官員稱中國推動“共同繁榮”並不意味著“殺死富人”

Recently Yahoo News on line reported the following:

China's 'common prosperity' push does not mean 'killing the rich', official says

Wed., August 25, 2021, 9:46 p.m.

By Gabriel Crossley

BEIJING (Reuters) -China's drive for "common prosperity", as President Xi Jinping aims to ease inequality in the world's second-largest economy, does not mean "killing the rich to help the poor", an official from the ruling Communist Party said on Thursday.

China must also "guard against falling into the trap of welfarism", Han Wenxiu, an official at the central financial and economic affairs commission, told a briefing in Beijing.

Those who "get rich first" should help those behind, but hard work should be encouraged, he said.

"We cannot wait for help, rely on others for help, or beg for help. We cannot support layabouts."

Investors have been rattled by a series of measures, including a crackdown on several industries, that are in part aimed at curbing cost-of-living pressures, as well as tightening anti-monopoly rules and data protections.

Han said recent policies regulating internet companies aimed at irregularities and illegal behaviour, and "absolutely" did not target private companies or foreign companies.

Reforms four decades ago that unleashed China's market economy enabled the accumulation of vast personal wealth, with hundreds of billionaires minted in the still avowedly socialist country, deepening inequality, especially between urban and rural areas.

The high cost of urban living, meanwhile, has contributed to a sharp slowdown in births, prompting China this year to allow families to have up to three children instead of two. Slowing economic growth and cutthroat competition have also prompted some young urbanites to embrace a passive attitude known as "lying flat".

 EXCESSIVE INCOMES

Legal income should be protected but China should "rationally adjust excessively high" incomes, according to a meeting chaired by Xi earlier this month. High-income groups and firms are also being encouraged to contribute more to society.

Charitable giving should be encouraged through taxation policies and can improve the "distribution structure", but donations were "not compulsory", Han added.

Several tech industry heavyweights have recently announced major charitable donations and support for disaster relief efforts. Online gaming giant Tencent Holdings said this month it would spend 50 billion yuan ($7.71 billion) to promote "common prosperity."

"More big corporations are going to set up social responsibility funds if they have yet to do so, and the size of donations from them should increase," Iris Pang, chief economist for Greater China at ING, said in a note this week.

"Corporates need to take bigger steps to enhance their corporate governance and social responsibility. They need to work to get ahead of the regulators."

China's wealthy eastern province of Zhejiang, which is a "demonstration zone" for common prosperity, also announced Thursday that by 2025, rural residents should have on average annual disposable incomes of 44,000 yuan per year.

That compares with average nationwide rural disposable incomes of just over 17,000 yuan in 2020, according to official data.

($1 = 6.4830 Chinese yuan renminbi)

Translation

北京（路透社）- 一位執政的共產黨官員在星期四說, 中國推動“共同繁榮”並不意味著“殺富濟貧”, 中國國家主席習近平旨在緩解世界第二大經濟體的不平等。

中央財經委官員韓文秀 (Han Wenxiu) 在北京舉行的一次吹風會上說，中國也必須“謹防掉入福利主義的陷阱”。

他說，那些“先富起來”的人應該幫助落後的人，但應該鼓勵努力工作。

“我們不能等待幫助，不能依賴他人的幫助，也不能乞求幫助。我們不能支持懶惰者。”

一系列措施令投資者感到不安，包括進行打擊多個行業，這些措施部分旨在遏制生活成本壓力，以及收緊反壟斷規則和數據保護。

韓說，最近監管互聯網公司的政策旨在針對違規行為和非法行為，“絕對”不針對私營公司或外國公司。

四十年前釋放中國市場經濟的改革, 促成了巨大的個人財富的積累，數百名億萬富翁在這個仍公開宣稱的社會主義國家誕生，加劇了不平等，尤其是城鄉之間的不平等。

與此同時，城市生活的高成本導致出生率急劇下降，促使中國今年允許家庭最多生育三個孩子，而不是兩個。經濟增長放緩和競爭激烈也促使一些年輕的都市人接受一種被稱為“平躺”的被動態度。

 

過高的收入

根據習近平本月早些時候主持的一次會議，合法收入應該得到保護，但中國應該“理性調整過高”的收入。還鼓勵高收入群體和企業為社會做出更多貢獻。

韓補充說，應通過稅收政策鼓勵慈善捐贈，並可以改善“分配結構”，但捐贈“不是強制性的”。

幾家科技行業巨頭最近宣布了重大慈善捐款和對救災工作的支持。網絡遊戲巨頭騰訊控股本月表示，將斥資 500 億元人民幣（77.1 億美元）促進“共同繁榮”。

ING 大中華區首席經濟學家 彭藹嬈 (Iris Pang) 在本週的一份簡報中表示： “更多大公司將要設立社會責任基金，如果他們還沒有這樣做的話。他們的捐款規模應該會增加。”

“企業需要採取更大的措施來加強他們的公司治理和社會責任。他們需要努力超前監管機構。”

作為共同富裕“示範區”的中國東部富裕省份浙江周四也宣布，到2025年，農村居民年均可支配收入應達到 4.4萬元人民幣。

相比之下, 官方的數據顯示2020 年全國農村平均可支配收入為略高於 1.7 萬元人民幣。

($1 = 6.4830 人民幣)

              So, according to Iris Pang, chief economist for Greater China at ING, "More big corporations are going to set up social responsibility funds if they have yet to do so, and the size of donations from them should increase".  I am wondering if the foreign companies inside China will need to do the same. If not, it seems that local and foreign companies will not be competing on the same footing.

WHO - The number of new corona infections in the world leveled off

Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

世界の新型コロナ新規感染者数、横ばい傾向か　ＷＨＯ

2021.08.25 Wed posted at 19:00 JST

 （ＣＮＮ） 世界保健機関（ＷＨＯ）は２３日、世界の新型コロナウイルス感染状況に関する最新の報告書を発表し、新規感染者数の合計が増加から横ばいに転じているとの見方を示した。

ＷＨＯの集計によると、先週世界で確認された新規感染者は４５０万人あまりで、死者は約６万８０００人。前週の新規感染者約４４０万人、死者約６万６０００人からは微増にとどまった。

累計の感染者数は２億１１００万人、死者は４４０万人を超えた。

世界の感染者は５月にいったん横ばいとなったが、ここ２カ月は多くの国で感染力の強いデルタ変異株が広がり、急増傾向が続いていた。

先週報告された新規感染者が最も多かったのは米国の１０２万人で、前の週より１５％増加した。２位以下にはイラン、インド、英国、ブラジルが続いている。

新規感染者の増加率はオーストラリアを含む西太平洋地域が２０％で最も大きく、２位が南北アメリカの８％。東南アジアと地中海東部では減少していた。

オーストラリアでは先週、１日の新規感染者数が過去最多記録の更新を繰り返し、昨年８月のピークを超えた。

ニュージーランドは感染者が１人見つかったことを受けて全国にロックダウン（都市封鎖）措置を導入したが、２５日までに計２１０人の感染が確認されている。

ＷＨＯは報告書の中で、デルタ株などの登場により、ワクチン普及の必要性と感染対策を維持することの重要性が浮き彫りになったと指摘。英イングランドで最近、行動制限の解除を遅らせれば１日当たりの入院患者数のピークを３分の１近くまで減らせるというモデル研究が報告されたことを挙げ、制限解除はワクチン接種率や変異株の感染状況をみながら慎重に進めるべきだと強調した。

Translation

(CNN) The World Health Organization (WHO) on the 23rd released the latest report on the status of coronavirus infection in the world, saying that the total number of newly infected people had leveled off from an increase.

According to WHO data, more than 4.5 million new infections were confirmed worldwide last week, with about 68,000 dead. It increased only slightly from about 4.4 million newly infected people and about 66,000 dead last week.

The cumulative number of infected people had exceeded 211 million and the death toll has exceeded 4.4 million.

While the number of infected people in the world leveled off in May, the number of highly infectious Delta mutants had spread in many countries over the past two months, and the number was continuing to increase rapidly.

The highest number of new cases reported last week was 1.02 million in the United States, up 15% from the previous week. Following in the second place and down were Iran, India, the United Kingdom and Brazil.

The rate of increase in new infections was the highest in the western Pacific region, including Australia at 20%, and followed by 8% in the Americas. It was decreasing in Southeast Asia and the eastern Mediterranean.

In Australia, the number of new infections per day hit a record high last week, surpassing its peak in August last year.

New Zealand had introduced lockdown measures nationwide following the discovery of one infected person. Yet by the 25th a total of 210 people had been confirmed infected.

In a report, WHO pointed out that the appearance of Delta strains and other strains highlighted the need for vaccine dissemination and the importance of maintaining infection control measures. In England, a model study recently reported that delaying the lifting of movement restrictions could reduce the peak number of hospitalized patients per day to nearly one-third. It emphasized that the lifting of restrictions should be carried out carefully with reference to the vaccination rate and the infection status of mutant strains.

              So, the World Health Organization (WHO) releases the latest report on the status of coronavirus infection, saying that the total number of newly infected people has leveled off. I am wondering when will be the time for this number go down.

TEPCO - Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant announced a policy to release treated water at about 1km offshore

Recently NHK On-line reported the following:

東電 福島第一原発 処理水 1kmほど沖合から放出方針を発表

2021年8月25日 20時25分

福島第一原子力発電所でたまり続けるトリチウムなどを含む処理水について、東京電力は基準以下に薄めたうえで新たに作る海底トンネルを通して原発の1キロほど沖合から放出する方針を発表しました。

東京電力は25日、福島第一原発構内で会見を開き、たまり続ける処理水の具体的な放出方法やモニタリングの強化などについて今後の方針を説明しました。

処理水については、大型のポンプでくみ上げた海水を混ぜ合わせて基準以下の濃度に薄め、新たに作る海底トンネルを使って原発の1キロほど沖合から放出するとしました。

沖合から行う理由として、放出した処理水を再び取水しないためなどと説明し、海底トンネルの建設に向けては関係者に意見を聞いたうえで海底の調査を始め、2023年の春までの設置完了を目指すということです。

また、当面はトリチウムの濃度が基準値以下かを測定してから放出する考えを示しました。

そのうえで、トリチウムの拡散状況や魚類などへの放射性物質の移行状況を確認するため、調査のポイントや回数を増やすなどしモニタリングを強化するとしています。

また、東京電力は処理水の放出によって風評被害が発生した場合の賠償の具体的な考え方も示し、新たに風評被害が生じた場合は地域や業種ごとの価格や取り引き量といった統計データなどを用いて損害を推認するとしています。

福島第一廃炉推進カンパニーの小野明代表は「漁業者などにご負担をおかけし心苦しく思っています。最大限風評対策をとり、理解を得られるよう進めたい」と話しました。

南相馬市長「影響が少ない方法を」

原発に近い沿岸部にある福島県南相馬市の門馬和夫市長は「処理水の処分方法に関する技術的なことについては国などでしっかりと調査し、風評被害が起きないよう処分による影響が少ない方法を取ってほしい」と述べました。

漁師らからは風評被害が起きないか疑問の声

福島県の漁業関係者からは、その方法で風評被害が起きないのかという疑問の声が上がっています。

新地町の30代の漁師は「原発から直接流しても、1キロほど離れた場所で流しても、状況はあまり変わらないと思うし、多大な費用がかかるだけだと思う。そもそも過去にさまざまなトラブルを隠してきた東京電力が安全に処分できるのか、風評被害を起こさないのか疑問は消えないし、国民の理解を得ていない状況では海洋放出自体に納得できない」と話していました。

また去年、浪江町で水産会社を再開させた柴孝一社長は「海の潮の流れに沿って処理水を広範囲に拡散させる効果はあるかもしれませんが、それで風評被害が起きないかというと、そんな簡単な問題ではないと思います。私たちの会社も従業員を多く雇っていますし、原発からの距離も近いので、国や東京電力には風評が出ない処分方法を検討し続けてほしい」と話していました。

韓国「事前の協議や了解なく遺憾」

韓国政府は25日、対応を協議するための会議を開きました。

この中でク・ユンチョル（具潤哲）国務調整室長は「最も近い隣国である韓国政府といかなる事前の協議や了解もなく、一方的に進められていることに対し改めて遺憾の意を表明する」と述べました。

また「一方的な放出の推進を直ちに中止し、まずは近隣諸国との十分な協議と意思の疎通をしていくことが責任ある国際社会の一員としての望ましい姿勢だ」としています。

そのうえで「国民の安全を最優先として、今後も必要な措置を国際社会とともに取っていく」と強調し、東京電力が発表した計画を詳しく分析する考えを示しました。

Translation

On how to handle the water containing tritium etc. that was continuing to accumulate at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, TEPCO had announced a policy on releasing them at about 1 km offshore from the nuclear power plant through a newly constructed undersea tunnel after diluting it to meet the safety standard.

TEPCO held a press conference on the premises of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant on the 25th, and explained its future policy on the concrete method in water discharging, and on strengthening the monitoring of the treated water that continued to accumulate.

Regarding the treated water, it would be mixed with seawater pumped up by a large pump so as to dilute it to a concentration level that met the standard. A newly made undersea tunnel would be used to discharge the water offshore about 1 km from the nuclear power plant.

They explained that the reason for releasing the treated water offshore was not to take-in the discharged treated water again. After asking the people concerned on the construction of the undersea tunnel, an investigation of the seabed would be started and the aim was to complete the installation by the spring of 2023.

In addition, at present, the releasing would be considered only after measuring the concentration level of tritium had met the safety standard.

In addition, in order to confirm the diffusion situation of tritium, and the situation on the transfer of radioactive substances to fish etc., they would strengthen monitoring works by increasing the points and the number of surveys.

In addition, TEPCO also showed a concrete idea to make ​​ compensation in the event of reputational damages caused by the release of treated water; and it was supposed that when new reputational damage occurred, statistical data such as prices and transaction volumes for each region and industry would be used to infer the damage.

Akira Ono (小野明), representative of the Fukushima Daiichi Decommissioning Promotion Company said, " I'm sorry to trouble you regarding the burden on the fishermen and others, I would like to take all possible measures to deal with reputational damage matter, and I want to proceed with gaining your understanding."

Mayor of Minamisoma "to take a method that has less impact"

In Fukushima Prefecture, Kazuo Monma (門馬和夫) the mayor of Minamisoma City (南相馬市) that was located in the coastal area near the nuclear power plant said, "We will thoroughly investigate the technical matters etc. regarding the disposal method of treated water in the national government. I want to have a disposal method that would cause less impact so that rumor damage does not occur".

Fishermen question whether damage from rumor might occur

Fukushima Prefecture fishermen were wondering if that method might cause rumors.

A fisherman in his thirties in Shinchi-cho (新地町) said, "I don't think the situation will differ much whether the treated water flows directly from the nuclear power plant or about a kilometer away, and it will only cost a lot of money. The question remains whether TEPCO, which has hidden various troubles in the past, can safely disposed of it. The question on whether it could cause reputational damage will not go away, and the ocean releasing itself is unconvincing in a situation where the public does not understand.”

In addition, President Koichi Shiba (柴孝一) of a fishery company in Namie Town (浪江町) that was reopened last year said, "this could have the effect of spreading treated water over a wide area along with the flow of the sea tide, yet it may cause reputational damage. I don't think the problem is that simple. Our company also employs many employees, and since it is close to the nuclear power plant, I want the government and TEPCO to continue to consider a disposal method that will not cause rumors.”

South Korea "expresses regret as there is no prior consultation or agreement"

The South Korean government held a meeting on the 25th to discuss a response.

Among them, Ku Yun-chul（具潤哲）, director of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, said, "I would like to express my regret for the fact that it is proceeding unilaterally without any prior consultation or consent with the government of South Korea, which is the closest neighbor."

Also, "It is a desirable attitude as a responsible member of the international community to immediately stop implementing the unilateral release, and to first fully discuss and communicate with neighboring countries."

He emphasized that "in giving a top priority to people’s safety, we will continue to take necessary measures together with the international community", and expressed his intention to analyze the plan announced by TEPCO in detail.

So, in handling the water that contains tritium etc. which continues to accumulate at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, TEPCO has announced a policy on releasing it at about 1 km offshore from the nuclear power plant through a newly constructed undersea tunnel after diluting it to a level that meets the safety standard.

Flooding in Germany - its probability increases up to 9 times due to climate change - international research

Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

ドイツ大洪水、気候変動で確率が最大９倍に上昇　国際研究

2021.08.24 Tue posted at 19:30 JST

 ロンドン（ＣＮＮ） ドイツなど西欧に先月、大規模な洪水をもたらした豪雨は、気候変動の影響で確率が１．２～９倍に上昇した結果起きたとする研究結果が報告された。

気候変動の影響を分析する国際プロジェクト「世界気象アトリビューション（ＷＷＡ）」の科学者ら３９人が、先月１２～１５日に２２０人以上の死者を出した水害について調べた。

大規模な集中豪雨は４００年に１度の現象だったこと、１日の雨量は気候変動のために３～１９％増加していたことも明らかになったという。

英オックスフォード大学環境変動研究所のフリードリク・オットー副所長は「先進国も異常気象の影響を免れないことが、この洪水で分かった」と指摘する。

オランダ・トゥウェンテ大学のマールテン・ファンアールスト博士によると、４００年に１度というのは対象地域での頻度（ひんど）で世界のほかの地域で今後４００年、同じようなことが起きないという意味ではない。気候変動は年々進んでいるため、異常気象のリスクも年ごとに増大すると予想される。

研究者らはドイツやベルギーの川沿いのほかにフランスやオランダ、ルクセンブルク、スイスの状況も考慮し、コンピューター・シミュレーションを使って、産業革命前の１８００年代後半と、当時より気温が１．２度上昇した現在を比較した。これに基づき、気温が産業革命前より２度上昇した場合は、豪雨発生の確率がさらに１．２～１．４倍に上昇し、１日の雨量がさらに０．８～６％増加すると予想している。

ファンアールスト博士は「私たちにできるのは、リスクがますます手に負えなくなる事態を防ぐために温室効果ガスの増加を止めること、その一方でさらなる異常気象に備えることだ」と語った。

Translation

 London (CNN) - Last month, a study had reported that the heavy rains that caused large-scale flooding in Western Europe such as Germany were the result of a 1.2-fold to 9-fold probability increase due to the effects of climate change.

In an international project that analyzed the effects of climate change, thirty-nine scientists from the “World Meteorological Attribution (WWA)” investigated flood damages that killed more than 220 people on the 12th to 15th of last month.

It was also revealed that this large-scale torrential rain was a phenomenon that happened once every 400 years, and that the daily rainfall increased from 3% to 19% due to climate change.

Friederike Otto, the deputy director of the Institute for Environmental Change at the Oxford University said, "The floods have shown that developed countries are not immune to extreme weather events too".

According to Dr. Maarten van Aalst of the University of Twente in the Netherlands, once every 400 years would be a frequency of a specifically targeted area, and it didn't mean the same would not occur in another part of the world in the next 400 years. As climate change progressed yearly, the risk of extreme weather events was expected to increase every year.

Researchers had, on top of along the rivers in Germany and Belgium, also taken into account the situation in France, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Switzerland, and used computer simulations to compare the latter half of the 1800s before the Industrial Revolution with the present when the temperature rose 1.2 degrees since that time. Based on this, if the temperature rose 2 degrees from before the Industrial Revolution, the probability of heavy rainfall could further increase by 1.2 to 1.4 times, and the daily rainfall would further increase by 0.8 to 6%.

Dr. Maarten van Aalst said, " In order to prevent the risk from becoming increasingly unmanageable, what we can do is to stop the increase in greenhouse effect and prepare for more extreme weather at the same time".

So, a study has showed that the heavy rains that caused large-scale floods in Western Europe such as Germany were the effects of climate change, and to stop an increase in greenhouse effect will be the only way out.

氣候變化：中國石化建設全球最大太陽能製氫廠，力爭比較國家目標提前十年實現碳中和

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

Climate Change: China’s Sinopec builds world’s biggest solar hydrogen plants in bid to achieve carbon neutrality a decade before national target

Eric Ng

South China Morning Post

Mon., August 23, 2021, 2:20 a.m.

China Petrochemical Corporation, or Sinopec Group, which is vying to lead the development of China’s nascent hydrogen industry, is building what it believes to be two of the world’s largest green hydrogen projects in the country’s north.

Sinopec has invested in the plants in Ordos, in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, and in Tahe, in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, while its Hong Kong-listed unit, Sinopec Engineering, is in charge of design and construction. Both facilities will be powered by solar energy.

The company is banking on Beijing’s decarbonisation policies to boost the economic viability of and demand for the zero-carbon fuel and the equipment and facilities needed to produce it, according to the chairwoman of its engineering and technology unit, Sinopec Engineering (Group).

“It is normal for any new technology to require big cost reductions to achieve mass adoption,” Sun Lili told analysts and reporters on Monday. “We will do much more research and development, and welcome cooperation with partners to achieve these objectives.”

Sinopec, China’s largest oil refiner and petrochemical producer, aims to also become the country’s No. 1 hydrogen company by 2025 and achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, a decade ahead of the national target. Net zero, or carbon neutrality, is achieved when emissions are offset by deploying facilities to capture and store the same amount from the atmosphere. Sinopec Engineering is developing carbon capture technology to meet the group’s goal to have a demonstration plant operating by 2025.

The plant in Ordos is expected to be completed by next year, Sinopec said in May. It will supply hydrogen to a coal-to-chemicals plant there run by Zhongtian Hechuang Energy, Sinopec’s joint venture with power generator Shenergy and miners China Coal Energy and Nei Mongol Man Shi Coal Group.

The second plant will supply Sinopec’s oil refinery in Tahe. Both plants have an annual output capacity of 10,000 tons.

Although the expected carbon dioxide reduction by introducing hydrogen into the Zhongtian and Tahe projects will not be big relative to their total emissions, it will represent a change as burning hydrogen emits no carbon dioxide, Sun said.

While the investment per ton of annual production capacity to produce the so-called green hydrogen from electrolysis of water using renewable energy is comparable to conventional carbon-intensive methods using naphtha and natural gas as feedstock, the unit operating cost of green hydrogen, while falling continuously, is two to three times that of traditional ways.

The higher cost of low-carbon green hydrogen should be understood in the context that the cost of carbon emissions has not yet been reflected in prevailing production methods, Sun said. “Once the environmental cost of carbon emissions is fully accounted for in the cost equation, we will have a different understanding of the relative costs,” she added.

Her comments came a month after China’s first national carbon quotas exchange started operations in July, placing a price on emissions that cause global warming and climate change, beginning with power generation. Analysts expect carbon permit prices to rise, as decarbonisation policies become more stringent and as more sectors, including chemicals, are subjected to emissions caps in the coming years and decades.

Meanwhile, Sinopec Engineering, which builds refineries and petrochemical plants, on Monday posted a 6.9 per cent year-on-year increase in net profit to 1.34 billion yuan (US$206.4 million) for the year’s first half, as revenue grew 12.8 per cent to 26.85 billion yuan.

The company expected a substantial rise in new contracts from the domestic market in the second half, but prospects in overseas markets were clouded by delays in projects in the Middle East and South Asia amid the coronavirus pandemic, said Jiang Dejun, its president.

Sinopec Engineering signed new contracts worth 36.6 billion yuan in the first half of 2021, compared to 63 billion yuan’s worth in the whole of last year. It has signed overseas contracts worth US$1.05 billion in the first half, and is targeting a full-year total of US$1.5 billion.

Translation

中國石化集團公司，或稱中石化，正在爭先地引領中國的新興氫能產業發展，在中國北部建設相信是世界上最大的兩個綠色氫能項目。

中石化在內蒙古自治區的鄂爾多斯(Ordos)和新疆維吾爾自治區的塔河投資了工廠，而其在香港上市的子公司中石化工程則負責設計和建設。這兩個設施都將由太陽能供電。

該公司工程技術部門中石化工程（集團）的主席表示，該公司依靠北京的脫碳政策來提高零碳燃料的經濟方面的可行性和需求，以及生產它所需的設備和設施。

孫麗麗 (Sun Lili) 週一告訴分析師和記者說: “任何新技術都需要被大規模採用才能實現大幅降低成本，這很正常”; “我們將做更多的研發工作，並歡迎與夥伴合作以實現這些目標” 。

作為中國最大的煉油和石化生產商，中石化的目標是到 2025 年成為中國第一大氫能公司，到 2050 年實現淨零碳排放，比國家目標提前十年。當碳排放量相比通過部署設施從大氣中回收和儲存的量相同時, 互相抵消，就實現了淨零或碳中和。中石化工程正在開發碳捕集技術，以實現該集團到 2025 年擁有一座示範工廠的目標。

中石化在 5 月份表示，鄂爾多斯 的工廠預計將於明年完工。它將為中天合創能源 (Zhongtian Hechuang Energy) 運營的煤化工工廠供應氫氣，該工廠是中石化與申能 (Shenergy), 及内蒙古满世煤炭集团股份有限公司 開礦者的合資企業。

第二個工廠將供應中石化在塔河(Tahe) 的煉油廠。兩家工廠的年產量均為10,000噸。

孫麗麗說，雖然中天和塔河項目引入氫氣所帶來的二氧化碳減排量相, 對於它們的總排放量來說不會很大，但由於燃燒氫氣不會排放二氧化碳，這將代表一個變化。

雖然使用可再生能源電解水生產所謂的綠色氫的每噸年產能投資, 與以石腦油和天然氣為原料的傳統碳密集型方法相約，但綠色氫的單位運營成本，雖然已在持續下降, 但仍是傳統方式的兩到三倍,。

孫麗麗說，低碳綠色氫的更高成本, 應該在碳排放成本尚未反映在主流生產方法中的背景下去理解。她補充道: “一旦碳排放的環境成本, 在成本方程中得到充分考慮時，我們對於 “相對成本” 的理解就會不同” 。

她的評論是在中國首個國家碳配額交易所於 7 月開始運營一個月後發表的，該交易所為導致全球變暖和氣候變化的排放定價，從發電開始。分析師預計，隨著脫碳政策變得更加嚴格，以及包括化學品在內的更多行業在未來幾年和幾十年受到排放上限的約束，碳排放許可証的價格將上漲。

與此同時，建造煉油廠和石化廠的中石化工程建设有限公司週一公佈上半年淨利潤同比增長 6.9% 至人民幣 13.4 億元（2.064 億美元），收入增長 12.8% 至268.5億元。

該公司總裁蔣德軍示，該公司預計下半年國內市場的新合同將大幅增加，但由於中東和南亞的項目在冠狀病毒大流行期間的延誤，海外市場的前景蒙上了陰影。

中石化工程2021年上半年新簽合同366億元，去年全年為630億元。上半年已簽訂海外合同10.5億美元，全年目標15億美元。

So, China Petrochemical Corporation, or Sinopec Group is building what it believes to be two of the world’s largest green hydrogen projects in China’s north. China is making a start in dealing with carbon emission using hydrogen.

Filipinos have the highest proportion of DNA from Denisovan – shed light on unravelling the mystery of evolution

Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

フィリピンの民族、デニソワ人のＤＮＡを最も高い割合で保有　進化の謎解明に光

2021.08.17 Tue posted at 13:30 JST

（ＣＮＮ） ２０１０年に初めて発見された謎の初期人類「デニソワ人」。デニソワ人が存在していたことを示す化石上の決定的な証拠は、シベリアのアルタイ山脈のふもとにあるデニソワ洞窟で見つかった５つの骨だけだ。

しかし今、４８２８キロ離れたフィリピンの民族のＤＮＡが、人間の進化における最大の謎に新たな光を当てている。

米科学誌カレントバイオロジーに１２日に発表された論文によると、フィリピンの民族「アイタ・マグブコン」は、デニソワ人由来のＤＮＡの割合が確認されている中で最も高い。

現在の人類の一部にデニソワ人のＤＮＡが残っているのは、私たちの祖先のホモサピエンスがかつてデニソワ人と出会い、性的関係を持って、子どもをもうけたことによる。

こうした「交雑」が起きたのは今から５万年以上前、アフリカを出た現生人類がネアンデルタール人やデニソワ人と出会った時のことだ。ただ、特にデニソワ人の場合、遭遇がどこで起きたのか特定するのは難しい。

これまでにデニソワ人の化石が発見された場所はシベリアのみ。それ以外にはチベット高原で見つかったあごの骨がデニソワ人のものである可能性が指摘されている。

フィリピンとスウェーデンの共同チームは今回、フィリピンの人類史を幅広く調査し、１１８の集団の遺伝子構成を調べた。

その結果、アイタ・マグブコンがデニソワ人の遺伝子を約５％保有していることが判明。論文の著者であるスウェーデン・アプサラ大の遺伝子学者、マティアス・ヤコブソン氏によると、これは以前の研究で約４％との結果が出ていたオーストラリアのアボリジニやパプア人を上回る値だという。

論文の著者らは今回の研究結果について、デニソワ人がかつてアジア全域で暮らしていたこと、ホモサピエンス到来のはるか前にフィリピンに住んでいた可能性が高いことを改めて示すものだと指摘。異なるデニソワ人の集団がさまざまな時と場所でホモサピエンスと交雑していたこともうかがえる。

Translation

(CNN) The mysterious early human being "Denisovan" was first discovered in 2010. The only definitive fossil evidence of the existence of the Denisovans were five bones found in the Denisova Cave at the foot of the Siberian Altai Mountains.

But now, the DNA of the Filipino people, 4828 kilometers away, could shed new light on the greatest mystery of human evolution.

According to a paper published in the US scientific journal Current Biology on the 12th, the Philippine ethnic group "Aita Magbucon” had the highest share of DNA derived from Denisovans.

The DNA of the Denisovans remains in some of today's humans because our ancestor, Homo sapiens, once met the Denisovans, had a sexual relationship and had children.

This "crossbreeding" occurred more than 50,000 years ago when modern humans left Africa and met Neanderthals and Denisovans. However, it would be difficult to identify where the encounter occurred, especially for Denisovans.

Siberia was the only place where Denisovan fossils had been found so far. Other than that, it was pointed out that the jawbones found in the Tibetan Plateau might belong to the Denisovans.

A Philippine-Swedish joint team now had extensively investigated human history in the Philippines, examining the genetic makeup of 118 groups.

As a result, it was found that Aita Magbucon possessed about 5% of the Denisova gene. According to the author of the paper, Mattias Jakobsson, a geneticist at the Uppsala University of in Sweden, this percentage was higher than the Australian Aborigines and Papuans, who had previously found to have about 4%.

The author pointed out that the findings reiterated that the Denisovans had once lived throughout Asia and that they most likely lived in the Philippines long before the arrival of Homo sapiens. It could also be seen that different Denisovan groups crossbred with Homo sapiens at different times and places.

              So, this is an important finding on human history. It is interesting to note the theory that the Denisovans had once lived throughout Asia and most likely they lived in the Philippines long before the arrival of Homo sapiens.

Ofunato in Iwate - Large saury fleet departs for fishing in the midst of serious poor catch

Recently NHK News on-line reported the following:

深刻な不漁続くなか大型サンマ船団が漁に向け出港 岩手 大船渡

2021年8月18日 5時01分

ここ数年深刻なサンマの不漁が続く中、全国有数の水揚げ量を誇る岩手県大船渡市で、17日に大型のサンマ船団が今シーズンの漁に向けて出港しました。

大船渡漁港を出港したのは地元の水産会社「鎌田水産」が所有する大型のサンマ漁船6隻です。

出港に先立ってセレモニーが行われ、船の漁労長の政井武秀さんが「大漁を目指して乗組員が団結して頑張ってきます」と決意を述べました。

乗組員は感染対策として全員ワクチンの接種を済ませているということで、家族らの見送りを受けながら出港しました。

大型船によるサンマ漁は今月20日に解禁となり、船団は北海道・根室市の花咲漁港を拠点に北太平洋で操業する予定です。

サンマは資源量が減少していることに加えて海水温の上昇で日本の近海に来るものが減って漁場が遠くなっていることから、ここ数年深刻な不漁が続いています。

全国有数の水揚げ量を誇る大船渡漁港でも去年は6200トンあまりと、記録的な不漁となったおととしの6400トンをさらに下回りました。

水産会社の鎌田和昭会長は「ことしは去年よりも日本の近海にサンマの群れが来ているようで、大漁を期待したい。多くのサンマを全国の人たちに安く提供したい」と話しています。

Translation

In Ofunato City of Iwate Prefecture which boasted one of the largest catches in Japan, a large fleet to catch Pacific saury departed for this season's fishing on the 17th, as poor catch in Pacific saury continued for the past few years.

Six large saury fishing boats owned by the local fishery company "Kamada Fisheries" departed from Ofunato fishing port.

A ceremony was held prior to the departure from the port. Mr. Takehide Masai, the chief fisherman of the ship, stated his determination that "The crew will work together to aim for a big catch."

All the crew members had been vaccinated as an infection control measure, and they left the port while receiving the see-off of family member.

The ban on saury fishing by large vessels was lifted on the 20th of this month, and the fleet based at the Hanasaki fishing port in Nemuro City of Hokkaido was scheduled to operate in the North Pacific Ocean.

In addition to an overall decrease in saury resource, the number of sauries that come to the sea near Japan was decreasing due to a rise in seawater temperature, and the fishing grounds were moving farther and farther away, serious poor catch had continued in recent years.

Even at Ofunato Fishing Port, which boasted one of the largest catches in Japan, had only about 6200 tons last year, which was even lower than the record poor catch of 6400 tons.

Kazuaki Kamada, chairman of the fishery company said, "It seems that flocks of saury coming to the sea near Japan could be more than last year, and I would like to expect a big catch. I want to provide many sauries to people all over the country at a low price".

              So, even at Ofunato Fishing Port, which boasts one of the largest catches in Japan, has poor fish catching. Climate change is affecting the fishery industry in Japan.