Breaking the Ice on Environmental Open Information

The 2008 Pollution Information Transparency Index (PITI) First Annual Assessment of Environmental Transparency in 113 Chinese Cities

By Ma Jun, Wang Jingjing, Ruan Qingyuan, Shen Sunan, Wu Wei, Alex Wang, Hu Yuanqiong, Michael Zhang & Zhang Xiya on June 30, 2010

On May 1, 2008, the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information and the Ministry of Environmental  Protection Measures on Open Environmental Information (trial) entered into effect. These regulations stand as major milestones for Chinese environmental governance. In order to systematically evaluate the first year of implementation for these regulations, the Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs (IPE) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) developed the Pollution Information Transparency Index (PITI). The PITI methodology assesses the degree of pollution information transparency at the municipal level through a review of eight metrics, including records of facility violations, results of environmental petition and complaint cases, and responses to public requests for information. The evaluation establishes a quantitative score for each city that allows for ranking of performance. IPE and NRDC utilized the PITI methodology to complete an initial evaluation of pollution information disclosure in 2008 for 113 Chinese cities. Nearly all of the cities evaluated (110 of 113) are designated by the Ministry of Environmental Protection as key state environmental protection cities, including Harbin, Jinan, Shijiazhuang, Changsha, Guangzhou, Chengdu, and Urumqi. These cities are distributed throughout eastern, central, and western China.

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Topics: 
Environment
Keywords: 
Environmental Regulation
Pollution
Urban Issues
Organization: 
Natural Resources Defense Council

Beijing’s Ambivalent Relationship with the Internet

By Jeremy Goldkorn, Bill Bishop & more on June 25, 2010

Mere mention of Chinese Internet censorship is no longer taboo. Or that’s our take-away from a recent white paper by the State Council Information Office that outlines exactly how and why the Chinese government plans to tighten controls over online communications in China. Is Beijing trying to stuff the Internet genie back in its proverbial bottle, or is Rebecca MacKinnon right with her metaphor of an expanded aviary: the birdcage may be tighter knit, but it is still bigger than ever before?

Review of Chinese Books

By Kaiser Kuo, Jeremy Goldkorn & more on June 18, 2010

Looking for a little summer reading? This week, Sinica sorts the wheat from the chaff with a massive review of books on China. Our discussion touches on a everything from Chinese fiction to non-fiction academic works on Chinese politics, economics, and history. There’s a good selection here and a combative discussion: we'll tell you what we love, and what we hate, and why...

Science Fiction in China

By Kaiser Kuo & Gady Epstein on June 11, 2010

Science fiction serves as a kind of mirror for how a society sees itself in the future. So what future do Chinese sci-fi writers envision in the far-off yet-to-come? And what role does China play in that future? Do contemporary Chinese writers see a harmonious utopia? Or are they more concerned with the prospects of dystopian collapse? These are the questions raised in this week’s edition of Sinica, which takes a closer look at the state of sci-fi in China.

Suicides, Strikes, and Labor Unrest in China

By Kaiser Kuo, Jeremy Goldkorn & more on June 4, 2010

A spate of suicides leaves ten dead at the Shenzhen campus of Foxconn, the giant electronics manufacturer that makes many of the world’s most popular consumer electronics. A rare strike paralyzes production at Honda Motors, shutting down all of the company’s manufacturing lines in the country. In response, both companies offer substantial concessions to workers, causing many to ask if this marks the end of China’s reign as the low-cost “workshop to the world”?

Game-Changing China: Lessons from China about Disruptive Low Carbon Innovation

By David Tyfield, Jun Jin, Tyler Rooker on June 1, 2010

Big hydro, big solar photovoltaic, and big wind—these are the usual focus of accounts of low-carbon technologies in China. But a very different type of innovation—ranging from a farm cooperative in Yunnan, to woodchip and corn pellets in rural Beijing and air-conditioning using just salt and water in Hangzhou and Shenzhen—could be even more significant as examples of how to achieve a low-carbon economy and society for China and the world. This report follows a 2007 NESTA report that profiled eight disruptive low-carbon innovators from the U.K., and explores the particular importance of this type of innovation to China with seven case studies. These are the Chinese “Game-Changers,” each of which has developed a low-carbon innovation that has the potential to make a significant contribution to emissions reductions and the move to a low-carbon society.

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Topics: 
Business
Economy
Environment
Keywords: 
Environment
Carbon
Pollution
Innovation
Organization: 
Nesta