Air Pollution

Beijing has proposed unprecedented new rules governing how China's capital reacts to hazardous air pollution, as deteriorating air quality continues to raise ire among the city’s 20 million plus residents. The new Air Pollution Control Regulation will formalize previous ad-hoc measures by targeting vehicles, factories and even outdoor barbecues, and warns of large fines for those who break the rules. A top environmentalist has hailed draft measures to clean up Beijing's air as a major breakthrough after record-breaking smog continues to besiege the city - but residents seem less impressed.

Maersk Line, the world’s biggest container-shipping company, has fired a warning shot across the bows of the Hong Kong Government, threatening to stop using cleaner fuel at port in Hong Kong next year if there is no regulation in place mandating that all shipping lines do the same. The Danish shipping line has been a prominent supporter of the Fair Winds Charter, a voluntary scheme by the Hong Kong shipping industry to use fuel of 0.5 percent sulphur content or less “to the maximum extent possible” while at berth in Hong Kong from 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2012.

As the incidence of respiratory disease increases in the Philippines due to pollution, the head of an environmental group has advocated issuing gas masks free to students. Joey Papa, president of Bangon Kalikasan Movement, said employers should also provide them to their workers in urban areas.

The appointment of Christine Loh, a noted environmental campaigner and head of Hong Kong-based think-tank Civic Exchange, to be the city's Under Secretary for the Environment was seen as a significant statement of intent by the new Hong Kong Chief Executive, CY Leung. Ms Loh spoke with CleanBiz.Asia executive editor Fergus O'Rorke on her 100th day in office.

Read Full Story India's Supreme Court has proposed an environmental tax of 25 percent on sales of new diesel vehicles and four percent and two percent on existing private diesel and petrol vehicles, respectively.