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Both HERE and on the Asia Solutions Page, EARTH FACTOR
will be updating new educational materials relevant to our
environmental awareness Series.
THIS IS YOUR PLACE for updates and background material.
June 12, 2010
Our colleage Michael Zhao offers the following. See also Zee Zee Zhong on our Asia Solutions page.
China Green has uploaded a new video from China, courtesy of photojournalist Jonah Kessel.
This provides more on Shanghai's Roots and Shoots, a branch of the Goodall's institute. Focuses on their ambition to fight desertification in Inner Mongolia by planting a million trees.
http://sites.asiasociety.org/chinagreen/vanishing-grasslands/
March 22 2010 - During our shoot in Shanghai, environmentalist Alexander Bisagni proved a great help as adviser. Bisagni has now launched his own 'green building' enterprise called BEE.
See: http://www.bonlive.com/11/62/2034-green-buildings-part-1.shtml
For Facebook users we recommend you become a fan of
http://www.facebook.com/advertising/?pages#!/environmentaleducationmediaproject?ref=mf
The Environmental Education Media Project
See also
http://eempc.org/
Join also the efforts of The Environmental Media Association
http://www.ema-online.org/
The EMA believes that through television, film and music, the entertainment community has the power to influence the environmental awareness of millions of people. This initial concept set the stage for EMA's 1989 launch.
Other resources
Viewer Nindhi Singh in Mumbai recommends in India
www.indigreen.co.in
A viewer from San Francisco on MAKING A DIFFERENCE offers the following on line connections:
An international group based in DC, working on forest conservationhttp://www.forest-trends.org/ A networking society of thought leaders in market mechanisms and incentives for conservationhttp://www.katoombagroup.org/ And www.investinnature.blogspot.com
Adam Davis | President | Solano Partners, Inc., San Francisco
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For many the 6-18 December 2009 United Nations Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen was a disappointment.
Still for projects like EARTH FACTOR ASIA, the forum provided an opportunity to build information resources and re-dedicate efforts at environmental awareness.
On this page are some educational resources relevant to our video series and to the reaction and 'fall out' in ASIA of the summit.
The official UN Copenhagen Summit website = http://en.cop15.dk/
A good summary of the Copenhagen results may be found at
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8422307.stm
ASIAN PERSPECTIVES
IS China - constructive or destructive on emissions control??
China reiterates goals for curbing climate change
Fri Jan 29, 2010
* China to "endeavour" to limit CO2 per unit of GDP
* Shift from fossil fuels, plant trees
By Krittivas Mukherjee
NEW DELHI, Jan 29 (Reuters) - China has reiterated a goal of slowing the rise of its greenhouse gases by 2020 as part of pledges due by Jan. 31 under a "Copenhagen Accord" for combating climate change, an official letter showed on Friday.
The letter, dated Jan. 28, said China "will endeavour to lower its carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by 40 to 45 percent by 2020 compared to the 2005 level". That would let emissions keep rising, but less quickly than economic growth.
A copy of the letter was obtained by Reuters in New Delhi. China, India, South Africa and Brazil met in the Indian capital on Jan. 24 and expressed support for the Copenhagen Accord, while urging donors to keep promises of aid.
China would also try to "increase the share of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption to around 15 percent by 2020 and increase forest coverage by 40 million hectares and forest stock volume by 1.3 billion cubic metres by 2020 from the 2005 levels", the letter said.
The goals were in line with targets set by Beijing last year before the Copenhagen conference
What about renewable energy in China - THE BUSINESS OF GREEN?
China's green tech revolution
Leonora Walet, Asia Green Investment Correspondent - Analysis
Fri Jan 29, 2010
HONG KONG (Reuters) - Targeting mainland China with his energy-saving
inventions, Peter Fung and executives like him have their eye on the
hottest competitive advantage around: an ambitious government with
deep pockets.
"State support is the thing that drives companies like us to seek our
luck in China," said Fung, a Hong Kong-based investment banker turned
entrepreneur as he extolled the virtues of his company's air
conditioner-cum-water heater, which promises energy savings to the
more than 1.3 billion people who endure China's long, fierce winters
and harsh summers.
Looking to capitalize on the billions the government is pouring into
green technologies, low production costs and an easy attitude to
regulation, he is just one of thousands who are helping drive China
toward its ambition as the clean tech factory to the world.
Tao Wang, a climate policy expert with WWF China, said the country
would this year develop its next five-year development plan to run
from the start of 2011: this is likely to contain new steps to boost
alternative energy.
Fung, who is executive director at Coolpoint Energy Ltd, hopes to pick
up some of the country's financial support through a manufacturing
partnership with Chinese firms.
But far more significant in terms of China's aims at the moment is its
ability to produce cheap solar and wind equipment.
"China is practically throwing money at the sector," said Fung. "I
won't surprised if it eventually becomes the biggest clean-tech
producer."
***
The front page of the Hong Kong South China SUNDAY MORNING POST December 20, 2009 headlines:
"A beginning or a suicide pact? Climate Deal Divides."
The Post writes with a report from Shi Jiangtao in Beijing - "The UN chief called it "an important beginning". But a leading Chinese climate-change researcher saw 'a desperate decision to avoid complete collapse." And the chief negotiator for 130 developing nations including China, said: "It is asking Africa to sign a suicide pact."
The Global climate summit avoided the ignominy of failure, but the weak political statement brokered by the US, China, India, Brazil and South Africa that the gathering agreed to accept left few people celebrating.
The agreement contains a commitment to limit global warming to two degrees Celsius, but it is not binding on any nation."
Before the Summit, much attention was focused on China's new commitments to slowing carbon emissions. See BBC WORLD NEWS
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8380106.stm
VIDEO report on China's commitment from BBC 26 November 2009
http://www.youtube.com/user/jimlaurie1#p/u/12/1eK68JnsVug
Other articles of interest before the summit's conclusion:
See: The Guardian Newspaper. Jonathan Watts is their Environmental Affairs reporter based in Beijing and a friend of EARTH FACTOR ASIA.
See: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/nov/26/china-targets-cut-carbon-footprint
Also Isabel Hilton's commentary on China's pledge
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/nov/26/copenhagen-china-us-climate-change
Concerned about our GLACIERS in the Asia region? Michael ZHAO 赵云峰 in association with the Asia Society offers these resources.
A Flash interactive Mt Everest slider to see the glacier then and now.
http://blog.michaelzhao.net/?p=130
latest video from the Tibetan Plateau:
http://michaelzhao.net/embed/
AND SEE OUR RIVERS show - Episode 3 EARTH FACTOR ASIA.
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Earth Factor Asia provides educational and teaching materials on Environmental and Asian Studies for Universities and Secondary schools around the world. We have an affiliation with the University of Hong Kong. At the completion of the TV series, Earth Factor Asia will be packaged with DVD and printed materials for international distribution. More details on this opportunity will be posted here soon.
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