Cooking, pollution linked to high blood pressure in China
Women in China who are exposed to pollution from cookstoves and highways face a greater risk of high blood pressure, researchers said Monday.
Environmental news and related issues
China
Tide turns for shark fin in China
A sprawling market floor in Guangzhou was once a prime location for shark fin, one of China's most expensive delicacies. But now it lies deserted, thanks to a ban from official banquet tables and a celebrity-driven ad campaign.
12 Chinese jailed for illegal fishing in Philippines
Twelve Chinese fishermen were handed long prison terms on Tuesday for illegal fishing in the Philippines after their ship ran aground on a World Heritage-listed coral reef, a court official said.
Beijing shuts large coal power plant to curb smog
Beijing on Wednesday closed the first of four large coal-fired power plants that are set to be shut down as part of efforts to curb its choking air pollution, media reported.
China to scrap purchase tax on electric vehicles
China will exempt electric cars and other types of "new energy" vehicles from purchase tax, the government said, as it seeks to reduce pollution and conserve resources.
IBM to work to curb China pollution
IBM said Monday it had signed an agreement to help curb pollution in China, starting with the dangerous smog that afflicts Beijing.
China arms itself for difficult ‘war on pollution’
Having declared "war on pollution", China is arming itself with tougher weapons from new courts to daily fines and shutting down offenders altogether, in what analysts call promising steps but no guarantee of progress.
China sets up specialised pollution tribunal
China's Supreme Court has set up a special tribunal to deal with environmental cases, it said Thursday as Beijing pushes a green agenda with public discontent over pollution rising.
Pollution blamed for drop in Beijing tourism: Xinhua
The number of overseas tourists visiting China's capital fell by 10 percent last year compared to 2012, state media reported, with air pollution blamed for the decline.
China animal protectors at cross-porpoises
China's river porpoises are rarer than pandas, but fishermen fighting to save them have been snared by a net of blackmail allegations, highlighting uncertainties faced by the country's emerging environmentalists.
China pollution arrests rise as Beijing pushes green agenda
China arrested more people last year for environmental offences than in the previous 10 combined, state media said Thursday, as Beijing strives to produce results after a much-vaunted pollution crackdown.
Carbon: China hopes peak will come ‘as early as possible’
China hopes its emissions of greenhouse gases will peak "as early as possible" but its experts differ as to when it will happen, its chief negotiator at UN climate talks said Thursday.
China glaciers shrink 15 percent in warming: Xinhua
China's glaciers have shrunk by thousands of square kilometres over the past 30 years as a result of climate change, state-run media reported Wednesday.
Hong Kong begins destroying huge ivory haul
Hong Kong on Thursday began destroying nearly 30 tonnes of ivory seized from smugglers in the world's largest such operation, a major step in the fight against the illegal trade in elephant tusks.
UN chief to discuss climate change in China
UN chief Ban Ki-moon will leave for China at the end of the week to discuss the nation's role in combating climate change.
China demand for luxury furniture ‘decimating rosewood’
unaway Chinese demand for luxury furniture is spurring illegal logging across Southeast Asia, stripping the region of precious Siamese rosewood and driving a chain of cross-border corruption and violence, environmentalists said Monday.
India admits ‘Delhi as polluted as Beijing’
India's state air monitoring centre made a rare admission Thursday that pollution in New Delhi was comparable with Beijing, but disputed a WHO finding that the Indian capital had the dirtiest atmosphere in the world.
China toughens environment law to target polluters
China on Thursday passed the first amendment to its environment protection law in 25 years, imposing tougher penalties on polluters after the government called for a "war" on pollution.
Carmakers promise Chinese drivers a breath of fresh air
Air that's cleaner inside your car than on the outside -- in smog-weary China it's an attractive sales pitch, and the world's biggest automakers are racing to cash in.