Written by Probe International

Officials in Beijing have approved a plan to rebuild the once-flowing Yongding river in the southwest corner of the city. According to reports, officials have agreed to spend 17-billion RMB ($2.48-billion) to construct an ecosystem of interconnected creeks and lakes.  read more »

Bagladesh has refused a $94-million-dollar offer of climate aid from the British government, saying the money, which would have been channelled through the World Bank, comes attached with unfavourable “terms and conditions”.  read more »

Ren Xinghui’s recent decision to sue China's Ministry of Finance over the Three Gorges levy—added to electricity bills in the 1990s to help pay for the massive infrastructure project—has raised a number of eyebrows. But perhaps the most interesting aspect of Ren's campaign so far has been the lack of a response from government officials—marking what some commentators are calling a new move towards government transparency.  read more »

The large-scale construction that accompanied the building of the Three Gorges dam and its reservoir has increased the number of landslides―both new and reactivated―in the surrounding area. County seats recently built on land near the reservoir are now particularly prone to landslides. Local schools and residential buildings are already suffering cracked foundations and walls.  read more »

Beijing’s worsening water crisis is once again forcing its neighbouring province Hebei to sacrifice more of its dwindling reserves. According to a recent report from China Daily, Hebei is expected to open four of its reservoirs this year in an effort to help cover demand in the country's water-starved capital.   read more »

As Beijing’s water crisis continues to worsen, government officials say they intend to transform the city’s famed Olympic Water Cube into a massive water park, featuring seven-story water slides and a wave machine. Operators of the stadium say the project will cost 200-million yuan ($29-million).  read more »

Criticism of the high salaries being offered to contractors working with AusAID, Australia's national aid agency, is the latest example of the increased scrutiny facing aid agencies around the world. The criticism comes after a recent audit showed that a number of aid workers are earning more money than the country’s Prime Minister. And they’re doing so tax-free.  read more »

Soaring Chinese investment in Africa has placed the international aid community on high alert. While policymakers around the world debate whether China's no-strings-attached approach to African investment is good for the continent’s economic development, many onlookers have failed to ask: how do Africans feel about it? A recent poll, "How do Africans see China after all?" by academic Loro Horta, suggests opinion is strongly divided.  read more »

In what might be a first, China's state media is telling the truth about migrants who were forced off their land to make way for the massive Three Gorges dam.  A recent China Daily story covered the painstaking details of a family trying to integrate in a new community after being forced to move to an east coast city from their home in the southwest.  read more »

Optimists say the carbon market could one day be worth as much as $2-3-trillion dollars if countries like the United States implement a legally-binding cap-and-trade system. But those numbers may be wildly optimistic in the wake of the scandals involving scientists and research centres supporting climate change and the recent political back-tracking on implementing cap-and-trade schemes. More realistically, the carbon market  is struggling just to stay relevant.  read more »