Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09SHANGHAI309
2009-07-10 08:48:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Consulate Shanghai
Cable title:
SHANGHAI AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
how-toVZCZCXRO3959 RR RUEHCN RUEHVC DE RUEHGH #0309/01 1910848 ZNR UUUUU ZZH R 100848Z JUL 09 FM AMCONSUL SHANGHAI TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8120 INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE RUEAEPA/HQ EPA WASHINGTON DC RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC RHMFISS/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC RHEHAAA/NSC WASHINGTON DC RUEHGH/AMCONSUL SHANGHAI 8768
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 SHANGHAI 000309
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE PASS TO CEQ SUTLEY
EPA FOR INTERNATIONAL - KASMAN/GIANNINI-SPOHN
USDOC FOR MAC AND MAS
USDOE FOR INTERNATIONAL
NSC FOR LOI
STATE FOR S/SECC-STERN/PERSHING
STATE ALSO FOR EAP/CM-HABJAN, THOMAS
STATE ALSO FOR OES-DAS MIOTKE, OES/EGC, AND OES/ENV
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV ETRD ENRG TRGY EFIN BEXP CH
SUBJECT: SHANGHAI AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
REF: SHANGHAI 148
SHANGHAI 00000309 001.2 OF 004
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 SHANGHAI 000309
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE PASS TO CEQ SUTLEY
EPA FOR INTERNATIONAL - KASMAN/GIANNINI-SPOHN
USDOC FOR MAC AND MAS
USDOE FOR INTERNATIONAL
NSC FOR LOI
STATE FOR S/SECC-STERN/PERSHING
STATE ALSO FOR EAP/CM-HABJAN, THOMAS
STATE ALSO FOR OES-DAS MIOTKE, OES/EGC, AND OES/ENV
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV ETRD ENRG TRGY EFIN BEXP CH
SUBJECT: SHANGHAI AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
REF: SHANGHAI 148
SHANGHAI 00000309 001.2 OF 004
1. (SBU) SUMMARY: With the Shanghai 2010 World Expo approaching,
Shanghai has been discussing environmental protection in several
different fora. Shanghai's experience with environmental
protection has been quite different from other cities in China
due to its rapid growth and expansion. Because of this,
officials have developed different approaches through action
plans and multi-agency groups to address environmental
challenges such as air and water pollution and transportation.
In the past decade, the city has made great strides, spending
three percent of GDP on environmental-related projects to
address the city's waste and industrial pollution and to
implement greenification projects. The environmental action
plans have helped to meet national targets, sometimes ahead of
schedule. In looking towards the future, city officials hope to
make upcoming plans more objective-based rather than
project-based. Despite these great achievements, Shanghai still
has much to do to ensure that the city continues on a path of
sustainable development with environmental standards and quality
of life comparable to other world megacities. END SUMMARY.
2. (U) The Shanghai Municipal Government recently hosted
several events and conferences on sustainable development and
environmental protection, many with the underlying theme of the
upcoming Shanghai 2010 World Expo, namely, "Better City, Better
Life". These conferences attracted experts from the United
Nations, United States, Europe, Hong Kong, and Beijing, as well
as from Shanghai and the surrounding provinces. As a follow-up
to these events, Post has met with Municipal Government
officials and academics to discuss the environmental challenges
faced by the city, plans for the environmentally-focused 2010
World Expo, and Shanghai's environmental planning.
SHANGHAI AND THE ENVIRONMENT - DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE, DIFFERENT
APPROACH
-------------- --------------
3. (SBU) According to Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau
(EPB) Deputy Director FANG Fang, Shanghai's experience with
environmental protection has been quite different from other
cities in China due to its rapid growth and expansion. While
others may have had time to consider the environment in their
overall development plan, Fang noted that Shanghai's zero to
rapid development gave Shanghai little opportunity to adequately
factor environmental challenges into its development equation.
According to Fang, in the 1990s, Shanghai's leadership realized
the need for balance -- to grow the economy while decreasing the
impact on the environment. In the past decade and a half, this
densely populated city has made great strides in mitigating
pollution as evidenced by the city's cleaner air, water, and
more abundant green spaces, said Fang. With 18.58 million
people living on an area of about 640 square kilometers,
Shanghai's population continually puts enormous pressure on the
city's environment and limited resources.
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION COMMMITTE: A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH
-------------- --------------
4. (SBU) Recognizing the importance of a comprehensive approach
to environmental protection, GAN Zhongze, Chairman, Urban
Planning and Environmental Protection Committee, Shanghai
Municipal Peoples Congress (SMPC) also lauded Shanghai's early
regulations to improve environmental protection. He said these
laws have ensured that environmental protection has been
mainstreamed and factored into Shanghai's various development
plans. Gan indicated that local regulations have reflected the
Central Government's increased focus on the environment and its
SHANGHAI 00000309 002.2 OF 004
mandate that the environment and natural resources can no longer
be sacrificed for economic growth. To this aim Shanghai created
the multi-agency Shanghai Environmental Protection Committee
(SEPC).
5. (SBU) The SEPC is chaired by the Mayor with representatives
from the EPB, the Shanghai Development and Reform Commission,
and the Municipal Law Office. The Committee has seven working
groups (Water, Air, Solid Waste, Industry, Agriculture, Ecology,
and Policy) and liaises with relevant government agencies,
responsible entities, and local district governments to provide
policy support and ensure comprehensive implementation of
environmental plans and programs.
SHANGHAI'S ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES
--------------
6. (SBU) EPB Director ZHANG Quan noted that Shanghai, with its
limited natural resources, expanding population, and continuous
economic development, faces numerous environmental challenges.
Energy consumption (both residential and industrial) continues
to rise, making it challenging to fulfill national energy
reduction targets. Zhang said that the growth in the number of
automobiles on Shanghai streets exacerbates pollution problems
as well. He noted that by the end of 2008, total vehicle volume
in Shanghai reached 2.6 million, resulting in increased vehicle
emissions and noise problems throughout the city. Industrial
pollution in the suburban industrial zones is also a
contributing factor. Additionally, particulate concentration
such as PM10 in Shanghai is 3 times greater than in other
mega-cities (e.g., New York and Tokyo) similar to Shanghai, said
Zhang.
7. (SBU) Officials at the Shanghai Environment Monitoring
Center (SEMC) and CHEN Changhong, Director of the Atmospheric
Environment Institute of the Shanghai Academy of Environmental
Sciences, echoed Zhang's sentiments. They noted that
atmospheric pollution such as acid rain, photo-chemical
pollution and regional haze have also contributed to Shanghai's
overall air quality issues. According to FU Qingyan, Assistant
to the Director of the SEMC, while Shanghai's air quality
standards (PM10) show that approximately only one-third of
Shanghai's days each year have a rating of poor air quality or
worse, if more stringent air quality indexes (such as PM2.5 -
used by the U.S. EPA and some other countries and localities)
were applied, more than half of the days of the year in Shanghai
would have a poor or unhealthy air quality rating.
LEARNING AND DOING AND DOING AND LEARNING: THE ACTION PLANS
-------------- --------------
8. (SBU) With the creation of the EPB in the early 1990s, EPB
Deputy Director Fang said its initial focus was on specific
targets such as reducing industrial pollutants or greenification
projects. However, starting in 2000 the city adopted a
multi-focus approach through Three-Year Environmental Action
Plans (currently in their fourth round). Through these action
plans, Fang said that Shanghai has been `learning and doing and
doing and learning' to improve Shanghai's environmental
protection capabilities and record. The first three-year action
plan focused on water and air pollution control, solid waste
disposal, greenery development and rehabilitation of old
industries. The second round added projects in the areas of
agricultural/ecological conservation and the rehabilitation of
key enterprises and regions. Building on the first two rounds,
SHANGHAI 00000309 003.2 OF 004
the third round also focused on industrial pollution control as
well as ecological conservation and infrastructure development.
Since 2000, over 650 projects have been completed, including
sewage treatment plants, cleaner fuel substitution for coal
burning boilers and furnaces, and enhanced domestic waste
management. Through the plans approximately RMB 35-45 billion
annually (approximately 3 percent of GDP) has been invested in
environmental protection-related projects.
THE 4TH ROUND OF THE THREE-YEAR ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION PLAN
-------------- --------------
9. (SBU) EPB Director Zhang Quan indicated that in the current
round of the Three-Year Environmental Action Plan (fourth round:
2009-2011),Shanghai will undertake more than 200 projects with
a total investment of over RMB 80 billion (USD 12 billion).
Some of the key infrastructure projects will include: building
a drinking water source in Qing Caosha at the estuary of the
Yangtze River; utilization of desulfurization technologies at
all coal-burning power plants in the city; and utilization of
denitrofication technology in several city power plants. For
waste disposal, Shanghai plans to complete its urban sewage
collection network which will treat approximately 90 percent of
residential sewage, and implement technology to effectively
treat 85 percent of residential waste and 100 percent of
hazardous waste. The plan also includes clean energy projects
including heat pumps utilizing river water as an energy source,
photovoltaic technologies, and others that the city plans to
showcase at the Shanghai 2010 World Expo (see reftel for more on
the environmental focus of the Expo).
10. (SBU) To help curb air pollution, the action plan
incorporates projects aimed at making public transportation more
environmentally friendly. In 2009, National IV (equal to Euro
IV) Vehicle Emission Standard will be mandated for all new
vehicles in Shanghai. Shanghai has undergone a massive public
transportation system overhaul over the past few years. By
2010, the total cumulative distance of local subway lines will
be extended to approximately 400 km, making public transport
more accessible to Shanghai residents (and for the seventy
million visitors predicted for the 2010 World Expo). By 2011,
45 percent of all buses and taxis will be mandated to meet
National III standards. Shanghai will continue greenification
projects and promote eco-agriculture in its suburban areas.
SHANGHAI TO COMPLETE POLLUTION REDUCTION TARGETS ON TIME
-------------- --------------
11. (SBU) In addition to the three-year environmental action
plans, Shanghai also has a Five-Year Environment Protection
Strategic Plan, tied more closely to the national five year
planning cycle. WU Jingsong from EPB's Comprehensive Planning
Division which is responsible for the formulation, drafting and
evaluation of Shanghai's five-year plan said that Shanghai
ranked first in China last year in cutting down Chemical Oxygen
Demand (COD),completing the 11th Five-Year Environment
Protection Plan (2006-2010) target one year ahead of schedule.
According to Wu, Shanghai should also be able to meet sulfur
dioxide (SO2) reduction targets by 2010 as well. He said that in
2005 and 2006, most of Shanghai's desulfurization projects were
under construction and therefore the SO2 reduction rates were
low. Starting from 2007, with the completion of some projects,
SO2 reduction has improved, with half the SO2 reduction target
met by 2008.
SHANGHAI 00000309 004.2 OF 004
LOOKING TOWARDS THE FUTURE
--------------
12. (SBU) LIN Weiqing, Chief Engineer from the Shanghai Academy
of Environmental Sciences, outlined plans for Shanghai's 12th
Five-Year Environment Protection Plan which is now being
researched and drafted. EPB hopes to make this plan more
objective-oriented rather than project-oriented as has been past
practice, said Lin. Some of the objectives under deliberation
are reducing vehicle and volatile organic compound (VOC)
emissions; reducing the risk to public health from ozone and
haze conditions; cutting SO2, nitrogen oxide, and mercury
emissions; focusing on eutrophication management and
rehabilitation of the eco-system of Dianshan Lake; and reduce
rainfall run-off and improve the overall water quality of the
city's rivers and canals.
COMMENT
--------------
13. (SBU) Shanghai is a frontrunner in China's environmental
protection efforts. The city's prosperous residents,
traditionally more cosmopolitan and international, have perhaps
a greater understanding than many Chinese citizens of the
importance of environmental protection and overall public health
and wellbeing. In the recent past, Shanghai residents have
voiced their concerns about environmental problems, urging the
government to act. Shanghai's leadership also recognizes the
importance of protecting the environment, especially given the
city's limited area and large population. The 2010 World Expo
has given Shanghai opportunity and a new motive force to move
further and faster on air and water pollution reduction and on
public transportation projects, much as the 2008 Summer Olympic
Games wrought some industrial structure, pollution control and
mass transportation changes in Beijing. Despite substantial
achievements to date, Shanghai still has much to do to ensure
that the city continues on a path of sustainable development
with environmental standards and quality of life comparable to
other world megacities.
CAMP
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE PASS TO CEQ SUTLEY
EPA FOR INTERNATIONAL - KASMAN/GIANNINI-SPOHN
USDOC FOR MAC AND MAS
USDOE FOR INTERNATIONAL
NSC FOR LOI
STATE FOR S/SECC-STERN/PERSHING
STATE ALSO FOR EAP/CM-HABJAN, THOMAS
STATE ALSO FOR OES-DAS MIOTKE, OES/EGC, AND OES/ENV
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV ETRD ENRG TRGY EFIN BEXP CH
SUBJECT: SHANGHAI AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
REF: SHANGHAI 148
SHANGHAI 00000309 001.2 OF 004
1. (SBU) SUMMARY: With the Shanghai 2010 World Expo approaching,
Shanghai has been discussing environmental protection in several
different fora. Shanghai's experience with environmental
protection has been quite different from other cities in China
due to its rapid growth and expansion. Because of this,
officials have developed different approaches through action
plans and multi-agency groups to address environmental
challenges such as air and water pollution and transportation.
In the past decade, the city has made great strides, spending
three percent of GDP on environmental-related projects to
address the city's waste and industrial pollution and to
implement greenification projects. The environmental action
plans have helped to meet national targets, sometimes ahead of
schedule. In looking towards the future, city officials hope to
make upcoming plans more objective-based rather than
project-based. Despite these great achievements, Shanghai still
has much to do to ensure that the city continues on a path of
sustainable development with environmental standards and quality
of life comparable to other world megacities. END SUMMARY.
2. (U) The Shanghai Municipal Government recently hosted
several events and conferences on sustainable development and
environmental protection, many with the underlying theme of the
upcoming Shanghai 2010 World Expo, namely, "Better City, Better
Life". These conferences attracted experts from the United
Nations, United States, Europe, Hong Kong, and Beijing, as well
as from Shanghai and the surrounding provinces. As a follow-up
to these events, Post has met with Municipal Government
officials and academics to discuss the environmental challenges
faced by the city, plans for the environmentally-focused 2010
World Expo, and Shanghai's environmental planning.
SHANGHAI AND THE ENVIRONMENT - DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE, DIFFERENT
APPROACH
-------------- --------------
3. (SBU) According to Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau
(EPB) Deputy Director FANG Fang, Shanghai's experience with
environmental protection has been quite different from other
cities in China due to its rapid growth and expansion. While
others may have had time to consider the environment in their
overall development plan, Fang noted that Shanghai's zero to
rapid development gave Shanghai little opportunity to adequately
factor environmental challenges into its development equation.
According to Fang, in the 1990s, Shanghai's leadership realized
the need for balance -- to grow the economy while decreasing the
impact on the environment. In the past decade and a half, this
densely populated city has made great strides in mitigating
pollution as evidenced by the city's cleaner air, water, and
more abundant green spaces, said Fang. With 18.58 million
people living on an area of about 640 square kilometers,
Shanghai's population continually puts enormous pressure on the
city's environment and limited resources.
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION COMMMITTE: A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH
-------------- --------------
4. (SBU) Recognizing the importance of a comprehensive approach
to environmental protection, GAN Zhongze, Chairman, Urban
Planning and Environmental Protection Committee, Shanghai
Municipal Peoples Congress (SMPC) also lauded Shanghai's early
regulations to improve environmental protection. He said these
laws have ensured that environmental protection has been
mainstreamed and factored into Shanghai's various development
plans. Gan indicated that local regulations have reflected the
Central Government's increased focus on the environment and its
SHANGHAI 00000309 002.2 OF 004
mandate that the environment and natural resources can no longer
be sacrificed for economic growth. To this aim Shanghai created
the multi-agency Shanghai Environmental Protection Committee
(SEPC).
5. (SBU) The SEPC is chaired by the Mayor with representatives
from the EPB, the Shanghai Development and Reform Commission,
and the Municipal Law Office. The Committee has seven working
groups (Water, Air, Solid Waste, Industry, Agriculture, Ecology,
and Policy) and liaises with relevant government agencies,
responsible entities, and local district governments to provide
policy support and ensure comprehensive implementation of
environmental plans and programs.
SHANGHAI'S ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES
--------------
6. (SBU) EPB Director ZHANG Quan noted that Shanghai, with its
limited natural resources, expanding population, and continuous
economic development, faces numerous environmental challenges.
Energy consumption (both residential and industrial) continues
to rise, making it challenging to fulfill national energy
reduction targets. Zhang said that the growth in the number of
automobiles on Shanghai streets exacerbates pollution problems
as well. He noted that by the end of 2008, total vehicle volume
in Shanghai reached 2.6 million, resulting in increased vehicle
emissions and noise problems throughout the city. Industrial
pollution in the suburban industrial zones is also a
contributing factor. Additionally, particulate concentration
such as PM10 in Shanghai is 3 times greater than in other
mega-cities (e.g., New York and Tokyo) similar to Shanghai, said
Zhang.
7. (SBU) Officials at the Shanghai Environment Monitoring
Center (SEMC) and CHEN Changhong, Director of the Atmospheric
Environment Institute of the Shanghai Academy of Environmental
Sciences, echoed Zhang's sentiments. They noted that
atmospheric pollution such as acid rain, photo-chemical
pollution and regional haze have also contributed to Shanghai's
overall air quality issues. According to FU Qingyan, Assistant
to the Director of the SEMC, while Shanghai's air quality
standards (PM10) show that approximately only one-third of
Shanghai's days each year have a rating of poor air quality or
worse, if more stringent air quality indexes (such as PM2.5 -
used by the U.S. EPA and some other countries and localities)
were applied, more than half of the days of the year in Shanghai
would have a poor or unhealthy air quality rating.
LEARNING AND DOING AND DOING AND LEARNING: THE ACTION PLANS
-------------- --------------
8. (SBU) With the creation of the EPB in the early 1990s, EPB
Deputy Director Fang said its initial focus was on specific
targets such as reducing industrial pollutants or greenification
projects. However, starting in 2000 the city adopted a
multi-focus approach through Three-Year Environmental Action
Plans (currently in their fourth round). Through these action
plans, Fang said that Shanghai has been `learning and doing and
doing and learning' to improve Shanghai's environmental
protection capabilities and record. The first three-year action
plan focused on water and air pollution control, solid waste
disposal, greenery development and rehabilitation of old
industries. The second round added projects in the areas of
agricultural/ecological conservation and the rehabilitation of
key enterprises and regions. Building on the first two rounds,
SHANGHAI 00000309 003.2 OF 004
the third round also focused on industrial pollution control as
well as ecological conservation and infrastructure development.
Since 2000, over 650 projects have been completed, including
sewage treatment plants, cleaner fuel substitution for coal
burning boilers and furnaces, and enhanced domestic waste
management. Through the plans approximately RMB 35-45 billion
annually (approximately 3 percent of GDP) has been invested in
environmental protection-related projects.
THE 4TH ROUND OF THE THREE-YEAR ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION PLAN
-------------- --------------
9. (SBU) EPB Director Zhang Quan indicated that in the current
round of the Three-Year Environmental Action Plan (fourth round:
2009-2011),Shanghai will undertake more than 200 projects with
a total investment of over RMB 80 billion (USD 12 billion).
Some of the key infrastructure projects will include: building
a drinking water source in Qing Caosha at the estuary of the
Yangtze River; utilization of desulfurization technologies at
all coal-burning power plants in the city; and utilization of
denitrofication technology in several city power plants. For
waste disposal, Shanghai plans to complete its urban sewage
collection network which will treat approximately 90 percent of
residential sewage, and implement technology to effectively
treat 85 percent of residential waste and 100 percent of
hazardous waste. The plan also includes clean energy projects
including heat pumps utilizing river water as an energy source,
photovoltaic technologies, and others that the city plans to
showcase at the Shanghai 2010 World Expo (see reftel for more on
the environmental focus of the Expo).
10. (SBU) To help curb air pollution, the action plan
incorporates projects aimed at making public transportation more
environmentally friendly. In 2009, National IV (equal to Euro
IV) Vehicle Emission Standard will be mandated for all new
vehicles in Shanghai. Shanghai has undergone a massive public
transportation system overhaul over the past few years. By
2010, the total cumulative distance of local subway lines will
be extended to approximately 400 km, making public transport
more accessible to Shanghai residents (and for the seventy
million visitors predicted for the 2010 World Expo). By 2011,
45 percent of all buses and taxis will be mandated to meet
National III standards. Shanghai will continue greenification
projects and promote eco-agriculture in its suburban areas.
SHANGHAI TO COMPLETE POLLUTION REDUCTION TARGETS ON TIME
-------------- --------------
11. (SBU) In addition to the three-year environmental action
plans, Shanghai also has a Five-Year Environment Protection
Strategic Plan, tied more closely to the national five year
planning cycle. WU Jingsong from EPB's Comprehensive Planning
Division which is responsible for the formulation, drafting and
evaluation of Shanghai's five-year plan said that Shanghai
ranked first in China last year in cutting down Chemical Oxygen
Demand (COD),completing the 11th Five-Year Environment
Protection Plan (2006-2010) target one year ahead of schedule.
According to Wu, Shanghai should also be able to meet sulfur
dioxide (SO2) reduction targets by 2010 as well. He said that in
2005 and 2006, most of Shanghai's desulfurization projects were
under construction and therefore the SO2 reduction rates were
low. Starting from 2007, with the completion of some projects,
SO2 reduction has improved, with half the SO2 reduction target
met by 2008.
SHANGHAI 00000309 004.2 OF 004
LOOKING TOWARDS THE FUTURE
--------------
12. (SBU) LIN Weiqing, Chief Engineer from the Shanghai Academy
of Environmental Sciences, outlined plans for Shanghai's 12th
Five-Year Environment Protection Plan which is now being
researched and drafted. EPB hopes to make this plan more
objective-oriented rather than project-oriented as has been past
practice, said Lin. Some of the objectives under deliberation
are reducing vehicle and volatile organic compound (VOC)
emissions; reducing the risk to public health from ozone and
haze conditions; cutting SO2, nitrogen oxide, and mercury
emissions; focusing on eutrophication management and
rehabilitation of the eco-system of Dianshan Lake; and reduce
rainfall run-off and improve the overall water quality of the
city's rivers and canals.
COMMENT
--------------
13. (SBU) Shanghai is a frontrunner in China's environmental
protection efforts. The city's prosperous residents,
traditionally more cosmopolitan and international, have perhaps
a greater understanding than many Chinese citizens of the
importance of environmental protection and overall public health
and wellbeing. In the recent past, Shanghai residents have
voiced their concerns about environmental problems, urging the
government to act. Shanghai's leadership also recognizes the
importance of protecting the environment, especially given the
city's limited area and large population. The 2010 World Expo
has given Shanghai opportunity and a new motive force to move
further and faster on air and water pollution reduction and on
public transportation projects, much as the 2008 Summer Olympic
Games wrought some industrial structure, pollution control and
mass transportation changes in Beijing. Despite substantial
achievements to date, Shanghai still has much to do to ensure
that the city continues on a path of sustainable development
with environmental standards and quality of life comparable to
other world megacities.
CAMP