Tony
I apologize for sending you on what seems to be a considerably time-consuming but enlightening wild goose chase and especially for toning down the profanity.
Upon further but nominal research, spurred on by your rebuttal, I must admit again, I don't really know what China's WW2 debts are at all and whether they have been paid off. It seems extremely convoluted (US Lend-Lease program) and difficult to track down reliably - published books tending to be significantly more reliable than internet searches.
The core issue was China was repaying war debts to the former USSR in part, using grain, which exacerbated an already bad domestic situation.
As mentioned and apparently verified, I was surprised that the UK repaid it's sizable war debt to the USA in full, to include interest payments. Not surprised that the UK repaid it - but surprised that the USA did NOT forgive the war debt, as it had with Japan and Germany - which were actually war reparations - a debt with a different name.
Geezer - similar regrets - it was NOT my intention to focus on war debts or reparations due diligence activities - but on the issue of sustainable healthcare for the masses.
The motivating philosophy was, "what kind of legacy/world would I like to leave behind for my children" and in a more practical and pragmatic perspective - if they worked for a company I helped found - what kind of sustainable health benefits would I want them to "inherit". The issue goes beyond healthcare - to the end of career retirement benefits.
Retirement benefits are at risk both here in China, Japan, and the USA (dunno about ANZ or UK), because of how the plans were structured (perpetual growth pyramid scheme).
So, in addition to robust sustainable healthcare, a robust sustainable retirement or retirement savings plan would also be in the mix.
This would perhaps go a long way to address any employee's biggest fear - long-term security, assuming the company had the ability to also be a long-term sustainable company, spanning the 30+ year employment cycle.
University in Yunnan requires students to run 240 kilometers for graduation
Posted byAs a parent - I'd send my kids there just because of that policy. I wonder if it'll spread to state owned companies.
Update: Kunming Metro Line 3 open as of August 29
Posted byWow - thanks for the update(s). This opens a brand new line of journalistic travel reporting fog gokm. What to see & do around each station (temples, eateries, entertainment, etc).
Look forwards to the municipal subway exit travel reporting (for tourists and locals alike).
And you can also do travel video spots for the local tv channels - chinese love (I think) to see foreigners who can speak reasonably fluently and whom are delighted with the local culture(s).
I'm just glad we can finally (maybe) get to dianchi without grabbing taxis, didiche or buses.
Report: Communally owned forests hold key to healthier China re-greening
Posted byCentral government mandates general or qualitative requirements, It is then the responsibility of various provinces to implement quantitative results.
How would one structure sustainable pilot projects, to demonstrate such diversity - to include funding and finance? Each ecosystem is diverse from the next - so to initiate a project requires finance to study the current (or previously existing) bio-diversity, to develop a sustainable plan to move forwards with responsibly and sustainably managed resources.
This requires access to academic and commercial resources - who won't work for free.
Alien's solution is direct, but probably not scalable, sustainable and therefore feasible (too many people - reduce population).
When presenting an issue or problem, it's always a good idea to have at least three potentially feasible solutions for discussion and implementation.
Interview: Brian Eyler on Baihetan, China's second largest dam
Posted byplease forgive the grammatical errors... (example conscious vs conscience)...etc.."dammed" spelling corrector...
Interview: Brian Eyler on Baihetan, China's second largest dam
Posted by@east
Concur with your assessment - but fossil fuels are a known depleting asset, hence the long-term (perhaps beyond our lifespan) national impetus behind these assets.
Also agree that hydropower construction can be infinitely more LEED-ish in their construction behavior.
On that note - many of the more heavily polluting industries such as mining, refineries, etc can be made significantly cleaner through energy based solutions - which we have yet to witness generally in China.
For example, pollution from Guangzhou's fossil plants can energy-assisted technologies currently in use in developed countries - so that's perhaps a hybrid solution that benefits both parties - assuming one can find the funding to implement such technologies AND the project owners are sufficiently motivated to implement such cleaner technology supplements/complements - aka central government mandates, grants, and subsidies.
As for the legendary Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) - those usually come with FIT (Feed in Tariff) agreements - hence the short-term nature of these agreements. We've seen globally that FIT programs are short-term solutions to encourage market entry, but are non-sustainable.
As for grid congestion - that's an issue of planning. As you've noted, China and even developed countries still have not developed the technologies to enable efficient long-distance transmission of power.
Hydropower isn't going away - so the best solution is to hybridize and try to work with what we have to minimize all the valid issues you've raised and do our best to render these systems more ecologically harmonious - example hybridized sluice - where we can still sustainably maintain the downstream environments at a safe but sustainable level.
Too often, commercial and environmental interests stand diametrically opposed and commercial interests typically dominate.
So if you have viable suggestions that can be presented to the NDRC, I'd be more than willing and interested to discuss and perhaps help frame the projects and finance (in English, regrettably), along with potential downstream domestic government and pseudo-government investors, to add to hopefully create a potentially overwhelming sustainable, scalable, and feasible solution that NDRC can in good conscious mandate.
It's not a perfect solution - but perhaps a good first step to more responsible resource utilization and management and infinitely better than standing still, diametrically opposed.
I suppose this would be called "managed wetlands" or something like that (as opposed to eliminated wetlands) - assuming the issue is downstream wetland ecosystems.
Feel free to PM (private mail) me to discuss how to move forwards - perhaps even generate multi-lateral support.
While it may not seem apparent, ALL governmental infrastructure projects require feasibility studies, which include social and environmental impact studies - so the first starting place is to examine those studies, to understand the current standard government logic and behavior in approving and or waiving of those social and environmental costs.
To access this information, you'll absolutely need a strong commercial or government partner - the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.
Again - the objective is to change the working model so we're all actively working together as opposed to butting heads (with a little central government mandate to help encourage the reticent).