World’s largest solar plant goes online in China
Huanghe Hydropower Development has connected a 2.2 GW solar plant to the grid in the desert in China’s remote Qinghai province. The project is backed by 202.8 MW/MWh of storage.
East Asia
East Asia spans countries including China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. This archive gathers reported milestones from the region — covering public health, environmental efforts, technology, and social progress. Each entry highlights specific, verifiable developments worth knowing about.
China, top global emitter, aims to go carbon-neutral by 2060
Citing the Paris Agreement that he and former U.S. President Barack Obama helped forge in 2015, Chinese President Xi Jinping said his country would raise its emissions reduction targets. “We aim to have CO2 emissions peak before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060,” he said.
Air pollution falls in China after extensive efforts to reduce emissions
New research published by The Lancet and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the China National Key Research and Development Program has found that annual deaths from air pollution in China are now below 1990 levels, having peaked in 2013.
Dirty diesel vehicles banned from Seoul’s public fleets in 2025
Seoul, South Korea, is taking a step toward vehicle electrification with a new plan to phase out diesel vehicles from its public fleets by 2025, including mass transit fleets.
U.K. to open citizenship path to Hong Kongers
Eligible individuals from Hong Kong currently can come to the U.K. for six months without a visa. With the rule change, they will have the right to live and work in the country for five years. After that, they will be allowed to apply for settled status and then again for citizenship.
South Korea commits $61 billion for ‘net-zero society’ by 2025
The five-year, $61 billion initiative calls for zero-energy public facilities and is expected to create 660,000 new jobs and reducing GHG by 12 million tons.
Japan begins requiring all retailers to charge for plastic bags
All retail outlets across the country are required to charge customers for the use of plastic bags. The new requirement is an attempt by the government to reduce the amount of plastic that ends up in the country’s rivers, forests, streams and, ultimately, surrounding oceans.
Critically endangered Hainan gibbons return from brink of extinction
“Even though the numbers are still small, you can see a future for this animal,” said senior conservation officer Philip Lo Yik-fui of Hong Kong-based Kadoorie Conservation China, which was driving efforts to protect the gibbons and expand their habitat.
Seoul subsidizes 700 electric taxis
South Korea’s capital, Seoul, is purchasing 700 electric taxis. This subsidy is worth 18.2 million won (around $15,000) per EV, far more than the 12.7 million ($10,300) subsidy for buying an EV for personal use.
Blood plasma taken from COVID-19 survivors could aid recovery, new study shows
In several of the patients the virus cleared up entirely, leading the authors to conclude that plasma “can serve as a promising rescue option” for severe COVID-19 cases.