by tyler | Jun 29, 2023 | asia, CNN
China is on track to double its wind and solar energy capacity and hit its 2030 clean energy targets five years early, a new report has found.
The country is expected to produce 1,200 gigwatts of solar and wind power by 2025 if all prospective plants are built and commissioned, according to the study from the non profit Global Energy Monitor.
Solar capacity in China is now greater than the rest of the world combined. Its onshore and offshore wind capacity has doubled since 2017, and is roughly equal to the combined total of the other top seven countries, according to the report.
Dorothy Mei, project manager at Global Energy Monitor, said China’s surge in solar and wind capacity was “jaw-dropping.”
The country’s renewable energy boom is the result of a combination of incentives and regulations, according to the report. China pledged in 2020 to become carbon neutral by 2060.
But, while China may have become the global leader in renewable energy, the world’s biggest producer of planet-heating pollution is also ramping up coal production.
“China is making strides, but with coal still holding sway as the dominant power source, the country needs bolder advancements in energy storage and green technologies for a secure energy future,” Martin Weil, a researcher at Global Energy Monitor, said in a statement.
Coal power permitting in China accelerated rapidly last year when new permits reached their highest level since 2015, according to a report by the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air and the Global Energy Monitor.
The amount of new coal projects permitted was equivalent to two large coal plants a week, the report found.
The country turned to coal last year in large part because of devastating heat waves and drought, the worst in six decades, which saw a surging demand for power at the same time as hydropower capacity plunged as rivers ran dry.
China’s reliance on coal poses a significant challenge to global green energy targets, but the pace of wind and solar development is a positive sign, Byford Tsang, senior policy adviser at climate think tank E3G told CNN.
“China is rapidly and successfully scaling up its deployment of renewable power and has become the largest investor into renewables globally. This is both a cause and consequence of rapidly falling costs of renewable energy as compared to coal power,” he said.
Tsang hopes that relative cheapness of renewable energy will persuade China to kick its coal habit.
“China’s ability to build and deploy homegrown, cost-competitive renewable energy at speed and scale further calls into question the economic viability of new coal projects into the future,” he added.
In 2021, the IEA said that no new coal-fired power plants can be built, and no new oil and gas be developed, if the world is to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, according to a report from ERG.
by tyler | Jun 27, 2023 | asia, CNN
New Zealand’s Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has been criticized for bringing a backup plane on his visit to China this week, with opposition leaders pointing to excess planet-warming emissions created in the middle of the climate crisis.
The use of a second aircraft was due to frequent reliability issues with the current defense force plane, which has left some of the country’s former leaders stuck during previous overseas trips, a spokesperson for the prime minister told CNN in a statement Tuesday.
A “backup aircraft” was “pre-positioned” in the Philippine capital Manila in case the primary aircraft carrying Hipkins and a trade delegation broke down, the spokesperson said.
“Given the importance of the trade mission, the long distance involved and the large size of the traveling business delegation and media contingent, it was considered that a backup aircraft was justified to ensure the success of the mission to our largest trade partner,” the spokesperson said.
The leader of the opposition National Party Chris Luxon said Hipkins’ use of two planes wasn’t a good look environmentally, according to CNN affiliate Radio New Zealand (RNZ).
“We have a climate change challenge, I thought, in this country – so sending an empty 30-year-old 757 following a full one doesn’t seem a good move,” he reportedly said.
David Seymour, leader of the right-wing ACT Party, claimed in a post on his official Facebook page Monday that “the emissions created by taking the extra plane is the equivalent of driving a Ford Ranger the distance of a trip to the moon three times.”
“New Zealand’s embarrassingly ancient Defense Force planes are so decrepit that the PM had to bring a spare on his trip to China in case one of them breaks down on a stopover,” Seymour said.
Seymour also criticized the cost of bringing an additional aircraft as “wasteful” and “reckless.”
In the statement to CNN, the spokesperson for the prime minister said “using RNZAF [Royal New Zealand Air Force] aircraft is far cheaper than a commercial charter.”
The RNZAF currently operates two Boeing 757-200 jets that are “used regularly for the carriage of VIPs as well as ministerial and trade missions around the world,” according to the New Zealand Defense Force.
The 757s are “around 30 years old, are nearing the end of their economic lives, and are due for replacement between 2028 and 2030,” Hipkins’ spokesperson said.
Former New Zealand prime ministers have faced political embarrassment after their planes broke down on official trips.
In 2016, then leader John Key cut short his visit to India after the RNZAF Boeing 757 plane carrying him and his delegation broke down during a stopover in Australia, RNZ reported.
Three years later, then-Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her staff had to take a commercial flight from Melbourne to Auckland after a computer failure grounded the 757 Air Force plane scheduled to bring her home, according to RNZ.
Hipkins is leading a 29-strong business delegation to Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai from June 25 to June 30 in a bid to boost export growth with China.
by tyler | Jun 19, 2023 | asia, CNN
Hundreds of mourners attended a funeral on Sunday for a Hong Kong model whose grisly death earlier this year shocked the city, with floral tributes flowing in from loved ones, friends and celebrities alike.
Abby Choi, a 28-year-old mother of four, went missing in late February until parts of her dismembered body were found by police in a rural village house.
The death of the prominent model and influencer, who had made appearances at international fashion shows and commanded significant followings on both Instagram and Douyin – China’s version of Tik Tok – made headlines worldwide.
Friends and loved ones were finally able to bid Choi goodbye some four months after her death at a funeral service that was decked out in her favorite color pink.
Hundreds of people dressed in black lined up outside the Po Fook Memorial Hall in a quiet suburb of Hong Kong just a dozen miles south of where her remains were found.
The entrance was decorated with pink curtains and two images of Choi – posing in a pink dress against a column of balloons in various shades of the same color.
Among those present at the funeral was her late husband Chris Tam, whose family founded a popular noodle chain in the city.
Holding the hands of one of their children, Tam, dressed in a suit, arrived at the funeral parlor an hour prior to the Buddhist ceremony to bid farewell to his wife.
Floral tributes from various celebrities could be seen being carried by workers into the funeral home, including from Aaron Kwok, a veteran of Hong Kong’s pop music scene in the 1990s.
Choi was cremated on Monday with a black hearse embellished with pink flowers ferrying her body to a famous monastery on a nearby island.
Choi’s ex-husband Alex Kwong, 28, his brother Anthony, 31, and their father, Kwong Kau, 65, have been charged with murder over her death. Alex Kwong’s mother Jenny Li, 63, is charged with perverting the course of justice.
The family was denied bail and are currently in jail custody, with the next hearing scheduled on July 31.
Two others have been charged with assisting the ex-husband’s effort to escape, though they have been released on bail.
Pre-trial reporting restrictions are in place.
by tyler | Jun 19, 2023 | asia, CNN
Scuffles broke out in the South Korean city of Daegu on Saturday as local officials led by the mayor clashed with police during a protest against an LGBTQ festival.
Opponents including Christian organizations had applied for a provisional injunction against the Daegu Queer Culture Festival, which had received police permission to take place.
They were backed by Mayor Hong Joon-pyo, who claimed earlier this month that the event could “instill the wrong sexual culture in teenagers.”
The injunction was rejected by the court, and the parade – an annual event first held in 2009 – was allowed to continue, prompting Hong and other critics to argue instead that it posed too much of a traffic disruption. Police had warned last week that the area would see heavy congestion due to the parade, and that it would deploy personnel to help manage the traffic.
Tensions came to a head on Saturday when local government officials gathered to protest at the festival site. A video posted by the event organizers shows festival vehicles stuck on the road, unable to enter due to the protesters.
Photos show large numbers of police arriving to disperse the protesters, pushing through the crowd with shields and interlocking arms to form a human barrier.
South Korean news agency Yonhap estimated that about 500 protesters and 1,500 police officers were at the scene. The festival ultimately continued, with the parade taking place as planned.
Afterward, Hong lambasted the police on social media, accusing them of “injuring our public officials for the sake of the queer festival.” He also said that he would hold the police chief accountable, saying the festival had been held “illegally” because the city government had not given permission for organizers to occupy the road.
In a scathing response, police said the festival was a “legal assembly” with the right to use public roads, since the court had rejected all injunction requests by the opposition. It pointed out that the festival had been safely held without incident for the past 14 years, that police were simply carrying out their duty of providing protection, and urged the mayor to “stop rambling.”
Under South Korean law, organizers of assemblies and demonstrations only need to submit details to local police, such as the estimated number of attendees, to obtain permission. Police may ban an event if it causes “serious inconvenience to traffic” – but this was challenged in 2015 when a Seoul court overturned a police ban on a pride parade, ruling that it should only be banned if there is a “clear direct threat” to public peace and safety.
The Daegu police appeared to point to this case in their statement on Saturday, which referred to “court precedents” on legal assemblies.
Hong, the Daegu mayor, has previously made headlines for anti-LGBTQ statements, such as claiming that gay men would weaken the South Korean military, according to local media.
Homophobia is rife in South Korea, where there is no comprehensive anti-discrimination laws to protect LGBTQ people. South Korea does not legally recognize same-sex marriage, and is less accepting of gay couples compared to nearby democracies like Japan and Taiwan.
Every year, opponents and religious groups often show up outside the country’s biggest pride festival, the Seoul Queer Culture Festival, to blast anti-LGBTQ slogans through loudspeakers.
For years, the festival has been held in a grassy square in Seoul’s city center – but this year the city government rejected its application to use the venue, instead granting permission for a Christian youth concert, which festival organizers criticized as discriminatory.
The festival is set to go ahead on July 1 in Seoul’s busy Euljiro area instead.
by tyler | Jun 19, 2023 | asia, CNN
More than 300 Pakistani nationals have been killed in the sinking of a overcrowded fishing trawler off the coast of Greece, the latest tragedy to expose the refugee crisis confronting the European Union as tens of thousands seek sanctuary from war, persecution and poverty.
The chairman of of Pakistan’s Senate, Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani, disclosed the numbers in a statement Sunday, sending condolences to grieving families of the dead.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with you, and we pray that the departed souls find eternal peace,” Sanjrani said. “This devastating incident underscores the urgent need to address and condemn the abhorrent act of illegal human trafficking.”
Greek authorities have yet to confirm Pakistan’s death toll.
Pakistan is in the midst of its worst economic crisis in decades, with efforts to secure a financial lifeline from the International Monetary Fund complicated by political turmoil in the country.
Growth has stalled and inflation has soared in the South Asian country of 220 million over the past year. The country has struggled to import essential food products, leading to deadly stampedes at distribution centers.
The number of Pakistanis traversing dangerous routes to Europe in search of a better future has reverberated through the nation, prompting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to declare Monday a national day of mourning for those who died in the boat’s sinking.
In a tweet Sunday, he ordered a “high-level inquiry” into the incident.
“I assure the nation that those found negligent towards their duty will be held to account. Responsibility will be fixed after the inquiry and heads will roll,” Sharif wrote.
About 750 men, women and children were on the packed boat when it capsized last week, the United Nations Migration Agency (IOM) said, killing hundreds and making the tragedy one of the worst in the Mediterranean Sea, according to the EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson.
Every year, tens of thousands of migrants fleeing war, persecution, climate change and poverty risk treacherous routes to Europe.
Johansson condemned the role of “smugglers” who put people on the boats.
“They are not sending them to Europe, they are sending them to death. This is what they’re doing and it’s absolutely necessary to prevent it,” she said.
Greek authorities have faced criticism for how the disaster was handled, and uncomfortable questions have been raised about European countries’ attitudes toward migrants.
Despite the dangers, tens of thousands of people are willing to risk everything to make the unsafe journey to Europe, searching for a better life.
At the same time, many European countries have toughened their borders and their stance toward migrants.
Last week, Greek authorities denied claims that the boat had capsized after the coast guard attempted to tow it to shore.
Authorities had initially said the coast guard kept its distance but their assistance “had been declined” after they threw a rope to the vessel to “stabilize and check if it needed help.”
But Tarek Aldroobi, a man who had three relatives on board, told CNN that they had seen Greek authorities towing the vessel with ropes – but says they were tied in the “wrong places,” which caused it to capsize.
“Their boat was in a good condition and the Greek navy tried towing them to the beach but the ropes were tied in the wrong places,” Aldroobi said. “When the Greek navy tried pulling them it caused the boat to capsize.”
Speaking to Greek national broadcaster ERT, government spokesperson Ilias Siakanderis said the coast guard arrived two hours before the boat capsized after its engine broke down and there had been “no connection” between the two.
“The engine broke down at 1:40 a.m. and at 2:00 a.m. it sank – therefore there can be no connection between (the coast guard approaching the boat and the time of its sinking),” he told ERT.
The Hellenic coast guard also defended its response.
“When the boat capsized, we were not even next to boat. How could we be towing it?” Nikos Alexiou, a spokesman for the coast guard told CNN.
Alexiou said their patrol boat only used a small rope to stabilize itself while it was close to the migrant boat hours before it sank, and the patrol boat would have been unable to tow the fishing boat.
“Regretfully there was movement of people, a shift in weight probably caused by panic and the boat capsized. As soon as we got there, we started our rescue operation to collect those who were in the water,” said Alexiou.
by tyler | Jun 19, 2023 | asia, CNN
A popular song from Hong Kong’s democracy movement has begun to disappear from several major music streaming sites – including in some locations overseas – days after the Chinese business hub’s local government filed an injunction to ban the tune.
“Glory to Hong Kong” was created in 2019 and became the unofficial anthem of the now crushed democracy protests in the city, with demonstrators singing renditions throughout the mass protests that raged across the city for months on end that year.
The ballad contains lyrics that reference the phrase “liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times,” a protest slogan that has been already outlawed in 2020 for what the government and courts have declared are the phrase’s secessionist and subversive connotations.
Multiple versions of the song posted by “ThomasDGX & HongKongers,” known to be the original composer of the orchestral anthem, were no longer available on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and Google to users within the city on Wednesday.
Multiple versions and covers of the song have been recorded by other artists.
The titles of those covers can still be seen on Spotify in other parts of the world, including the United States, South Korea and Australia.
But when CNN reporters in those countries tried to play the songs they were listed as “unavailable.”
Spotify told CNN that the song was removed by the distributor and not by the platform.
Users in the US cannot purchase the song on Apple Music either, although it also still yields search results on the platform.
The song can no longer be found on Apple Music and KKBOX in Taiwan, however multiple versions of it are still available on YouTube.
CNN has reached out to YouTube, Apple Music, KKBOX, and Alphabet – the parent company of Google – for comment.
By Monday, several new uploads of the song reappeared on YouTube, and the tune could be found again on Spotify and Apple Music – even within Hong Kong.
A Facebook account tied to the original composers said they have re-uploaded the soundtrack on several music platforms as a “2023 Edition,” after initially saying last week that they were “dealing with some technical issues unrelated to the streaming services.”
“(We) stand firm against any attempts to suppress freedom of thought and speech,” the latest post on Monday said, adding that the composers back listeners’ “refusal to lose their freedom to choose music.”
CNN has reached out to the Hong Kong government for comment following the reappearance of the tracks.
Following its 1997 handover to China, Hong Kong was promised key freedoms and autonomy to run its own affairs. As a result it flourished as a bastion for free speech and creative expression within authoritarian China.
But a crackdown on dissent in the aftermath of the democracy protests has since transformed the city, especially after a sweeping national security law was imposed by Beijing in 2020.
Protest leaders have been arrested or driven into exile, while the government persists on scrubbing references to the social unrest and calls for democracy in the city. New laws have also been passed to increase censorship of films to “safeguard national security.”
Music is now coming under closer scrutiny.
Hong Kong’s government filed a court injunction on June 5 seeking to ban the broadcast or distribution of the protest song after it was mistakenly played at several international sporting events.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, city leader John Lee – a former police chief – said authorities were taking action because “Glory to Hong Kong” was “not compatible with the national interest.”
Under the injunction filed by the Department of Justice, the song’s “melody or lyrics or in combination” would be banned to avoid “inciting others to commit secession.”
It further seeks to restrain anyone from “broadcasting, performing, printing, publishing, selling, offering for sale, distributing, disseminating, displaying or reproducing (the song) in any way.”
The writ also listed 32 YouTube videos of the song, including instrumental and sign language versions.
The government’s bid to outlaw the song was heard in the High Court on Monday, but the judge has postponed a decision on the interim injunction to July 21, public broadcaster RTHK reported.
The head of Amnesty International’s China team, Sarah Brooks, described the government’s move to outlaw the song as “absurd.”
“The Hong Kong government must end its increasingly fervent crackdown on freedom of expression. A song is not a threat to national security, and national security may not be used as an excuse to deny people the right to express different political views,” Brooks said.
The semi-autonomous city does not have its own anthem. It uses the Chinese national anthem “March of the Volunteers” at events and in schools ever since it returned to Chinese sovereignty in 1997, while during the years under British rule, the city sang “God Save The Queen.”
The use of “Glory to Hong Kong” at international sporting events infuriated officials who previously criticized Google for listing the song in search results for the city’s anthem, something Google said was decided by its algorithm which returns results based on a host of criteria including popularity and relevance.
Playing the song in public in Hong Kong is now fraught with legal risk. Last year, a man who played the tune on a harmonica during a vigil for Britain’s late Queen Elizabeth II was arrested by police on suspicion of sedition.
