The Water Beneath Blue Skies

There is no doubt that air pollution was one of the major headlines at China’s CPPCC & NPC meetings. As Premier Li Keqiang promised to step up the battle on air pollution saying, “we will make our skies blue again”, we take a look at blue skies but also what lies beneath, water, in our key takeaways.  It’s not just the government but also on-ground organisations taking action on water pollution. One such is MyH2O, one of China’s first online crowdsourcing networks covering drinking water quality. We sat down with its founder, Charlene Ren, to learn about its inception, work and next steps.  Along with quality, China’s water scarcity is another serious issue. WRI’s latest data shows that water stress across 54% of China worsened in 2001-2010. Dr Jiao Wang, Dr Lijin Zhong & Charles Iceland share the good and the bad news from their research. Since water and energy are inextricably linked, tackling one can result in mutual benefits. An example of a water and air win-win as Xylem’s Lu Shuping shows lies in China’s energy intensive wastewater treatment industry. With its rapid expansion it is ripe for attractive energy saving opportunities. Meanwhile, China had the biggest carbon emissions reduction for the first time. PwC’s Robert Milnes on how this is tracked in their Low Carbon Economy Index. While blue skies may be the focus, water and soil are no less important. So, get up to date with our review of China’s key water policies over the last year.