You go first... no you go first! One might imagine this kind of bickering taking place near the swings during recess, but at a gathering of world leaders? According to PBS's Thirteen/WNET, that is exactly what is happening at this year's G8 discussions. China and India say it is up to the developed world — the biggest polluters — to take the lead in the fight against climate change. But President Bush has said that......

Doomsayers over at Slate examine the myriad of potential disasters that could derail the Beijing Olympics, calling it the "Summer Olympics Disaster Guide". Pollution (no surprise here) and visa restrictions rank the highest with a 90% possibility while the unrest in Tibet and algae plaguing Qingdao’s waters come in a close second. But for us, the threat of a locust invasion entering Beijing from Duolun County in Inner Mongolia is hair-raising. According to local officials,......

A thick layer of mutant seaweed has bloomed over vast stretches of the 500-mile coastline of the Qingdao Bao, an Olympic sailing venue. As the algae can only be removed manually, the city has already mobilised 1,000 fishing boats and 3,000 people to haul in algae by the boatloads. Qingdao (青岛) which literally means "green island" is prone to summer algae infestations this time of the year, but apparently this is the worst the city......

This latest video from China's Green Beat takes a look at the waste that results from excessive packaging in food, the associated cultural reasons that come along with it and how we can do our part to solve the problem.......

For those with little money and fewer scruples, a new business is taking off in town — wedding venue scalping. With this being the popular marriage year of the Olympics and lucky number 8, demand for reception spaces has been at an unprecedented high throughout the city, forcing many to contact the new wedding banquet resale moguls who reserve spaces in advance and charge desperate couples a fee to use them.A Hong-Kong based human......

A few kilometers northeast of Shanghai, developers have been dreaming of a 400,000-citizen sister city. Rapid development is nothing new in China, as this recent cement-production graph shows. And, as the global community is more and more quick to point out, all those new factories, highways and residences do considerable damage to the whole world’s environment. But this new city comes with a catch — it will be powered entirely by renewable energy. Ten wind......

China releases 1,157 involved in Tibet unrest [Channel NewsAsia] “BEIJING - China has released a total of 1,157 people who were involved in riots in the Tibetan capital Lhasa in March, the official Xinhua news agency reported Friday, quoting a senior Tibetan official.”Opening the flood gates: airlines allowed to fly between China and Taiwan [flightglobal.com] “In a long-awaited political breakthrough, Chinese and Taiwanese carriers will receive a much needed boost with the launch early next......

Are Beijing's anti-pollution efforts paying off? Just yesterday Xinhua published a highly optimistic article on conditions in Beijing 50 days before the Olympics. According to Xinhua, Beijing's skies are peachy-keen: The number of "blue sky" days was 12 more than the same period last year, according to the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau. It was a clear sign that years of anti-pollution efforts by the Olympic host city continue to pay off, said Du Shaozhong,......

Effective today, China will raise gasoline and diesel fuel prices 16 percent and 18 percent, respectively, news that sent global oil prices down nearly US$5 a barrel. Electricity prices are also expected to rise sharply. Reuters offers a poorly displayed chart that shows China's domestic gasoline prices, fixed since November 1, have climbed 95 percent and diesel prices have more than doubled since 2003. Retail fuel prices in China are expected to increase to $3.05......

Last week Shanghai saw the introduction of ">handy tri-colored boxes in communication stores throughout the city to be used to recycle or properly dispose of cell phones. The initiative could make a huge impact in helping the city's environment: Shanghai Mobile reports 3.2 million phones are trashed in the city each year. The local trend may be indicative of a nation-wide movement. During his recent visit to China, Samsung CEO Lee Yoon-Woo announced the company’s......

Photo taken behind Duolun Lu by Slow Boat to China Sichuan earthquake AP: China holds funeral for panda killed by earthquake IHT: Flooding completes the doom of Chinese town below 'quake lake' Xinhua: China's main quake lake shrinks as drainage speeds up The Press Association: China says quake lake alert is over The environment AFP: China consuming twice what its ecosystems can supply: WWF The Age: China's 'footprint' a global concern AP: Report says......

China's new ban on plastic bags came into force on Saturday, June 1, but as Gerald Tan of Al-Jazeera finds out, the ban is not without its social cost. The Huaqing Plastic Factory, what used to be China's largest plastic bag manufacturer has closed its doors weeks after the ban was announced in January, and with that, 20,000 people lost their jobs.......

As we told you earlier, there had been very real fears that the Zipingba Dam, 6 miles upstream from the devastated city of Dujiangyan, was displaying "extremely dangerous" cracks. The People's Daily is now reporting that the dam is "structurally stable and safe" following a full inspection. "The conclusion was reached after a panel of experts, led by Jiao Yong, Vice Minister of Water Resources, rushed to the site and made a thorough inspection of......

Photo by gregoryperez Share with us how you see Shanghai, or China! Post your photos on Flickr, tag them with "shanghaiist", and we'll select one favorite image per day. Or you can simply email your photos to photos at shanghaiist.com.......

Photo by Sabershadezero After a long and sometimes chaotic winter, the recent heatwave has been much celebrated around the city. Outdoor dining is back, the windows are open, and the locals are sporting this season's hottest pajama fashion. But with all the good weather there's a silver lining or, perhaps more accurately, a poisonous death haze. This is that magical time of year where all the tiny particles in the air heat up and......

By Benjamin Cohen Don't wait until the 2010 Expo for your "Better City, Better Life." Shanghaiist's recommended events are here for you today. Wednesday, April 23rd If you haven't yet heard, the Shanghai Expat Wednesday Night Mixer is held Weekly on the 3rd floor of Malone's. Most drinks are 25rmb. This chance to meet new people and reconnect with old friends lasts from 9pm to midnight. 255 Tong Ren Rd, between Nanjing Rd and Beijing......

Having recently trumped the US as the world's number one carbon emitter, China has a long way to go to be considered an environmental role model. But today, on Earth Day, we have high hopes for clear skies ahead. Cough, cough. Photo of Reuse.bag by Juliette McCawley Shanghai Daily recently reported of the city's ambition to be a national model environmental city before World Expo 2010. And thanks to the impending Olympics, Beijing is trying......

France24 uncovers a heavily-polluted town called Xiditou 300km southeast of Beijing, where lead levels in the water are 300 times the recommended safe amounts. This is one of dozens of "cancer villages" around China, and a whopping 10% of the population have died so far. Even that stray dog towards the end of clip looks so sick. Yikes.......

Taken by Jakob Monstrasio while driving from Wuxi to Shanghai in January 2008 Share with us how you see Shanghai, or China! Post your photos on Flickr, tag them with "shanghaiist", and we'll select one favorite image per day. Or you can simply email your photos to photos at shanghaiist.com.......

Current TV's Sherif Soliman travels along the Three Gorges Dam Reservoir and does a commendable job of describing how life has changed for the 1.5 million people that were displaced by the project, which some experts have described as an environmental disaster in the making. We find in Soliman's observation that "nothing will get in the way of China's one-way ticket to modernisation" an eery echo of some of the statements that were made in......

From Al-Jazeera:The UN has said that emerging economies face challenge in achieving growth without damaging the environment. Tony Cheng reports on Chinese factory workers in Henan province, paying a high price for the country's push to go green.......

A Saturday time-waster brought to you by The Onion Especially quote-worthy:"The labour of the people has made the sky black with the smoke of progress." "The sky over China is now a rainbow of grace reflecting all the shades of our prosperity." "If pollution ruins a river, we will build a new river. If pollution destroys a mountain, we will build a new mountain. At long last, the world cannot ignore our growing prosperity." Just......

Haile Gebreselassie, Justine Henin and Andy Roddick Although there had been some speculation for quite some time, Ethiopian marathoner and double Olympic gold medalist in the 10,000 meters race, Haile Gabreselassie announced that he won't might be forced to might not participate in the marathon at the Beijing Olympics, due to his asthma. He'll still make the trip to Beijing to compete in his best event, the 10,000 meters race. The 10,000 meters race......

During his discussion with Kerry Brown and Duncan Hewitt at the recently held Shanghai International Literary Festival, Paul French quoted British environmentalist Jonathon Porritt as saying that "the biggest problem with the environment in China is that nobody in China could care less about it". China's environmental woes are well-documented and, despite attempts to convince the world otherwise, the country is still rarely seen as a leader on environmental protection. Having twenty of the world's......

China commentary just took a new turn … well several twists and turns, followed by a rapid descent into a mind-bending ideological vortex. Confused? That’s the point. No, really. That’s the point behind Sp!ked Magazine’s campaign against China-bashing in the media. The campaign became high profile across the British media following editor Brendan O’Neill’s article And the gold medal for China bashing goes to … Since then he has recently weighed in on Bjork’s Shanghai......

The free admission that began this week was such a great success at the Shanghai Museum that officials have now limited the maximum number of visitors to 5,000 at any time. The other three museums included in the trial also reported a spike in visitor numbers.Xunlei, the Chinese P2P service that is currently being sued by the Hollywood-based Motion Picture Association for US$1 million has said that the Shanghai court was not the appropriate place......

Photo by Peijin Chen Sexually transmitted diseases on the rise Reuters: China reports rise in sexually transmitted diseases Independent: China admits that cases of HIV/Aids have risen 45 per cent AFP: China launches first anti-AIDS drive for gay men: state media Religion AP: China Official Explains Religion Policy The Hindu: China for conditional constructive dialogue with Vatican Christian Today: Miliband should raise religious freedom in China visit – CSW The environment Reuters: Top China......

The Yangtze River just can't seem to cut a break these days. Earlier this year we reported that the river was in its death throes and now it's being hit by droughts. This week the Yangtze River hit a 142-year record low, a plight expected to have some serious environmental and economic repercussion, particularly in our humble delta region. The situation is looking rather grim for the wildlife in the region. Guardian correspondent Jonathan Watts......

Yesterday, we were tipped off on our Contribute page that an anti-maglev protest was going to take place today 2pm at People's Square. Apparently that has been derailed by the police. From Reuters:Police in China's financial hub of Shanghai detained scores of people on Saturday after hundreds showed up to protest a planned extension of the city's magnetic levitation train, or "maglev", worried it would emit radiation. Police bundled demonstrators who had gathered in front......

This is Al-Jazeera's take on the new nationwide ban on plastic bags that begins June 1 this year. Apparently, Australia now also follows China's lead to ban plastic bags. Time to take your own bags when you go grocery shopping guys! Remember, you're helping China to save 37 million barrels of oil each year. Related links CCTV: Supermarkets make plans to take the place of plastic bags [Video] Shanghai Daily: Days are numbered for free......