressure on the energy sector in Germany. However, as in the nation, Germany is still dedicated to fulfilling the target set by Kyoto Protocol, reducing its emission by 80% compared to 1990s. Some of the new directions are renovating state-owned buildings to meet energy efficiency standards, and encouraging goods and service providers to adjust their products satisfy the needs for higher energy efficiency.  Businesses and industries are encouraged to lower energy consumption while improve manufacture facility and technology.

Solar energy has always received the highest population approval rate in the area. According to the new strategy, wind powered electricity will be increased to 30%.

In Germany, 23% of electricity comes from nuclear power plants. With the shutting down of nuclear power plants, there will be a period of time when marginal job creation does not change. However, as the technology and new industry revolves, new jobs will overcome the loss of jobs.

Germany, especially the state of Baden-Wurttemberg, is confident to be the leader of the SECOND phase of clean energy industry revolution, which is to fundamentally reengineer the grid system and work on innovation solution of storage facilities.

                               

                                                                                               ---- Haiya Zhang

The Issue of Chinese Emissions

When considering questions of development and pollution, measuring pollutants emitted as a function of energy production is one of the most effective measures for obtaining a base understanding of a nation's level of such practices. Obviously, there are other major sources of pollution be it industrial waste, or automotive exhaust, but energy production given its massive scale and comparatively easily discernible figure (its much easier to go off of their albeit questionable figures, rather than attempt to catalogue and draw empirical conclusions on the multitude of small polluters). That being said, despite the CCP discussing stricter and wide-ranging measures for controlling, reporting, and limiting emissions in its twelfth five-year plan it is still extremely difficult to gauge an accurate reading on levels of particulates emitted. Yuhan Zhang of Columbia university notes this, and speaks of a practice that has seemed to become culturally entrenched. Hit the jump to get the full analysis of emisisons figures, standards, regulations, and how those will all continue to intermingle for many years going forward. 

Low carbon development and public participation in China (Dr. He's talk on VOA)

There will be a talk by Dr. He on Voice of America (VOA) Oct. 5, Wednesday:

Time: Oct. 5, 9pm-10pm (Beijing time), 9am -10am (EST, USA)
Program: Issues and Opinions, Voice of America
Featured guest: Dr. Ping He, President of IFCE
Issues to be discussed: Low carbon development and public participation in China

You can watch online the live broadcast at: http://www.voanews.com/chinese/video-audio/
or you can also listen to the live talk show online at: http://www.voanews.com/chinese/video-audio/?play=Audio

Audience can dial in (FREE) to discuss with Dr. He or to ask questions:
Mainland China - Step 1, dial 10810 or 10871; Step 2, dial 866-837-5161 after you hear the recorded voice in Chinese
Taiwan - Step 1, dial 00801-102-880; Step 2, dial 866-837-5159 after you hear the recorded voice in English
Other regions (including in the US) - dial 202-401-4941

Gross National Happiness- silly or legitimate?

Last Wednesday I went uptown to the Brookings Institute for an interesting event called “Measuring Happiness and Opportunity Around the World.”  This event, based on author Carol Graham’s book The Pursuit of Happiness: An Economy of Well-being, presented a new method to measure a country’s national progress: happiness.  Happiness is important- after all, in the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. guarantees its citizens “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”  Policymakers are beginning to seriously consider the benefits of measuring happiness. 

A few slides were presented on the screen in front of us.  One of them was the image of a happiness curve, based on the data of South America, but the U-shaped curve is meant to apply worldwide.  The curve shows that people’s happiness generally forms a U-shaped curve, meaning that it decreases, but climbs back up after the age of 40.  The panelists provided other data relating to happiness, such as how happier people live longer, and that happiness is increased by stable partnerships and employment, which I guess is not so surprising.  However something I was surprised about is that people in a changing society where the citizens are trying to make change, are likely to be unhappy.  Another interesting fact I found depressing was that there is a “paradox of unhappy growth.”  This means that countries with rapid growth often have unhappy citizens.  This could be due to the increasing gap in income levels in a rapidly growing country, among other reasons.

Automatically I associate the phrase “rapid growth” with China, and so I instantly started thinking about my experiences with China and if I thought the “paradox of unhappy growth” could be accurately applied there.  I am no expert on China, but I know that people are much happier now than forty years ago, and this has a lot to do with the increased standard of living, due to the fast-growing economy.

Economic growth is often the main objective of politicians.  However the power of relationships and social context can greatly influence one’s happiness, and happiness is enormously important to citizens’ wellbeing.  Graham points out that economic growth and GDP (Gross Domestic Product) in particular, is too narrow of a perspective for policy since GDP does not look at relationships.  Some countries have already began to take happiness into account in making policy, such as Bhutan in their Ministry of Happiness, where they measure citizens’ happiness using a measure called Gross National Happiness.  I became interested in Bhutan and was curious to see how measuring happiness has influenced the country’s policy and the wellbeing of its citizens. Ignorance is bliss, and Bhutan was previously a very isolated country. Bhutan only started opening up to the world recently, such as getting its first internet connection in 1999.  A quote I found while looking up articles on Bhutan reads, "’TV and the Internet are very new to us, and their impact on family and society has not been fully understood,’ he says without hesitation. ‘After all, we are talking about a traditional society that only recently came out of isolation. We feel vulnerable. In the past, we always saw these threats in the form of physical occupation. But with TV and the Internet, we must now fear a new threat--a kind of aerial threat.’[1] I do not have any profound concluding remarks about measuring happiness, or if I believe it should be seriously incorporated into policy.  After all, it is a subjective measurement that is complex and extremely difficult to try to quantify.  I am curious, however, to see how Bhutan and other countries fare who use this hard-to-measure, yet very significant human need into their policy-making.

Liz

---

[1] Dorji, Kinley. “Bhutan- The Last Place. Gross National Happiness.” May 2002
http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/bhutan/gnh.html

Climate Change in Bangladesh

The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, in conjunction with The Asia Program, The Environmental Change and Security Program, and The Comparative Urban Studies Project, presented a panel discussion about the effects of climate change on Bangladesh on Monday, September 19. The conference, entitled Perfect Storm? Population Pressures, Natural Resource Constraints, and Climate Change in Bangladesh, explored the dangers that global climate change presents for this small nation, which the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has predicted as severe. The populous nation is expected to reach 200 million people by 2050; however, with a forecasted sea level rise of two to three feet, one-fifth of its landmass is expected to be destroyed. This loss of land holds particular implications for agriculture, with a predicted loss of staple crops of about 30 percent, as well as for the area’s inhabitants, leading to at least 20 million displaced people.

With such grave implications looming for Bangladesh, an overwhelming need for scholarly discourse presents itself. The conference consisted of two panels and included six speakers: Ali Riaz, who discussed Climate Change and National Security; Mohamed Khalequzzaman, Geological Aspects of Climate Change and the Fate of the Bengal Delta; Adnan Morshed, The Central Threat: Dhaka as a Frontier in the Climate-Change Narrative of Bangladesh; Roger-Mark De Souza, Population and Climate Connections: Effective Pathways to Calming the Storm; Shamarukh Mohiuddin, Adaption Needs in Bangladesh and the U.S. Response; and Philip J. DeCosse, Storm Surges, Coastal Forests, Local Governance, and Food Security: Innovations from Bangladesh.

Many of the speakers framed their talks around security. As Riaz pointed out, security can be both traditional, in military terms, and nontraditional, in relation to human activity and food. Together, traditional and nontraditional security comprise national security. The effects of climate change threaten all aspects of Bangladesh’s security as a nation. Not only does climate change hold repercussions for Bangladesh’s southern low-lying coastal areas, but its rural zones and urban centers are also at risk. Rising sea levels translate to massive internal migration, as individuals are forced out of their homes. However, it also means a considerable shift toward food insecurity, as lands are destroyed and fresh water sources obliterated. Currently, 56 percent of current food production comes from irrigated agriculture, a reality that cannot continue without readily available fresh water. Just as significant of an issue, though, is the uncontrolled urbanization of Dhaka, Bangladesh’s capital city. The hyper-urbanization of Dhaka has lead to the proliferation of slums and squatter settlements and the dominance of social insecurities over the lives of many inhabitants. This unplanned urban sprawl also has serious environmental consequences, disrupting the fragile river ecosystem that feeds Dhaka and spewing pollution into the air with unprecedented traffic congestion.

Khalequzzaman emphasized that without intervention, that with an acceptance of the status quo, the situation in Bangladesh will result in the “Perfect Storm:” a host of issues and a scarcity of solutions. The issue of Bangladesh’s future needs to be brought to an international level. However, action cannot occur at the expense of the nation’s sovereignty. The speakers warned that if the capacity of the state shrinks, if social wellbeing relies too heavily on international or non-governmental actors, then Bangladeshi governance may turn to the adoption of more authoritarian methods. In the meantime, however, policies need to put in place and alternative solutions explored to help Bangladesh adapt to the severe ecological changes that threaten to redefine this highly vulnerable nation.


Colleen Quinn

Jinko Protested, Citizens Still Unprotected: Another Foreign Firm Continues Illegal and Harmful Practices

A day ago, numerous Chinese news sites published a story on a protest in Jiaxing in Zhejiang province. The story goes that 500 or so people swarmed the Jinko Solar Co Ltd factory last Thursday night to protest what they believed to be exceedingly harmful practices that have created health concerns including highly volatile emissions, and the dumping of toxic chemicals in the nearby river.

International Energy Outlook 2011

This morning I attended the Energy Information Administration’s International Energy Outlook for 2011.  Dr. Howard Gruenspecht, the Acting Administrator and Deputy Administrator of the EIA presented the briefing.  For those of you unfamiliar with IEOs, the International Energy Outlook’s purpose is to give a projection of world energy demand and major energy source through 2035.  The IEO also discusses energy demand among developing countries, as well as recent events that complicate projecting long-term energy outlook. 

The briefing was interesting, but what especially stood out to me was how often “China” and “India” were brought up in the dialogue.  It is projected that energy use will increase about 50% between 2008 and 2035, and half of that increase will be attributed to China and India.  

Unfortunately fossil fuels are predicted to continue to provide 80% of world energy use in 2035.  In consequence, carbon dioxide emissions will rise 43% reaching a total of 43.2 billion metric tons in 2035.  China will account for about three-fourths of the world’s increase in coal-fired generation, of which coal will still fuel the largest share of world’s electricity in 2035.  Though the world will continue to be fossil fuel dependent in the near future, renewables will be the fastest growing energy source at 2.8% per year.  There are projected to be big developments in shale oil and natural gas production.  Oil is predicted to become very expensive as resources are constrained, and so other types of fossil fuels will become more popular.  Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster may possibly affect nuclear energy policy in some nations.  However the outlook report does not take politics or policy shifts into account when calculating their projections; instead it looks at resources and technology available, and supply and demand.  It is the tight supply and demand shifts which really influence energy outlook.

The introducer to the briefing commented how she was troubled to hear that energy is becoming more and more non-U.S. centered.  The future is in the hands of China and India! 

Relating this somewhat to IFCE and environmental issues in China, I was thinking about how in China individuals owning automobiles is on the rise.  Personal transportation in China (and other countries which are projected to have significantly high energy demand) will be important in deciding what energy source will be chosen and what the CO emissions associated with it will be.

Statistics are taken from the International Energy Outlook 2011 presentation from the Center for Strategic and International Studies which can be found at: http://csis.org/files/attachments/110919_IEO2011.pdf

The Paradigm of China's Developmental Problem

This past Wednesday I was fortunate to have the opportunity (seriously) to attend an event at the wonderful Brookings Institute, a premier organization of scholars and intellectuals. Their Thornton Center continues to attract some of the best and brightest China-focused minds, whose quality of output might be matched, but hardly surpassed. The event was entitled “Intellectuals Divided: The Growing Political and Ideological Debate in China”, and a more apt title, there are none. Regardless of your level of expertise regarding China, this talk was exceedingly informative and in-depth, while remaining accessible. For individuals interested in what is occurring on the ground in China, the internal governmental and intellectual debates as well as a non-economic assessment and prediction regarding the big red state’s future should hit the jump for more.

Intellectuals Divided: The Growing Political and Ideological Debate in China

The John L. Thornton China Center, within the Brookings Institution, hosted an event on September 14, to discuss the role of intellectualism in China. Cheng Li, Yawei Liu, and Jianying Zha each offered their thoughts on the role of increasing intellectual debate in China and the outlook for China in light of this shift towards scholarly discourse.

Cheng Li began the discussion by dissecting this issue into three components: what is new, why it is extraordinary, and to what it will ultimately lead. He recalled the anti-intellectualism of Mao and the Cultural Revolution, noting the many changes that have occurred in recent years. In particular, he discussed changes in the social sphere, such as an increase in the college graduation rate from 0.4% in 1982 to 8.9% in 2010 and a new sense of individual economic independence. Partially shaping these trends are the influence and prevalence of the media as well as the advent of foreign-educated returnees, think tanks, NGOs, and interest groups. However, he highlighted that what is extraordinary about the intellectual debate is the wide range of views, yet profundity of ideas, as distinctions that used to play a factor, such as generation, educational background, and academic field, no longer hold. For Cheng Li, this era of dispute is both promising and dangerous at the same time, with hope and fear coexisting. He warns that if both sides blindly push for radical change, then the threat of political deadlock will become a reality and possible sociopolitical chaos will ensue.

Next, Yaiwei Liu discussed “The ‘Rise’ of the Chinese Intellectuals and Its Consequences,” drawing upon the analysis of China by Thomas Friedman, author of The World is Flat, in order to reframe the intellectual debate in terms of economics. According to Friedman, to achieve success, China must develop a knowledge-based service/finance economy, completing the shift from “Made in China” to “Designed in China” to, eventually, “Imagined in China.” However, China’s economic future also relies heavily on the elimination of the gap between rich and poor. Yaiwei Liu discussed the prospect of China’s growth in terms of the cake theory, whereas if the bakers of a cake know that the cake will be fairly divided, they will have the incentive to bake a bigger and better cake. In the same way, if Chinese citizens feel confident that they will experience a reasonable and fair return on their efforts, they will be motivated to work towards the economic success of their country. The people of China, therefore, can grow rich together. However, debate has flared about whether the prospect of a combined effort toward financial growth is truly necessary for the continuation of the CCP or if it is merely a pseudo-goal, with the poor eventually abandoned. Scholars remain sharply divided on this issue; however, the debate has convinced top leadership of the overwhelming need for a social safety net. As of now, the resolution of this dispute is uncertain. Yaiwei Liu, though, closed his talk by posing a possible scenario resulting from the rise of such intellectual debate: partisan politics in China.

Finally, Zha Jianying framed the intellectual debate in a different, yet constructive, light, noting the danger of rushing to accord: without disunity, true consensus cannot be built. She continued her talk in a similar tone, exploring the new breed of Chinese public intellectuals and the great influence they wield. As a whole, China has opened up, increasing consciousness about individual rights and the value of democracy. In particular, she noted, intellectual debate focuses on quintessentially middle class issues, as a yearning for peace and prosperity combined with a fear of disorder drive the discussions taking place in China. However, this enlightenment process of modernity began almost a century ago with the May Fourth Movement. Protests have evolved, though—now, more moderate in tone and shaped by new social media. In addition, official responses to protests have been restrained, with concessions offered or damage control quickly employed. Zha Jianying recognized this change in attitudes as a sign of the growing maturity of intellectualism, as individuals realize that politics is not a zero-sum game. Into the future, intellectual debate will continue to flourish, and, as all three speakers echoed, the struggle between fear and hope will persist. However, the potential that this scholarly discussion holds creates an air of excitement and promise as China launches into a new era.


Colleen Quinn

The Environment and Human Rights: the International Community’s Responses to Emerging Local and Global Challenges

This event, co-hosted by the Swiss Embassy and Wilson Center, examined the relationship between environmental issues and human rights.  The speakers specifically talked about the Human Rights Council of the U.N. and its role in preserving human rights while environmental policy decisions are made. Unfortunately human rights and environmental conservation have come into conflict numerous times.  The speaker looked at specific cases the Council has dealt with which concern local pollution being a violation of privacy rights.  The Council also looked at cases where protecting the environment appeared to be a justification for infringing on human rights, such as a case involving a gypsy family wanting to settle temporarily in England’s green belt, a protected open space.

The panel also spent a while discussing water and it’s relation to human rights.  After all water is important; without water, there is no life.  They stated that it is a U.N. declared human right for “access to clean water and sanitation.”  However the right to clean water is complex because it involves many other rights, such as the right to information, the right to be involved in decision-making processes, and the need to protect the environment.  If the environment is not protected, then where will clean water come from?  After all, the wetlands in the New York City Watershed supply water to half of New York’s population.[1]

There were a lot of interesting questions addressed during the panel.  One of the questions was, what happens to human rights during wartime when access to water is purposefully turned off?  If water is shut off, there is the intention of exterminating the civilian population just like starvation, and so it is looked at as a war crime.  Unfortunately there is sometimes an overlap between environmental conservation and violation of human rights, so it was interesting to explore this overlap with qualified panelists who have experience in this field and in the Human Rights Council.

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[1] “Wetlands in the Watersheds of the New York City Water Supply System.”

New York City Department of Environmental Protection. www.nyc.gov/html/dep/pdf/brochures/wetlands.pdf

News Article: The Human Cost of Energy

Hi there!
Here is an article I came across from Scientific American. Very interesting perspective, and worth digging into.
Happy friday!
Haiya

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=the-human-cost-of-energy

Rotten Apple

No one will argue that Apple makes visually stunning products: sculpted metal, sleek curves, and bright glass. Since Steve Jobs took the helm for a second time (after bombing with NeXT) the company rose from alt-obscurity, to mainstream media darling. There is no other technology company (maybe even no other company at all) whose products are received with such grandiose fanfare. Apple's product releases are like holidays to their fans who line up for hours to hear the turtlenecked man speak, and make glorious fodder for bloggers. I mean, HTC makes some beautiful phones, yet no one is so interested in taking the damn thing apart and examining every last crevice, or pouring over nondescript and vague patents (okay, fine I'm guilty of it..). They have seemingly out of nowhere, become a shining beacon of American export. The Shanghai store mimics the flagship downtown New York cube-store and is rivaled only perhaps by the Beijing branch in Sanlitun, or the store in the Ginza district of Tokyo. People are crazy about these products not only domestically, but in China as well... I mean the Shanghai branch was literally cloaked in gigantic red drapes, and literally guarded by ninjas on top of it. Unfortunately, some of the people who make these products have actually gone crazy.

They have done so not from fandom mania, but because of the work environment created by the outsourcing of a supply chain so as to cut down on production costs and maximize profit for Apple. By having an extremely segmented supply line and using individual manufactures for separate parts, Apple has in a way limited itself from exposure largely to the fact that these companies would be shut down in the United States for how they treat their workers. This is not to say that Apple is the only company responsible for this type of practice -- they are not -- but given their prominence in international economics (I mean, they have a higher market capitalization than the US government) they should certainly be looked at long and hard, as we consider our developing relationship with China. Encouraging an exploitative relationship has been allowed to flourish, not the least of which is China's vast (though dwindling) supply of labor, lax regulations, and an export-driven economy. The problem is, that because Apple is an international company these sales, where the real value is made -- with the sale of the finished product, not assembling or sourcing of parts -- China, and god forbid their workers, benefits little from their massive profits.

Foxconn, who produces some of the most complex individual components for Apple products, including touchscreens, has become the prime example of unexpected exposure for international companies with the practices outlined above. They have had a rash of employee suicides stemming from question corporate practice, and numerous other companies in the supply chain have had large-scale unease, complaints, and protestation for the negative and unregulated impact of chemicals used in production on employee health, and local quality of life as effected by unregulated and damaging emissions, and dumping practices. None of this is new information, but something that is new is the second part of a report called 'The Other Side of Apple II' (Part II found here, and Part I here) by five environmentally focused NGOs: Friends of Nature, The Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, Green Beagle, Envirofriends, and Green Stone Environment Action Network.

The exploration is compelling, and I highly recommend you to read or at least skim parts of it to get a sense of how far these negative and damaging practices go. Despite a strict regulatory framework, pollution and dangerous chemical standards were, well, standardly ignored. It was your all-too-typical leaving a box blank on a form, botching some figures, and some outright disregard as well. Local rivers surrounding these factories have toxicity levels that make them nearly useless for farming, let alone evening thinking about using it as a potable water source. This is a just the continuation of a broken cycle in the agrarian countryside where a minute number of individuals are already entrusted with the literally impossible task of feeding their nation. What is interesting, is that an increasing number of individuals, and in fact, employees are finally getting fed up with this shit -- many leaving their jobs despite no other immediately viable employment opportunities.

Eventually, China is going to have to own up to its own 'standards', but for now as lax regulation reigns supreme in an export-driven, money-crazed CCP focused on maintaining obviously unsustainable levels of economic growth, there doesn't seem much hope. There are only two occurrences which could lead to China actually caring about this type of issue (rather than Wen Jiabao's wonderful rhetoric, followed by predictably falling out of view, and subsequent inaction). Firstly, they regional governments will become disempowered by the fact that the central government realizes that such environmentally damaging practices are actually limiting their long-term growth (which no one seems to care about, yet feel fine on chastising the West for acting as such, but that's another article...) losing what academicians Elizabeth Economy out of the Council for Foreign Relations, and Vaclav Smil out of the University of Manitoba to have estimated to the tune of one-third of a trillion dollars squandered due to political fallout, corruption, employee compensation (minimal), and most of all inefficiencies. When this amount of money starts mattering to the central government (and it's hard to undersand how it doesn't) international firms will start to have to care about how they act, or else risk being boxed out of the most stable, and potential-laden global economy -- one that will remain as such for a good 5-7 years depending on how fast civil unrest can spread. It is sad that companies and governments only pay mind when money is involved, but if that is the reality, so be it. As for now, companies should think about their image (and who cares more about theirs than Apple?) by doing the morally responsible, respectable, and correct thing by taking slightly more care, paying their workers a little more, and thinking long-term about how they want to be thought of, rather than simply the quarter-by-quarter P&L breakdown.

Or maybe I'm just unrealistic.

Happy Mid - Autumn Festival!!

Moon Festival lunch in a Korean B-B-Q restaurant[From left to right: Josh (new intern), Dr. He, Haiya, and Elizabeth (new intern); and photo taken by Jie:P]



Yummmmmmmmmmy!Tha's the first thing I'd like to say.

Dr. He took us to such a nice place to treat us such good food, which makes him such a great boss, lol. It was just in time to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival as well as to get to more about each other. We enjoyed a lot, except we are sorry that Colleen, another new intern this semster, missed the lunch as she had to go to class. However, Colleen tasted the moon cake from Dr. He. I think it was the first time for her to have moon cake, hope you like it. You will experience more Chinese culture here in IFCE, and you're difinitly put into a Chinese vibe, not only that you have Chinese colleagues, but also that Josh and Elizabeth all have had experience in China before.

Hopefully everybody had a joyful Mid-Autumn Festival!!

Colleen's First Day at IFCE

Last Friday was my first day as an IFCE intern, and, after spending most of the day learning more about environmental and energy issues in the United States and China, I am very excited for this semester to begin. Despite talking about many of these issues in previous classes, from my one day spent at the office, I realized that there remains an incredible amount of information for me to discover and topics to further explore. This Wednesday, I am planning on attending an event for IFCE at The Brookings Institution, entitled Intellectuals Divided: The Growing Political and Ideological Debate in China. I think that this discussion will be extremely beneficial in helping me to establish a framework with which to better understand the current political mood in China and the effect that it has on environmental issues. As for now, I am working on deciding on a topic for my first presentation on Friday and looking forward to returning for my second day this afternoon!

Liz's first day interning at IFCE

Despite the torrential rain this morning, I made it safely and relatively dry to the IFCE office.  After meeting the AEPA interns and being a bit confused where the actual office was, I finally made it to the IFCE office.  Today was a relatively short day because I had to go to a class in the afternoon, but I can already see how being an intern at IFCE will be interesting, as well as benefit me.  The internship seems pretty academic because it includes a lot of researching, presenting and taking notes from going to speaker events located around DC.  I’m very excited to start going to these events, especially because previously I had signed up for email lists (such as from the Wilson Center) and had the intention and interest of going to these speakers, but never actually had the “push” to make myself get there.  Now, because I am interning for IFCE I have a reason to make myself get there!  One of my tasks today was to prepare for a presentation on Monday on whatever topic pertaining to the environment I would like to research.  I am excited for this opportunity to practice my presentation skills, and hope people will be interested in geo-engineering, the topic I will be talking about on Monday!

Morgan McCollum: Summary of Clean Coal & Carbon Capture and Storage Report

Coal: Global Warming’s Biggest Scapegoat

Coal has been deemed the dirtiest of all fossil fuels emerging as the leading contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. When coal is burnt, it releases emissions of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and other harmful emissions such as mercury that are then released via flue gas—the clouds that rise out of smoke stacks. These emissions have a direct impact on global warming, contribute to approximately 24,000 premature deaths a year in the United States alone, and can harm areas thousands of miles away via acid rain. Even the process of retrieving coal has its flaws—entire mountaintops are removed in search for large quantities, and the coal mining process can be highly hazardous. However, due to its relatively easy access, large quantities, and low cost relative to other energy sources, coal is likely to remain a power source for the foreseeable future.

What is clean coal?

Due to heavy protest and concern, the coal industry with help from scientists and politicians has revamped its image with ‘clean coal’ technology. An oxymoron of a term, Al Gore once said, “Clean Coal is like a healthy cigarette, it doesn’t exist.” Clean coal has been manipulated to mean anything that the industry wants it to mean, but it certainly does not mean carbon-free. Not a single coal fired power plant is emissions free, and almost none can do anything about carbon dioxide emissions, one of the leading proponents of global warming. However, it is good to look into the technologies because many are at least slightly better than burning dirty coal, and it is important to see which ones are most worth the investment. There are four main categories of clean coal technology:

Coal Washing: Literally what its name suggests. Crushed coal is washed prior to its burning so as to lower the level of sulfur and minerals within the coal.

Pollution Control Methods: There are several types of pollution controls that are each designed to control a particular type of emission. Electrostatic Precipitators can be installed to reduce particulate matter pollution, NOx burners reduce NOx emissions, and flue gas desulphurization can reduce SO₂ emissions. Flue gas desulphurization, also known as scrubbing, has become a commonly used procedure in coal-fired power plants. Scrubbers are installed in the smokestacks of power plants where they then remove sulfur from the flue gas by using a sorbent—usually lime or limestone. It remains one of the most commercially used emission control methods and can easily be installed into existing plants.

Efficient Combustion Technologies: These involve improving the overall efficiency of the coal burning process. For example, Supercritical Pulverized Coal Combustion increases the thermal efficiency of a plant 35-45%, meaning that more coal can be burnt at a given temperature. Another method is Fluidized Bed Coal Combustion, in which coal can be burnt at relatively low temperatures.

Carbon Capture and Storage: To date, CCS is not commercially available and is highly expensive. Carbon Capture and Storage will involve three main steps: capturing carbon dioxide emissions from the flue gas within the smokestacks, compressing it from a gas into a liquid, and finally transporting that liquid through a pipeline to a repository underground where it will be stored for centuries. To date, there are methods of capturing CO₂ (such as chemical absorption), but unfortunately the CCS process has two major problems. First, is that it requires a lot of energy; between removing the CO₂ and collecting it for storage, twenty five percent more coal would have to be burnt to produce the same amount of electricity as before CCS was implemented. To produce this amount of coal, more energy would be required in mining and transportation—offsetting the environmental benefits of CCS. Second, coal fired power plants produce 1.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide per year. In order to capture this amount of CO₂, 30 million barrels of the liquid would have to be filled every day. This number is higher than the number of barrels filled by petroleum products and it took approximately a hundred years to build the infrastructure the US currently uses to transport petroleum. Would it be possible for an even larger infrastructure to be built for CCS? Not to mention that this does not even include the problem of where the storage facility to be. It would be quite possible for the carbon dioxide to be pumped under the ground only to escape years later. And if it is pumped under the ocean, it is possible that the carbon dioxide would lower pH levels, affecting marine life. Thus to date, carbon capture and storage lacks the planning, infrastructure, and knowledge base to be a practical clean coal technology.

And if you didn’t feel like reading all that technical stuff, just read this:

I am attempting to condense a ten-page paper into a blog post, so not all my information can be put in here. However, there are some important points (and some personal opinions) that I would like to state. There are four main categories of clean coal technology, and many sound like promising technologies until one asks the question: where do the pollutants go? Like all magic tricks, to the viewer's eye the object may have ‘disappeared,’ but the magician knows that the rabbit has moved from inside the hat to under the table. Clean coal methods work by removing pollutants from the flue gas but they can't just "disappear," they have to be released somewhere else in the environment. When coal is burnt, these contaminants will inevitably be burnt as well, and they will have to go somewhere even if that isn’t directly into the atmosphere via flue gas.

Second, carbon capture and storage is far too expensive to be a viable option at the time being. It can increase the cost of a power plant anywhere from 20-90 percent—the lack of knowledge and experience is why that percentage is so uncertain.  Third, I believe that technologies that improve the overall efficiency of the plants are the best technologies to be pursued. They result in less coal being excavated and less coal being burnt while achieving the same amount of electricity generation.

I believe funding can and should be spent on other investments besides coal. There are renewable energy sources and there are natural gas sources that produce half the amount of CO₂ as coal. One type of renewable energy source I have come across recently is BioCoal. It is created from biomass and then treated to create a renewable coal. It meets all renewable fuel and CO₂ reduction regulations, and is carbon neutral. BioCoal advocates state that it can be put into power plants today with no changes necessary. Do I believe this will actually ever happen? No. But it’s just a thought.

And lastly, energy conservation, energy conservation, energy conservation. Simply providing more incentives for the public to purchase LED lighting, energy efficient appliances, and better insulation for their housing would help significantly reduce the amount of coal needed to b burnt, and therefore the amount of CO₂ emissions into the atmosphere. This can be done today and requires far less time, research, and money than CCS technologies. Coal certainly is not disappearing anytime soon, but it is important to remember that it is exhaustible, and we should be thinking ahead to the future.

Sources

1.     Dowdy, Sarah. "What Is Clean Coal Technology?." http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/clean-coal.htm

2.     Snell, Marilyn B. "Can Coal Be Clean? New Ways to Burn a Dirty Old Fuel." Feb, 2007.http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/200701/coal.asp

3.     US Department of Energy, "Clean Coal Technology and The Clean Coal Power Initiative." http://www.fossil.energy.gov/programs/powersystems/cleancoal/

4.     Green Peace Briefing, Climate, New Zealand, ""Clean Coal" Technology." http://www.greenpeace.org/raw/content/new-zealand/press/reports/clean-coal-technology-briefing.pdf

5.     Garber, Kent. "Why Making Coal Cleaner Will Take Years." U.S. News & World Report, Apr, 2009, 66-68.

6.     Balat, M. "Coal-fired Power Generation: Proven Technologies and Pollution." Energy Sources Part A: Recovery, Utilization, & Environmental Effects 30, no. 2 (2008): 132-140.

7.     James, Meigs B. "The Myth of Clean Coal: Analysis." July 14, 2011.http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/energy/coal-oil-gas/4339171

8.     NMA: The American Resource, "Clean Coal Technology." http://www.nma.org/pdf/fact_sheets/cct.pdf

9.     Berman, Ari. "The Dirt on Clean Coal." Nation 288, no. 14 (2009): 17-21.

10.  Troy, Phaedra F. "Clean Coal Creates Emerging Job Market." Power Engineering 114, no. 12 (2010): 6-7.

11.  Bradsher, Keith. "China Outpaces US in Cleaner Coal-Fired Plants. The New York Times". (May 10, 2009), http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/11/world/asia/11coal.html.

12.  "China's Energy Pattern in Low Carbon Era, China Chemical Reporter". 21. 11 (2010), 9-10

13.  Fairley, Peter. "China's Coal Future. Technology Review". 110. 1 (2007), 56-61

14.  Markham, Derek. "Can Bio Coal Turn Coal Power Plants into Green Energy Producers?." Dec 28, 2009. http://greenlivingideas.com/2009/12/28/bio-coal-turn-coal-power-plants-green-energy-producers/