New Pollution Tax Could Reap in More than 50 Billion Yuan
China may be on the verge of unleashing its most aggressive environmental-protection tax to date. The new law passed through the National People’s Congress is designed to reduce the contamination of air, soil and water. It targets factories, power plants and other emitters of pollutants such as sulphur dioxide. Some analysts say the tax could […]
China’s Floods Cause Massive Amounts of Trash to Wash Ashore Hong Kong Coastlines
This past week’s severe flooding in central and southern China not only had devastating effects for the people of China, their crops, and their livelihoods, but the high floods are causing massive environmental consequences for Hong Kong oceans and beaches. Hong Kong’s Environmental Protection Department said an astounding six to ten times the normal volume […]
Water from 80 Percent of China’s Wells is Too Polluted to Drink
More than 80 percent of underground wells tested in China have water too polluted for human consumption, according to a new survey released by the Ministry of Water resources. The ministry tested 2,103 wells across China’s polluted plains and found that 32.9 percent of wells had water with Grade 4 quality, which means it could […]
4 Million Chinese Diagnosed with Cancer in 2015
More than four million people in China were diagnosed with cancer in 2015, according to the American Cancer Journal of Clinicians. That year, the disease killed three million people in China. Cancer rates in China have increased by 50 percent in the last decade, with most cases coming from the country’s coal and steel-producing provinces. […]
Leo calls China “Hero” of the Green Movement
While promoting his new movie in Beijing, Leonardo DiCaprio called China a “hero of the environmentalist movement.” He was at an event in the wake of his new movie “The Revenent,” which was released in Chinese theaters last Friday and has since raked in more than $30 million at the box office. “As we all […]
Man Captures Three Years of Beijing Air Pollution in Photos
Every morning before going to work, Zou Yi snaps a photo of the Beijing Television skyscraper from his living-room window on the 13th floor. Sometimes, the skyscraper basks in bright blue sky. Other times, it’s barely discernible behind a thick cloud of smog. For the last three years, Zou has been posting these photos along […]
“Hairy Nose” Film in China Tells You How Much Pollution Stinks
A group of people in China grow their nose hair to their chins in order to filter the smog that surrounds their community. That’s the premise for a bizarre new comedy by the campaign “WildAid.” “Hairy Nose” follows a group of young people and even a dog with unusually long nasal hair. But it’s just […]
China Raises Red Alert Standards
China announced the country would be changing environmental standards for issuing Red Alerts in the face of growing pollution. Red Alerts are issued when an air in a region undergoes an Air Quality Index level of 200 for a three-day period. Now, pollution would have to be stronger before Beijing issues a Red Alert warning. […]
60 Percent of Plastic Waste Dumped to Sea Comes from these Five Countries
Every year, more than 8 million metric tons of plastic makes its way to the ocean, according to research cited by Science Magazine. Who is responsible for most of this waste? If you guessed the U.S., you guessed wrong. According to Ocean Conservancy, a U.S. non-profit, 60 percent of the plastic that’s dumped into sea […]
Chinese Residents in Pollution-ridden China are Buying Bottles of Fresh Air from a Canadian Company
Citizens in smog-filled China are scrambling to get their hands on bottles of air sold by a Canadian company. Vitality Air bottles their product in the Rocky Mountain town of Banff. The company tells CNN that its first 500 canisters of fresh air went on sale in China last month before selling out in two […]
