China

China recently announced ambitious plans to move 100 million former farmers to urban environments—enough to bring the country's urban population to 60 percent of its total.

March 25, 2014 - New York Times

Chinese and Indian cities are known for having some of the most polluted air in the world. You've likely heard about Beijing's severe smog; but in Delhi, where pollution levels are regularly higher, the hazardous air gets little notice. Why?

January 29, 2014 - The New York Times

Last year, the U.S. increased oil consumption by two percent, surpassing the increase in China for the first time in more than a decade according to a new IEA report. How does this increase square with peak car, peak VMT, and peak oil consumption?

January 25, 2014 - Marketplace

A new study reveals two findings on air pollution spewing from China's coal-burning factories. First, the pollution blows to the U.S and other nations. Second, 20% of the pollution can be traced to Western demand for cheap goods from those factories.

January 22, 2014 - Los Angeles Times - Science Now

The admission is the first from a Chinese official that puts a human cost on the country's huge air pollution problem, largely stemming from coal-burning power plants. But Shanghai had good news this week too. Rain brought blue skies and clean air.

January 11, 2014 - Marketplace

Gas prices will drop due to surging U.S. oil production according to an U.S. Energy Dept. report. Another report from the International Energy Agency points to surging carbon dioxide emissions, not from oil but from coal burning, largely from China.

January 4, 2014 - The New York Times - Energy & Environment

China's horrendously polluted air has made international headlines of late. Though its extents are less obvious, the country's mounting soil pollution crisis carries equally serious ramifications.

January 2, 2014 - The New York Times

As Chinese companies increase their direct investments in the United States, one midwestern city is reaping the rewards of close relationships with its foreign counterparts. What can Toledo teach the many cities seeking Chinese investment?

January 2, 2014 - The New York Times

A start-up tech company and electric car maker have teamed up to develop a radical car-sharing experiment. Observers are excited about the project's potential to attract urban drivers and improve notoriously poor air quality across China.

December 30, 2013 - Forbes

Though smoking is on the decline in China, lung cancer rates are rising. Twenty-year olds have joined seniors as likely patients, attributed to the toxic clouds containing particulates that regularly envelope China's eastern cities.

December 29, 2013 - Los Angeles Times - World

Air pollution and traffic are choking China's largest cities: a recent conference reveals that officials are looking to solve these twin transportation problems with economics.

December 28, 2013 - StreetsBlog NYC

Off-the-chart smog levels recorded on Friday in China’s second largest city put its 30 million residents at risk and has authorities urging people to stay indoors.

December 9, 2013 - The Huffington Post

At the edge of the Kubuqi Desert in Inner Mongolia a nonprofit organization is planting millions of trees to slow the advancing sands. At stake is the air quality in Beijing and, perhaps, "the viability of the Asian continent."

November 22, 2013 - The Washington Post

The Communist Party announced on Nov. 15 two huge changes to two long-term policies that exerted enormous control over its citizens. More couples will be allowed to have additional children and "reeducation through labor camps" will be abolished.

November 22, 2013 - The New York Times - Asia Pacific

Outside of Tianjin, in northern China, a model new town has become a symbol of something less exemplary - the country's struggles with urbanization. Broken promises and scant opportunities are creating trying conditions for former farmers.

November 11, 2013 - The New York Times

Images of a new apartment development in Qingdao, Shandong province have caused a stir on the Internet in recent weeks. The reason? Builders painted dozens of fake windows along the high-rise buildings' facades. Who were they trying to fool?

November 8, 2013 - Business Insider

The Construction Industry Council is launching a Carbon Labelling Scheme for Construction Materials in December 2013, the purpose of which is to communicate verifiable and accurate information on the carbon footprint of construction materials.

November 3, 2013 - Future Cities

No doubt, a few angry fingers were wagged in Xi'an, Shaanxi province after a superblock of apartments was built where an eight-lane highway was supposed to go. The solution: just build the highway though it.

October 25, 2013 - The Daily Mail

China's rapid rebuilding effort has produced mountains of debris as old cities are replaced with gleaming new metropolises. Illegal dumping is coming under fire as it gets more and more difficult to conceal the evidence.

October 25, 2013 - The New York Times

With particulate pollution levels well over 20 times the amount deemed safe, and visibility reduced to less than 30 feet, a choking smog brought the northeast Chinese city of Harbin to a standstill Monday.

October 21, 2013 - The New York Times