InsightOut Issue 5- Choke Point Solutions: Can Western China Lower its Coal-Water Risk?

The last remaining coal-fired power plant has closed in Beijing, yet another casualty in Xi Jinping’s war on pollution. Beijing now has bluer skies, but coal still powers the capital city—transmitted in from power plants far in China’s coal-rich but water-scarce western provinces. Almost 60 percent of the water footprint from Beijing’s energy consumption comes from coal mined and burned in two of China’s most arid western provinces, Inner Mongolia and Shanxi. More stringent air emission targets and monitoring are improving air quality in Beijing and other east coast cities, but at a cost of increased water and pollution risks in western China.

Molly Bradtke is a senior associate with the international conservation NGO Rare.

Lyssa Freese is a Ph.D. candidate at MIT in Atmospheric Science.

David Fridley is a staff scientist at the China Energy Group.

Shaofeng Jia is the vice director to Center for Water Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Huai Jiang is a member of E3 with an M.S. degree in Environmental Economics and Policy.

Shan Jiang is a member at the China Institute of Water Resources and hydropower Research.

Fredrich (Fritz) Kahrl is the director of Research and International Consulting at E3.

Nina (Zheng) Khanna is a Scientific Engineering Associate in the China Energy Group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Kaboo Leung is a Senior Analyst at Trucost, part of S&P Dow Jones Indices.

Hengwei Liu is a seasoned energy professional with nearly 20 years of experience.

Kate Logan is the Green Choice Outreach Director at IPE in Beijing.

Ma Jun is the founder of the nonprofit organization IPE in Beijing.

Siyi Mi is an analyst at Collective Responsibility with a Master’s degree in Public Affairs.

Yueying (Jasmine) Ouyang is a consultant at E3 with an M.S. degree in Environmental Management and Economics.

Mingxuan Wang is a project officer at Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs.

Lianhua Wang is the director of the Water Resources Institute within the China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research.

Jingjing Zhang is a lead researcher in several projects funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Yong Zhao is the vice director of the State Key Laboratory of China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research Preparatory Office.

Nan Zhou is a researcher at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory focusing on modeling and evaluating China’s low-carbon development strategies.

Yongnan Zhu is a senior engineer at the China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research.

Managing editors, Molly Bradtke and Elisabeth Freese.

Insight Out Expert Voices on China's Energy and Environmental Challenges - On Scribd