China Environ Prot (EP) Industry, Technology, Solid Waste Mgt, Liquid Treat: News & Discussions

[JSCh]

PUBLIC RELEASE: 19-JUL-2018
The puzzling problems of urban particle formation
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE

Researchers who studied the heavily polluted air of Shanghai, China, between 2014 and 2016 report the chemical conditions that led to the surprising formation of new particles in the city's atmosphere, particles that likely worsened regional air quality. The study reveals new insights into the puzzling process of new particle formation (NPF) in urban environments, where such particulates are not expected to form as readily as in cleaner air. NPF is a global phenomenon that greatly contributes to the concentration of atmospheric aerosol particles, which in turn affects local air quality as well as regional and perhaps even global climate. Previous research has suggested that NPF is extremely sensitive, occurring only under specific atmospheric conditions and requiring clean air, free from large numbers of pre-existing aerosols, which tend to suppress the new particle formation process. However, recent observations reveal substantial rates of NPF occurring in some heavily-polluted megacities, despite the heavy loads of ambient particles there, contradicting these understandings. To better understand this discrepancy, Lai Yao et al. performed long-term observations of NPF events in Shanghai, China, between March 2014 and February 2016. Using a variety of instruments, which measured atmospheric chemistry and the molecular priorities of newly formed aerosols, NPF events were recorded in two surveys during this time period. The two datasets revealed the chemical and physical mechanisms behind the observed events and suggest that the formation of secondary aerosols likely occurs through the sulfuric acid-dimethtlamine-water (H2SO4-DMA-H2O) nucleation - a conclusion largely supported by experimental laboratory studies. The authors suggest that the large atmospheric NPF events observed in China are the result of the large emissions of precursor gases, like sulfur dioxide, ammonia, and other volatile organic compounds, and that reductions in the emission of these compounds are crucial to reducing the formation of secondary aerosols.


The puzzling problems of urban particle formation | EurekAlert! Science News

Lei Yao, Olga Garmash, Federico Bianchi, Jun Zheng, Chao Yan, Jenni Kontkanen, Heikki Junninen, Stephany Buenrostro Mazon, Mikael Eh,n Pauli Paasonen, Mikko Sipilä, Mingyi Wang, Xinke Wang, Shan Xiao, Hangfei Chen, Yiqun Lu, Bowen Zhang, Dongfang Wang, Qingyan Fu, Fuhai Geng, Li Li, Hongli Wang, Liping Qiao, Xin Yang, Jianmin Chen, Veli-Matti Kerminen, Tuukka Petäjä, Douglas R. Worsnop, Markku Kulmala, Lin Wang. Atmospheric new particle formation from sulfuric acid and amines in a Chinese megacity. Science (2018). DOI: 10.1126/science.aao4839​

 

[JSCh]

Turning desert green
chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2018-07-23 15:23

The use of degradable material by sand barrier technology is helping transform hundreds of acres of Inner Mongolia's Kubuqi Desert into green landscape in an environment-friendly way. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

 

[JSCh]

July 18, 2018
Atlantic Ocean circulation is not collapsing – but as it shifts gears, global warming will reaccelerate
Hannah Hickey
UW News

A huge circulation pattern in the Atlantic Ocean took a starring role in the 2004 movie “The Day After Tomorrow.” In that fictional tale the global oceanic current suddenly stops and New York City freezes over.

While many aspects of the movie are unrealistic, oceanographers are concerned about the long-term stability of the Atlantic Ocean circulation, and previous studies show that it has slowed dramatically in the past decade. New research from the University of Washington and the Ocean University of China finds the slowdown is not caused by global warming but is part of regular, decades-long cycle that will affect temperatures in coming decades.

​

In the Atlantic Ocean’s part of the global ocean circulation, warmer water travels north at the surface, then sinks in the far northern part of the North Atlantic and travels back deep below the surface.NOAA

The paper was published July 18 in Nature.

“Climate scientists have expected the Atlantic overturning circulation to decline long-term under global warming, but we only have direct measurements of its strength since April 2004. And the decline measured since then is 10 times larger than expected,” said corresponding author Ka-Kit Tung, a UW professor of applied mathematics with an adjunct appointment in atmospheric sciences.

“Many have focused on the fact that it’s declining very rapidly, and that if the trend continues it will go past a tipping point, bringing a catastrophe such as an ice age. It turns out that none of that is going to happen in the near future. The fast response may instead be part of a natural cycle and there are signs that the decline is already ending.”

The results have implications for surface warming. The current’s speed determines how much surface heat gets transferred to the deeper ocean, and a quicker circulation would send more heat to the deep Atlantic. If the current slows down, then it will store less heat, and Earth will be likely to see air temperatures rise more quickly than the rate since 2000.

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The top panel shows global average surface temperature changes since 1950, with two periods of slower change and a period of rapid warming from 1975 to 2000. The lower panels show the strength of the Atlantic overturning circulation. The blue (and, on the right, purple) curve is the salinity north of 45N, an indirect measure, or proxy, for the AMOC strength. The green curve is an established proxy of AMOC.Ka-Kit Tung/University of Washington

“The global climate models can project what’s going to happen long-term if carbon dioxide increases by a certain amount, but they currently lack the capability to predict surface warming in the next few decades, which requires a knowledge of how much the excess heat trapped by greenhouse gases is being absorbed by the oceans,” Tung said.

The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or AMOC, is a conveyor belt that brings surface water northward in the Atlantic; from there, the heavier salty water sinks and returns at depth from the Labrador and Nordic seas, near the North Pole, all the way south to the Southern Ocean. Most people are interested in what happens at the surface — the Gulf Stream and associated Atlantic currents carry warmer water north, bringing mild temperatures to Western Europe.

But the new paper argues that the most important step, from a climate perspective, is what happens next. In the North Atlantic, the saltier water from the tropics sinks almost a mile (1,500 meters). As it does, it carries heat down with it away from the surface.

These lines show different ways of gauging the strength of the Atlantic overturning circulation. Direct monitoring only began in 2004, so other oceanic measures are needed to extend the dataset back to 1950.Ka-Kit Tung/University of Washington

Changes in the strength of the AMOC affect how much heat leaves our atmosphere. The new study uses a combination of data from Argo floats, ship-based temperature measurements, tidal records, satellite images of sea-surface height that can show bulges of warm water, and recent high-tech tracking of the AMOC itself to suggest that its strength fluctuates as part of a roughly 60- to 70-year, self-reinforcing cycle.

When the current is faster, more of the warm, salty tropical water travels to the North Atlantic. Over years this causes more glaciers to melt, and eventually the freshwater makes the surface water lighter and less likely to sink, slowing the current.

When the AMOC is in a slow phase, the North Atlantic becomes cooler, ice melt slows, and eventually the freshwater melt source dries up and the heavier saltier water can plunge down again, which speeds up the whole circulation.

The new study argues that this current is not collapsing, but is just transitioning from its fast phase to its slower phase – and that this has implications for heating at the surface.

From 1975 to 1998, the AMOC was in a slow phase. As greenhouse gases were accumulating in the atmosphere, Earth experienced distinct warming at the surface. From about 2000 until now, the AMOC has been in its faster phase, and the increased heat plunging in the North Atlantic has been removing excess heat from the Earth’s surface and storing it deep in the ocean.

“We have about one cycle of observations at depth, so we do not know if it’s periodic, but based on the surface phenomena we think it’s very likely that it’s periodic,” Tung said.

The new paper supports the authors’ previous research showing that since 2000, during which observations show a slowdown in surface warming, heat has accumulated deep in the Atlantic Ocean. The new study shows this is the same period when Atlantic overturning circulation was in its fast phase.

“Cause of global warming hiatus found deep in the Atlantic Ocean” UW News | August 2014​

Recent measurements of density in the Labrador Sea suggest the cycle is beginning to shift, Tung said. That means that in coming years the AMOC will no longer be sending more of the excess heat trapped by greenhouse gases deep into the North Atlantic.

“The good news is the indicators show that this slowdown of the Atlantic overturning circulation is ending, and so we shouldn’t be alarmed that this current will collapse any time soon,” Tung said. “The bad news is that surface temperatures are likely to start rising more quickly in the coming decades.”

The first author is Xianyao Chen at the Ocean University of China and Qingdao National Laboratory of Marine Science and Technology. The study was funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, the Natural Science Foundation of China, the National Key Basic Research Program of China and a Frederic and Julia Wan Endowed Professorship.


Atlantic Ocean circulation is not collapsing – but as it shifts gears, global warming will reaccelerate | UW News

Xianyao Chen, Ka-Kit Tung. Global surface warming enhanced by weak Atlantic overturning circulation. Nature (2018); DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0320-y​

 

[JSCh]

Herders on the frontline in protecting snow leopard
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-29 10:13:51|Editor: ZD


XINING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- How to ease the resentment local herders harbor toward the snow leopard was once a headache for environmentalists in the Sanjiangyuan area in northwest China's Qinghai Province.

Thanks to years of protection, Sanjiangyuan, the source of China's major rivers, has become a major habitat for snow leopard, a Class-A protected animal in China. Its population in the area is estimated to exceed 1,000.

The growing population of the snow leopard, however, is bad news for the yak, its natural prey. In 2015, for every household in a village in the area, an average of 4.6 yaks were killed by wild animals including snow leopards. The biggest loss was 23.

"Conflicts between local people and wildlife are a threat to the long-term protection of wildlife," said Justine Shanti Alexander of the Snow Leopard Trust, an NGO.

This year, the management committee of the Sanjiangyuan national park, partnered with Beijing-based Shanshui natural protection center to launch a pilot insurance project in the area.

After paying 3 yuan (about 44 U.S. cents) insurance for each yak, herders get up to 1,500 yuan in compensation for each yak killed by wild animals.

Besides providing compensation, the committee and Shanshui also enrolled local herders in an observer program to share with them the benefits of protecting snow leopards.

"Herders from fifteen households have been selected as guides for visitors. The proceeds will be shared by local households, a community fund and a fund dedicated to protecting the snow leopard," said Tashi Dongdre, secretary of the Ngong Township committee of the Communist Party of China.

"It is great fun to make friends with nature observers worldwide. They are experts who have taught us a lot about wildlife protection," said Yonthar, one of the guides.

"We are trying our best to strike a balance between the ecotourism and environmental protection," said British environmentalist Terry Townshend, an advisor to the program. "We provide nature lovers with opportunities to observe the wildlife and at the same time benefit the local community."

 

[JSCh]

China’s Green Technologies Are Thriving in the Belt & Road Countries
Jul 27, 2018

Popular concern about energy and chemical engineering are usually focused on safe, low-pollution and renewable technologies. But for science and technology, how to strike a balance between economic development and environmental protection remains a crucial question.

Over 200 scientists and delegates of the industrial sector from China, Egypt, India, Japan, Korea, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Thailand, UK and USA gathered in Beijing for the 7th CAS-TWAS Symposium on Green Technology (GT2018) from July 22nd to 25th, focusing on the development and application of green technology in the future.

Institute of Process Engineering (IPE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have made great progress in developing green technologies, several of which are presented at GT2018, including the environmental-friendly copper bioleaching process, large-scale continuous artemisinin production technology and waste PET/PE recycling technology. These technologies are all expected to be transferred and applied to the Belt and Road countries and regions.

At Monywa Copper Mine of Myanmar, researchers led by Prof. RUAN Renman from IPE have been conducting fundamental researches on microbial leaching and have developed new technologies. Through cooperation with Wanbao Company, the largest heap bioleaching project of Asia was built up, adding 120 million US dollars in the past two years.

The key technology to produce artemisinin in large-scale have been applied in African countries like Sudan and Ethiopia, with energy consumption reduced by 43%, product purity higher than 99%, and production capacity reaching 60 tons per year. At present, the new technology of ionic liquid catalytic degradation of waste PET/PE developed by IPE is providing a solution for the recycling of waste plastics in related countries.

The meeting also witnessed the launching of International Green Technology Association (IGTA) by the CAS-TWAS Center of Excellence for Green Technology (CEGT).

Fig 1 Opening ceremony of GT2018 (Photo by CEGT) ​

CEGT is one of the five CAS-TWAS Centres of Excellence established by CAS since 2013, focusing on international S&T cooperation and innovation and talent-cultivation according to the major demands of the Belt and Road countries. It has developed applicable green technologies, catering to the characteristics of resources and energy mix in the developing countries.

After the launching of IGTA, CEGT will explore more effective ways to extend the depth and width of international cooperation. At the meantime, IGTA will explore new ways of joint talent-cultivation and S&T cooperation to improve the R&D level of green technology in developing countries.

Fig 2 IPE Director ZHANG Suojiang explains the aim of launching IGTA, "IGTA aims to promote talent cultivation, international cooperation, and applicable technology transfer and transformation to realize sustainable and synergistic development of green technology in developing countries." (Photo by CEGT)

In order to spread the idea of green technology, the Green Tech Report edited by CEGT was released during the meeting.

Attachment：

• Green Tech Report.pdf

China’s Green Technologies Are Thriving in the Belt & Road Countries---Chinese Academy of Sciences

 

[JSCh]

Taming the desert: China's Baotou-Lanzhou Railway marks its 60th anniversary
CGTN
2018-07-31 14:50 GMT+8

An aerial view of the Baotou-Lanzhou Railway through the desert is a showcase of mankind's efforts against the forces of nature: moving sand dunes tamed by vast stretches of man-made straw structures, a technique originating from Ningxia, now known around the world.

The Baotou-Lanzhou Railway, which began operating in 1958, is an artery linking northern China to northwestern regions. It starts from Baotou in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and stretches to Lanzhou, capital of Gansu Province. The 990 km-rail link passes through the Tengger Desert six times.

"To ensure the successful operation of the railway, the desert needed to be tamed," said Zhang Zhishan, deputy director of Shapotou Desert Research and Experiment Station, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

August 1 marks the 60th anniversary of the opening of the Baotou-Lanzhou railway.

Taming the desert

"Before 1949, the desert was only 200 meters from Zhongwei. Experts from the Soviet Union, invited to design the railway, predicted that the railway would be buried by sand in 30 years," said Gao Yonggui, deputy head of Zhongwei Gusha (Dune-Fixing) Forestry Farm.

Sandy weather used to hit Shapotou 300 days out of the year. The year after the railway went into operation, sand buried the rails and suspended operations 11 times, he said.

sands covering railroads. /Xinhua photo​

In 1955, the Chinese Academy of Sciences established its first observation station in Shapotou. The next year, China's first forestry station in the desert was founded in Zhongwei. To address the issues the sand was causing, workers and researchers began relentlessly experimenting with desert control techniques.

Straw structures, which resemble checkerboards, remain the most convenient, environmentally-friendly and cheapest way of stopping sand encroachment. In Zhongwei, farmers make the straw checkerboards almost every day. Women place the straw on top of the sand, and men use a shovel to partially bury it in the sand, creating a checkerboard pattern spaced one meter apart. Each piece of straw is 10 centimeters below ground and 30 centimeters above ground.

straw checkerboards. /Xinhua photo​

Within the checkerboards, the surface of the sand forms a hard crust over time which prevents the sand from moving. Gao said this crust can last for longer than 30 years.

In Zhongwei, about 10,333 hectares of sand is covered by these straw checkerboards. Shrubs, windshield belts, and grass belts are also constructed to keep the railway safe. Water from the Yellow River was diverted to irrigate the plants and shrubbery. The fight against sand never stops in Zhongwei.

Sand has been kept away from the rails since the 1990s, locals said.

Sharing experience

"It is from Shapotou that China's experience of fighting against desertification began to be known by the world," said Zhang Zhishan.

In 1977, China shared the anti-desertification technique used in Shapotou at the UN Conference on Desertification in Nairobi, and in 1994, the Zhongwei forestry farm was elected to the UN Environment Program's Global 500 Roll of Honor for its achievements in sand control.

Desert control experts in Zhongwei are often invited by other countries to share their experience, said Zhang.

"In 2016, I went to the United States for a meeting on desertification control. They talked about straw checkerboards from China. I was very proud," he said.

Shapotou's improved environment has made the city a popular desert tourism destination, seeing over 1.3 million tourists last year.

natural scenery in Shapotou. /VCG photo ​

Though the sand has been curbed, the threat is not gone. China has 2.61 million square km of desert, about 27.2 percent of the landmass. According to a regulation to advance ecological progress in 2015, half of China's sandy land will need to undergo treatment by 2020.

"If we do not move forward, we will fall back. It is a fight against nature," said Gao.

At Shapotou station, researchers have established models to monitor precipitation, underground water levels, evaporation, and growth of plants in sandy land. The findings will be applied to refine management of plantation in deserts.

"Desertification control is arduous work. It requires stamina and generations of hard work," Gao said.

Source(s): China.org.cn

 

[TaiShang]

Great work of reforestation.

No wonder China is one of the few developing countries whose forest coverage is actually increasing.

Good investment for future generations.

 

[JSCh]

Endangered Annamocarya Sinensis found in SW China
Source: Xinhua| 2018-08-02 14:42:14|Editor: Shi Yinglun


KUNMING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- A 45-meter-tall endangered Annamocarya sinensis was found in Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Yunnan Province, according to the local Forest Public Security Bureau.

A research team found the plant, with a diameter of 7.7-meters, in Pianyan Village of Malipo County. The tree may be one of the largest of its kind in China and the world, according to the team.

Further analysis will be made with an aim to better protect the plant. The research team also found more than 200 Annamocarya sinensis of uneven sizes in Malipo county.

As a plant under state protection (category II), Annamocarya sinensis is also on the list of "Critically Endangered Species" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The plant has been included into a recovery plan for species in China that have a tiny population due to its extremely low reproduction rate and diminishing living environment.

 

[JSCh]

Government encourages locals to plant trees in Kubuqi Desert
By Hu Chao, Wu Jinjing, Su Runa
2018-08-06 22:43 GMT+8

Since childhood, 42-year-old Ao Te Geng Hua has hated living in the Kubuqi Desert, located in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. In the past, sandstorms frequently swept across her house, leaving the doorway blocked by sand dunes.

“In fact I hated it. I wondered ‘why I was born in this desert without any roads?’ I even couldn’t sell my mutton,” recalled Ao Te Geng Hua

In the past, sand dunes often blocked the doors of many nomads living in the desert. /CGTN Photo

But now she loves her hometown. After decades of fighting the sand, the Kubuqi Desert is the greenest it’s been in generations. And it has catapulted her into a whole new livelihood.

In the past, her family relied on grazing livestock and farming, making less than 10,000 yuan a year.

The first sign of change occurred a decade ago, right before she took on a simple job of planting trees, which she at first thought was ridiculous, “I thought planting trees in the desert was impossible. I laughed out loud when I heard the idea and I said it was mission impossible.”

An efficient way to plant trees in the desert – drilling a deep hole into the desert while pumping water into it, ensures high survival rate of the planted trees. /CGTN Photo

But she never expected that with advanced technology, the survival rate of desert-planted trees is as high as 95 percent. The job brought her much more money, especially with the government subsidizing tree planting.

Soon she expanded the planting area and hired some workers. Now she makes about 200,000 yuan (about 29,000 US dollars) a year, 20 times the amount she used to make.

Greening the desert has brought her a new life. /CGTN Photo

Ao Te Geng Hua was one of many villagers who was called on by the local government to plant trees – a way to shake off poverty.

Since the 1990s, the local government has encouraged companies to develop ecological industries. Its favorable policies have prompted many to invest in green businesses.

Greenhouses for vegetables have been built in the Kubuqi Desert. /CGTN Photo

The method has greatly relieved the pressure of investment from the government and also helped to create an active market for green business. And the local party committees and governments also played a leading role in ensuring the country’s policies and investments will be well implemented.

Trees that Ao Te Geng Hua once planted in the Kubuqi Desert have become a good harness for desertification. /CGTN Photo

Ao Te Geng Hua now lives in a completely renovated house, with no sand dunes blocking her door anymore, but roads that lead to the city. She’s determined to continue to plant trees, “Greening the desert has become my career. I’ll never give it up... at least not as long as I’m working.”

 

[JSCh]

Surprise! Trees Are Gaining Ground Globally
Satellite images reveal widespread forest growth, but new trees won’t halt climate change and biodiversity loss.

Image credits:Tishman Design and Environment Center

Wednesday, August 8, 2018 - 13:00
Gabriel Popkin, Contributor

(Inside Science) -- Amid wildfires, climate change, insect outbreaks and deforestation, news about forests can seem like one long-running disaster. But a new study bucks the trend. Satellite data have revealed that trees cover far more ground than they did three and a half decades ago, with major gains in places as varied as abandoned farm fields, high mountain slopes and Arctic tundra. Perhaps even more surprisingly, human decisions drove most of the arboreal expansion.

The finding vividly illustrates humanity's global footprint, said Gordon Bonan, a climate scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado. “A huge portion of the world has undergone change in the past 35 years,” he said. “We know that change has profound implications on almost every aspect of the world, from climate to freshwater to biodiversity to food and timber and fiber.”

“It’s going to be a landmark paper,” said Robin Chazdon, an emeritus professor at the University of Connecticut in Storrs.

Despite thousands of years of tree cutting, forest destruction and regrowth, forests still cover roughly a third of the planet. These forests harbor much of the world’s biodiversity, store immense amounts of carbon and provide water, food and materials to billions of people.

Getting a global view of such changes has been challenging, however. Over the past few decades, scientists have increasingly eyed forests using satellites, which can scan remote areas and gather huge amounts of data quickly. In 1994, researchers at the University of Maryland, College Park used data from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer, or AVHRR, a light-measuring instrument aboard a series of 16 weather satellites, to make the world’s first global forest map. The map comprised squares, or pixels, more than 100 kilometers on a side -- larger than Rhode Island.

Researchers have vastly improved forest mapping since then, training computers to recognize trees based on the wavelengths of sunlight that treetops reflect, shadow patterns, and other visual features. Maryland geographer Matthew Hansen’s team uses such methods to produce continuously updated online global tree cover maps based on data provided by the Landsat satellites, which are operated by NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey, and whose photos have pixels 30 meters on a side, roughly the size of a baseball diamond. Earlier this summer, the World Resources Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based environmental organization, used such maps to determine that a Bangladesh-sized area of tropical forest disappeared in 2017 -- the second-worst annual total on record.

But telling the other side of the story -- how much tree cover is growing -- is much harder, because from above, young trees look a lot like other vegetation. “Tree cover gain is kind of a blind spot for us right now,” said Mikaela Weisse, who led the tropical forest analysis for WRI.

To tackle this challenge, Xiao-Peng Song, a postdoctoral researcher working with Hansen, used daily images that AVHRR took of Earth’s entire surface between 1982 and 2016. The longtime series offered by the older instrument allowed researchers to spot new trees as they grew large enough to be detected.

For each year, Song compiled a global map comprising pixels around 5 kilometers on a side -- the size of a small city. He trained computers to determine what fraction of each pixel contained trees 5 meters tall or higher, and what fraction contained bare ground. He assumed that the portion of each pixel not in these two categories contained short vegetation such as shrubs, grass and farm crops. Song found that since 1982, tree cover gain had outstripped loss by 2.24 million square kilometers, almost the area of Alaska and Texas combined.

Much of the trees’ gains came at the expense of bare ground, which includes desert, tundra, mountaintops above tree line, cities and other non-vegetated land: In total, some 1.16 million square kilometers of formerly bare ground, roughly the area of Texas and California combined, is now covered by trees or other vegetation.

Song then looked at a sample of much sharper images from Google Earth to try to determine why trees were growing in different places. Trees had recolonized vast stretches of poor farmland that were abandoned after the Soviet Union’s collapse, he found; they similarly expanded into former farmland in the eastern U.S. Forests also regrew in parts of India where the “Green Revolution” ushered in more efficient farming practices in the 1960s and ’70s, and in China and the African Sahel, where governments have sponsored massive tree-planting programs.

Elsewhere, a warming climate allowed trees to move up mountains and into Arctic regions that would previously have been too cold, and trees disappeared in the tropics and in semiarid regions such as the American Southwest -- all phenomena observed in previous studies. “We have an Earth surface that is changing a lot,” said Hansen.

In total, Song, Hansen and their colleagues determined, humans directly caused 60 percent of the tree cover changes from 1982 to 2016; climate change and other influences accounted for the rest, the team reports today in the journal Nature.

The study provides “a more complete look at what’s happening with vegetation on land globally” than what scientists had before, and reveals how forests are being redistributed from the tropics to the higher latitudes, said Chazdon. “It kind of sets a new standard.”

But it won’t be the last word. AVHRR’s coarse view compared to modern satellites means that the team may have missed patches of trees regrowing in savannas or farm fields, Chazdon notes, and can’t distinguish between different types of trees or even between natural forests and plantations. “You kind of have to have a very blurry view of the world.”

That limitation could make it hard for Weisse to use the data to inform policymakers and the public about forests. She called the study “a really good start” toward a sharper, annually updated view comparable to what’s available for tree cover loss -- which Hansen and Song say they are working on.

But Song’s maps are sharp enough for Bonan, who plans to use the data in computer simulations that predict Earth’s future climate. Knowing where trees grew and disappeared over 35 years will help his models more precisely project where future forests will grow, and how they will influence weather, water availability and other factors that affect people’s lives.

The study is “a nice new analysis,” Thomas Crowther, an ecologist at ETH Zurich in Switzerland, wrote in an email. In 2015, Crowther estimated that the world loses more than 15 billion trees per year; he now believes the number is likely smaller.

But that doesn’t mean the world’s forests are doing well, he cautioned. The higher-latitude temperate and boreal forests where trees gained ground are less biodiverse than tropical forests, and do less to pull carbon out of the air and slow climate change. “The re-growth of smaller trees in the higher latitudes is a good thing, but it will not do anything to offset the losses that we have in the tropics,” he wrote.


Surprise! Trees Are Gaining Ground Globally | Inside Science

 

[JSCh]

Sulfate in air unlikely originates from burning coal: Chinese scientists
By Yin Han Source:Global Times Published: 2018/8/9 22:33:42

Pollutant unlikely originates from burning coal: scientists

New research conducted by Chinese scientists cast doubt on the belief that coal burning is the main source of sulfate, one of the major contributors to air pollution in China.

By analyzing coal samples collected from several regions in China, including North China's Shanxi Province and East China's Anhui Province, scientists discovered that it is unlikely that the strange signal in sulfates in the aerosols originated from burning coal, Shen Yanan, a head of the research program and an expert at University of Science and Technology of China, told the Global Times on Thursday.

The research was jointly conducted with scientists from the University of California,San Diego, and the results were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) in the US on Monday.

Since burning coal accounts for about 95 percent of sulfur emissions in China, it was widely believed that sulfate, a major constituent of haze in China, might have also come from coal burning, the article said.

Instead, "it is probable that sulfate is produced from the burning of other biomass such as wheat straw," Shen said. "More evidence and research will be required to reach that conclusion, but the findings provided a new way of investigating where the haze came from and how to mitigate air pollution," Shen noted.

Wang Gengchen, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Atmospheric Physics Institute, said that the source of sulfate and other pollutants depends on the energy structure in different regions.

It also depends on the kind of coal used that may contain different amounts of sulfur. "Whether sulfur removal technology is properly used in the regions is another factor," Wang said.

Generally speaking, coal burning "still should be the focus when dealing with haze in China," Wang noted.

Shen and his team also developed a new method of tracing the haze by tracking 35S, a sulfur isotope.

35S only forms in the upper atmosphere and has a half-life of 87 days, which is ideal for tracking atmospheric processes, Shen said.

Shen recommends that the new method should be widely applied in tracking haze movements that can help in resolving haze-related disputes between countries.

Japan and South Korea said their haze came from China, media reported.

But South Korean experts attributed 40 percent of their country's haze to China.

 

[JSCh]

Desert Turns Into Oasis: China's Innovative Ways To Convert Desert Into Productive Lands


Richard Aguilar
Published on Aug 15, 2018

TOP STORIES===

1. More young people join the fight against desertification.
2. Technological innovation contributing to China's agricultural growth.
3. Dazhai China Spring Planting and Farming.
4. Greening China's Loess Plateau and Wide Deserts.
5. Kubuqi's-30 Year Desert Control Experience Contributes to Global Combat against Desertification.
6. Vince Beiser talks about desertification in China and how the government is fighting it.
7. Putting a green coat on desert!
8. Watch how Chinese workers take on desertification.
9. Senegal plants millions of trees to combat climate change.

 

[JSCh]

Center to enhance China-Africa environmental cooperation launched in Kenya
Source: Xinhua | 2018-08-18 21:56:01 | Editor: huaxia

Guests unveil the Interim Secretariat of the China-Africa Environmental Cooperation Center at the United Nations Office in Nairobi, capital of Kenya, on Aug. 17, 2018. (Xinhua/Wang Teng)

NAIROBI, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- The interim secretariat to manage the China-Africa environmental cooperation center has been launched at the United Nations Office at Nairobi, Kenya.

Joyce Msuya, deputy executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), said the China-Africa environment cooperation center, when operational, will revitalize inclusive and green growth in Africa.

"The center is a platform for South-South cooperation to protect our environment and boost China-Africa cooperation," Msuya remarked, adding that the center will boost Africa's quest for economic prosperity that is ecologically sensitive.

Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Sun Baohong, senior Kenyan officials and members of the diplomatic corps witnessed the launch of the Interim Secretariat for the China-Africa Environmental Cooperation Center.

It is hoped that the center will act as a hub for capacity building and sharing of best practices between China and African countries to advance UN 2030 goals linked to environment.

Sun revealed that China has already allocated 1 million U.S. dollars to support key operations of the center that will serve as a hub for environmental policy interaction and dialogue, training and capacity building.

File photo shows then Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Liu Xianfa (R) and Kenya's Secretary for Environment and Natural Resources Judi Wakhungu (C) view the China-aided automatic weather station during the handover ceremony in Nairobi, capital of Kenya, Sept. 11, 2017. Kenya's Ministry of Environment on Monday benefited from an automated weather forecast device donated by China as efforts to upgrade meteorological services in the East African nation gathers steam. (Xinhua/Chen Cheng)

Chinese Minister of Ecology and Environment Li Ganjie, in a congratulatory letter read on his behalf by Liu Ning, deputy permanent representative to the UNEP, said China is committed to helping Africa realize green aspirations.

"China will share with African friends the concepts and experiences in our ecological progress and environmental protection, promote mutual communication and cooperation, and jointly address global environmental challenges," said Li.

Beyene Russom, the dean of the African Diplomatic Corps said he was optimistic that China-Africa environment cooperation center will catalyze green development in the continent.

 

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Ethiopia inaugurates Africa's first waste-to-energy project
Source: Xinhua| 2018-08-20 01:05:57|Editor: Yurou

Ethiopian President Mulatu Teshome (front) cuts the ribbon during the inauguration ceremony of the Reppie waste-to-energy facility in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Aug. 19, 2018. Ethiopia's first waste-to-energy facility was inaugurated on Sunday in the presence of high-level Ethiopian and foreign dignitaries. The project, located in Addis Ababa, was constructed by China National Electric Engineering Co., Ltd. (CNEEC). (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde)

ADDIS ABABA, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia's first waste-to-energy facility was inaugurated on Sunday in the presence of high-level Ethiopian and foreign dignitaries.

The Reppie waste-to-energy facility, fully financed by the Ethiopian government, expected to process 1,400 tons of solid waste daily.

The project, located in Addis Ababa, was constructed by China National Electrical Engineering Company (CNEEC).

Speaking at the inauguration event, Ethiopian President Mulatu Teshome said investment in energy projects are crucial if Ethiopia is to achieve its aim of becoming an environmentally friendly industrialized middle-income economy by 2025.

"The growth of energy sector has been a key driver of economic growth in Ethiopia over the last several years, this happened because electricity supply is much needed in order for the economy to transition from predominantly agricultural to industrial and to attract local and foreign investors," Teshome said.

"Ethiopia has been investing extensively in hydro power, geothermal, wind energy, solar energy and now biomass to boost the manufacturing sector with a supply of clean, renewable energy," he said. "Reppie waste-to-energy project is part of that grand strategy."

"The Ethiopian government hopes with the commissioning of this project it can turn an increasing urban rubbish menace into an economic boon," he said. Zhang Yanfei, presidentof CNEEC, said the waste-to-energy facility is one big step forward to make Addis Ababa, a city with a population of over 4 million, clean and healthy.

"As Africa's first waste-to-energy facility, Reppie's completion and operation shows great vision," he said. "It has found a green road to urban development in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and Africa."

"Reppie is the best possible way to address the capital city's garbage problem, while providing steady power supply" Zhang said.

Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopia Tan Jian said the construction of the facility also boosted the knowledge capacity of Ethiopians.

"Construction is important. Capacity-building is equally important, if not more. For many projects in Africa, this could be quite a challenge; software could be more important than hardware," Tan said.

"Sustainable development and environmental protection are major components of China-Africa cooperation. China supports Africa's endeavor towards green, low carbon and sustainable development," he said. "We actively participate in projects on clean energy, wildlife protection, environmentally friendly agriculture and smart cities."

Photo taken on Aug. 19, 2018 shows the exterior of the Reppie waste-to-energy facility in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Ethiopia's first waste-to-energy facility was inaugurated on Sunday in the presence of high-level Ethiopian and foreign dignitaries. The project, located in Addis Ababa, was constructed by China National Electric Engineering Co., Ltd. (CNEEC). (Xinhua/Lyu Shuai)

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Workers monitor the waste-to-energy generating process at the Reppie waste-to-energy facility in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Aug. 19, 2018. Ethiopia's first waste-to-energy facility was inaugurated on Sunday in the presence of high-level Ethiopian and foreign dignitaries. The project, located in Addis Ababa, was constructed by China National Electric Engineering Co., Ltd. (CNEEC). (Xinhua/Lyu Shuai)

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Photo taken on Aug. 19, 2018 shows a part of the Reppie waste-to-energy facility in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Ethiopia's first waste-to-energy facility was inaugurated on Sunday in the presence of high-level Ethiopian and foreign dignitaries. The project, located in Addis Ababa, was constructed by China National Electric Engineering Co., Ltd. (CNEEC). (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde)

 

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Bangladesh to have South Asia's largest sewage treatment plant with Chinese help
New China TV
Published on Aug 20, 2018

Construction has started on a Chinese-funded sewage treatment plant in Bangladesh's capital of Dhaka. The plant, which will become the largest in the country and South Asia, is being built by a Chinese company and will use Chinese technology.