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The Thirsty Dragon: Food Supply, Fracking, And Water Scarcity Challenge China’s Juggernaut Economy
October 21st, 2012
Courtesy of Circle of Blue, a look at China’s water related challenges ahead: An expensive program to expand irrigation networks is occurring in Inner Mongolia, Jilin, and Liaoning provinces, which has prompted concern because it would push new irrigation canals into highly erodible grassland regions. These provinces have some of the worst desertification in the […]
Read more »The Thirsty Dragon And Parched Tiger: Why India And China Should Discuss Tibet
October 5th, 2012
Via First Post, an article on the issue of Tibet and the role water politics may play in upcoming discussions between India and China: The issue of Tibet should be “on the table†during talks between India and China, Tibetan political leader Lobsang Sangay said here Friday. “I believe Tibet should be on the table […]
Read more »The Thirsty Dragon: Water – China’s Top Threat?
October 4th, 2012
Via Week In China, some commentary on the recent HSBC reporting looking at China’s impending water stress: The Chinese have long been accustomed to associating their rivers with colours. The best example is the Yellow River, the country’s second-longest after the Yangtze. The Yangtze also gets local mention as the Golden Waterway or Gold Sands […]
Read more »The Thirsty Dragon: China Needs Its Own Dream
October 3rd, 2012
Via The New York Times, an article describing the confrontation between population growth and water in China, arguing that a nation developing as fast as that one is bound to hit big economic and ecological impediments: On Nov. 8, China is set to hold the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party. We already know […]
Read more »U.S. Water Diversion Plan Draws Comparisons With China’s South-North Project
September 28th, 2012
Via China Dialogue, an interesting comparison of a California plan to China’a massive south-north diversion project: Plans for a major water diversion plan in California have been criticised as a political gamble that benefits agribusiness and farmers at the expense of the environment.  California’s governor Jerry Brown is facing mounting obstacles to his 50-year […]
Read more »The Thirsty Dragon: Yellow River Threatened By Desertification In Tibet’s Wetlands
September 21st, 2012
Via China Dialogue, an article on how the Tibetan plateau’s Zoige wetlands, a crucial water source for the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, continue to deteriorate despite conservation efforts:  The “kidneys†of the Tibetan plateau are failing. The Zoige Wetland National Nature Reserve, which sits on the northeastern fringe of western China’s Qinghai-Tibet plateau, […]
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