Save The Environment: Eat Less Meat

I'm not really sure where they were coming from when they declared that people should eat less meat. I suppose it makes sense, to a degree, but a single cow isn't as bad as a car all around. Cows don't use fossil fuels to move, nor do their emissions go on for the duration of a car's 'lifespan' (in as much as a car is alive), and, well, no.

Yes, it is probably healthier to eat less meat. But I'm not sure if they actually believe they'll reach the masses by saying this in a conference.

But... kudos for trying.

Stripping at Funerals, a new trend?

So, this has nothing to do with the environment, but it's really funny.

Apparently a Taiwanese guy hired a stripper for his dad's funeral. I'd say more, but that's about all the article says. It's got absolutely nothing to do with the environment, but I stumbled across it, and decided it was giggle worthy.

Of course, that article led me to this article. Apparently there was a spree of strippers at funerals to boost attendance? This is pretty amazing. My night just got a lot funnier.

Earth Hour & China

In what is apparently a worldwide movement, people around the globe are shutting off their lights and various other electronics for an hour tonight.

Well, while that's all fine and dandy, and sounds, honestly, a little bit silly, apparently even China plans to be involved. And really, if China is involved, it officially becomes a little bit cooler. Because China doesn't seem to really give a damn.

So... ... we'll see how it goes and what actually happens.

The Taihu Lake Crisis

Before even reading the article, I was curious about where Taihu Lake was. I'm still not very clear, but a page from an online tour guide seemed to explain it vaguely well. But then google maps solved the mystery.

It sounds like the government (of this area at least) is cracking down on industry. And some industry is actually trying to improve. Hopefully this will lead to actual improvement rather than a crash of industry in favor of less expensive industries. (Wow, that doesn't make a whole lot of sense...)

Anyway, it's good to see that there's improvement being attempted.

Solar Energy Firms Leave Waste Behind in China

With an entirely ironic article, the Washington Post has written about the pollution caused by solar energy firms in China.

To sum it up: "Green" industry in China is responsible of blatant pollution. Instead of dealing with the highly toxic byproducts of the silicon used in Solar Panels, they're just dumping it on the ground in the nearby town. It's dangerous to humans, prevents plants from growing, and is just some really nasty stuff.

"Shi, chief executive of Pro-EnerTech, a start-up polysilicon research firm in Shanghai, said that there's such a severe shortage of polysilicon that the government is willing to overlook this issue for now." (page 2). That's just wrong. The government (and the people) should be doing something about it.

"Made from the Earth's most abundant substance -- sand -- polysilicon is tricky to manufacture. It requires huge amounts of energy, and even a small misstep in the production can introduce impurities and ruin an entire batch. The other main challenge is dealing with the waste. For each ton of polysilicon produced, the process generates at least four tons of silicon tetrachloride liquid waste." (page 2) That means that 80% of their production is hazardous waste, and they're not disposing of it safely. EIGHTY PERCENT of what they create is thrown out into the environment to kill plants and sicken people.

Instead of whining about how they can't go outside because of the pollution, they need to do something about it. The people in China collectively outnumber their governmental officials. They can force the government's hand.

China's Hottest New Export: Storms of Deadly Pollution

In this article from the UK Guardian as well as one from Environmental Graffiti, we discover that dust storms in China pollute Korea.

Interesting. How does this work?

Dust storms start in the Gobi Desert, pick up pollutants on their way East, and cross the Yellow Sea to Korea. Poor Korea, they don't even get to kill themselves, the Chinese are already making sure they die of poison.

"Though the storms have been occurring for many years, they have increased in both toxicity and frequency in recent years. Some have blamed this on global warming effects, but a more likely explanation is China’s rise as an economic and industrial powerhouse." (environmentalgraffiti.com)

It's apparently responsible for the deaths of about 165 Koreans per year. Ironically, the same winds which sent these storms East to Korea have apparently cleared up the air around Beijing.

No More Plastic Bags?

Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiits News Article Time kids! Today's article is a feature about the plastic bags in China! (ZOMG! I think Ari might be rubbing off on me in a bad way... or else it's just the fact that it's 1:21 am...) It relates to the last article I posted about Factories closing in general.

China's Biggest Plastic Bag Maker Closes After Ban

There were, of course, a half dozen articles about this "shocking" news. I don't really see how it's shocking though. I suppose the surprise is more rooted in the fact that China is doing something than the fact that it's a factory closing when its product is banned.

I'm not sure what it is, particularly about these "ultra-thin" bags (which are referred to in one of the articles as the source of a company closure) that makes them bad. Is it that the processing makes them non-recyclable or is particularly harsh on the environment via chemicals? Because it would seem that "ultra-thin" means "less plastic per bag" which would be a good thing, wouldn't it? Because less plastic per bag means that there's more product for less resource.

I suppose it's probably the chemical thing, though these articles don't actually clarify. Darn it. But it is apparently, a worldwide issue. Hmm... I shall have to look into this.

Factory Migration

The Wall Street Journal: Factories Closing in Southern China

Cracking down on environmental and labor issues is forcing factories to close down. Admittedly, what you get from the Wall Street Journal is going to be financially focused, but it is in there. What are the long term consequences going to be?

Is the pollution going to spread elsewhere, or will it genuinely get better? What about the price of goods? I'm curious to see.

No More Disposable Chopsticks?

What with SAGA suddenly switching over to "asian" dishes which include disposable bamboo chopsticks, I found this particularly entertaining. If a cafeteria that's trying to go "green" can't even keep up with China... we're not in good shape.

NPR: Bring Your Own Chopsticks to China

Also, though I'm not particularly experienced with wood, I've always been under the impression that even these "quickly regenerating" sorts of trees that they speak of don't grow back that fast, and I doubt that they're replanting at the same pace as they're cutting them down.

I didn't realize China had much forest left though... I hear more about the South American rainforests being chopped down for cows than any trees in China. Hmm... interesting.

Moving along, I happened to be looking around at the rest of this site, and I spotted a "featured blog" called The Carrot Revolution. Lo and behold, the latest post features Mao. While not precisely environmental, it is entertaining.