China Environment Series: Coal Heaven, Water Hell

The Woodrow Wilson Center’s China Environment Forum has just published the 12^th edition of its China Environment Series (CES12). This edition, like previous editions, is packed full of interesting content focusing on environmental issues in and around China. This year, the special focus is on the water-energy nexus, and opportunities for cooperation over clean energy between the United States and China.

Included in the CES12 is a piece we, along with our colleague Troy Sternberg at Oxford University, wrote in 2012 on coal gasification in Inner Mongolia. The article is titled “Inner Mongolia: Coal Heaven, Water Hell,” which not-so-subtly alludes to the abundance of coal in the region, but a scarcity of water. This is especially problematic given the significant amount of water needed for the “gasification” of coal, and the prospects for increased water scarcity in the region as the climate changes.

The China Environment Forum has also issued a call for proposals for the 13^th edition of its China Environment Series. More details on this can be found here.  Beyond the series, Jennifer Turner, Director of the China Environment Forum, and her team, do an amazing job of bringing together experts in the area and hosting informative events (many of which are streamed online, so you don’t have to be in Washington, DC to participate). The program is worth checking out.