In 2009, the Ministry of House and Urban-Rural Development conducted a survey of 4000 city water supply plants to gauge if they were meeting national standards for water quality and safety. The results were never released to the public. The number of failed plants was thought to be about 25%. Recently, sources close to the governmental department responsible for the survey are saying that the actual number is closer to 50% more ›

The image is a satellite map from Cross Currents: East Asian History and Culture Review that pinpoints a series of garbage dumps that encircle the city of Beijing, in what's been affectionately dubbed the '7th Ring' by photographer Wang Jiuliang. more ›

Yunnan has been hit by drought for three consecutive years. 6.31 million people are facing water shortages, with over 2 million facing difficulties in obtaining water and more than 5.5 million hectares of fields affected. Local governments are desperate to cope with the disaster, but there is still no sign of relief. more ›

Hu Siyi (胡四一), Vice Minister of China's Water Resource Ministry, said Chinese water resources per capita is only 28% of the world average, during a press conference hosted by the State Council's Information Office. more ›

In an interview with the Chinese Economic Weekly, Kan Haidong, a professor of Fudan University and the only Chinese academic to have contributed to the World Health Organisation's Global Burden of Disease research also said that the scientific jury is still out on the hourly readings published by the US Embassy in Beijing. more ›

A new study released at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland claims that India now has the worst air pollution in the world, besting traditional crazybad air champion China, as well as Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh. more ›

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Mr Shangguan Junle, the chairman of Haomen Jipin Restaurants, wrote on the Twitter-like Sina Weibo last week that he had decided to stop serving shark's fin from the beginning of this year to 'protect sharks and the environment'. But the 34-year-old entrepreneur felt it would be too wasteful to throw away his remaining stock. more ›

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Jonathan Watts, Asia environment correspondent for The Guardian, spent the weekend at an auction in Beijing attended by well-heeled buyers ready to pay top dollar for spirits and tonics with tiger, rhino horn and pangolin ingredients. Watts watched silently at first, but eventually decided to reveal he was a journalist so he could ask staff about the illegality of the stuff on sale. Here's what happened: more ›

Wow. If this can happen in Taiwan, what are the chances that it'll happen in China too? more ›

A 46-page report from the IPE shows the results of five months of research and field investigations on pollution emission from Apple's factories, revealing that the company has been seriously encroaching on local communities and their surrounding environments. more ›

Greenpeace Asia says rainforests in Hainan have been disappearing at the alarming rate of about 200,000 square metres every day over the last decade due to illegal logging and the growth of new plantations. That's led to a precipitous decline in the natural habitat of the Hainan Gibbon, and the situation is so bad now that there are just 23 of them left in the wild. more ›

There's hope for the 16-25 million trees China fells to produce the 45 billion pairs of disposable chopsticks used across the country each year. Shaanxi has become the first province to ban disposable chopsticks and the new regulations kick in Dec 1. That's just another three days from now. more ›

More on his fascinating story here. more ›

Our favorite roadshow philanthropist is at it again! Billionaire and rogue disaster relief respondent Chen Guangbiao (陈光标) made headlines again this week when he mercilessly bashed a perfectly good Mercedes-Benz to smithereens with a giant robotic arm, all in the name of the environment! more ›

Now that China has become the world's largest car market, Chinese government officials pursuing quality instead of quantity to make the next great leap forward. more ›

In his latest blogpost, Jonathan Watts, The Guardian's Asia environment correspondent, shares with us three startling figures:

First, the number of cars on the planet has just passed the billion mark. Second, almost half of the new growth is in China. Third, Toyota managed to sell only one Prius in China last year. That's right. The world's most commercially successful hybrid car has found only one buyer in the fastest growing market. SUV sales, by contrast, are surging.

You'd think that after the Dalian oil spill last year, the government would be better prepared to deal with an oil spill. Nope! They're even copying American techniques on avoiding responsibility. more ›

Last Saturday, April 16, the Eco Design Fair showed up at its new digs in the Waterhouse at Cool Docks on the South Bund. Since 2008, the fair has showcased eco-conscious designers and products. The participating stalls ranged from bakers to bikes, computers to clothes and featured everything in between. Throughout the day there were multiple events including live music performances, a farmers market as well as eco fashion shows and even a "green wedding" feature. more ›

“Sandstorms can actually be called ‘coal dust storms’,” said Greenpeace Climate and Energy Campaigner Dr. Sun Qingwei. “Coal ash is a very tiny and light particle, easily picked up by wind. Winds traveling at 8 meters per second can already disperse coal ash up to 150,000 square kilometers from their origins in open-air dumping sites. And winds in a sandstorm are even stronger, with speeds of at least 25 meters per second - thus they can spread coal ash much farther. This means that even people who live far from thermal power plants in eastern and southern China must face the threat of coal pollution at their doorstep.”

Thought the state-abetted tree-cutting was just a Nanjing problem? Well, now, it's come to Shanghai too, and for the same reason. more ›

For any of you who don't know already, local television currently provides Shanghai residents with something called a "Laundry Index" - a rating system letting you know whether to hang out your laundry (and providing one of the world's only official excuses not to do laundry!) Coming this summer, supplementing that brilliant trend will be the Shanghai Air Conditioner Index, a rating system saving you the trouble of asking yourself this question: "Do I feel physically uncomfortable enough to turn my air conditioner on/off/up/down?" more ›

In many countries, it is a crime to chop off an old tree, but in Nanjing, it's the government that seems to be abetting the tree-felling. more ›

Now here's a documentary that we hope will make its way to a DVD store near us soon. The Warriors of Qiugang is 39 minute film that received an Oscar nomination for documentary short. The synopsis from the official website: more ›

A recent study of Mexico City's air pollution found that, because of all the gross stuff in the air, 55 middle class children there were developing brain lesions like those found in patients with dementia. Considering the well documented decline in air quality since Expo ended, what does this study mean for us here in Shanghai? more ›

With last weekend being as crazy as it was; Halloween parties, Pride parties, Party parties and Closing parties (or lack thereof), you wouldn’t be blamed for thinking that there couldn’t possibly be anything else left to do. Well luckily for you, there is! Here are our favourite picks for the weekend, but, if it’s not enough to satisfy your needs then head on over to our Midweek Music Preview and our calendar for even more top notch events in Shanghai. more ›

Ignoring the shortcomings of Dongtan and other failed attempts at an eco-friendly settlement, China is forging ahead to create another "green city" in the north. This time, with financial assistance from the Singapore government, developers insist the project will succeed. more ›

Alas, we apparently weren't rich enough to get on the guest list for China's first "Private and Business Jet Expo" ever, held over the weekend in Hongqiao airport, since we just found out about it now. People who could schmooze their ways in were treated to private jet aircrafts displays, demonstration flights and exhibition pavilions, as well as some measure of controversy. It seems that private jets have yet to be added to the list of Chinese goods under the "luxury tax," turning private aviation pollution "into a legal vacuum where no related department is involved in" - an especially sensitive issue considering both the rising wealth gap and China's growing environmental concerns. more ›