Consumer & Environment Issues

consumer analysis and impact on environment

The deadly threat from our bad air

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

In Beijing we are all supposed to be happy with the great efforts of our beloved leaders to achieve so many blue sky days.
Unfortunately, it’s all a lie and for the past 12 months we live with average AQI values of 150 (i.e. the readings of PM2.5 thanks to the USA Embassy). We all know the Embassy is right and representative of the whole Beijing city area. (the normal limit would be AQI=50)
Even official sources in China are starting to question the validity of the official figures, as reported in China Daily.
Well, in Hong Kong they are in great panick because API figures are going over 100. Lucky people! Can we have your air pleeeeeaaaase?
According to recent studies by the University of Hong Kong and other institutes, air pollution causes about 10,000 deaths per year in the Pearl River Delta including Hong Kong and Macao.
The South China Morning Post reported details on 20 January (see here abbreviated version). Their values: they measure as in Beijing, i.e. micrograms of PM10 per cubic meter.
See here a typical reading from the USA Embassy in Beijing:
21 Jan 2011; 12:15; Past 24hr: PM2.5 avg; 52.9 micrograms; AQI=130; Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups
HKU links pollution to increased mortality risks (by SCMP – Elaine Yau)


(pictures are all from SCMP)
For every kilometre of reduced visibility, an additional 70 deaths occurred every year over a decade, a University of Hong Kong survey has found.
Chief researcher Professor Anthony Hedley said visibility was strongly negatively correlated with air pollution, especially with particulates and nitrogen dioxide.
“Loss of visibility kills people,” he said. “The higher the pollutant concentrations, the lower the visibility. Every kilometre in reduced visibility increases our mortality risks.”
The team, which analysed 360,000 deaths between 1996 and 2006 along with data from the Observatory, took into account factors including humidity, temperature and the incidence of flu epidemics.
Postdoctoral fellow in community medicine Professor Lai Hak-kan said that the average visibility in the city over the past four years was 12.6 kilometres, well below the norm of 30 kilometres from a 50-metre structure.
The university’s associate professor in community medicine, Dr Wong Chit-ming, said the situation was alarming. “The visibility in the city was five kilometres yesterday, with 84 micrograms of particulates every cubic metre,” he said.
The World Heath Organisation sets the minimum safety levels at 20 micrograms every cubic metre.
But Hong Kong set the level at 55 micrograms.
Rob Chipman, the chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, said last week that pollution was becoming one of the most serious threats to the city’s competitiveness.
The findings of the survey were published in the academic journal Environmental Research.

China Travel agencies – Reisagentschappen in China

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

I am often asked the question “Who can help me for a trip in China?”
Ik krijg regelmatig de vraag “Wie kan ons helpen voor een reis vanuit België naar China? Welk agentschap is aan te bevelen?”
Volgt hier een kort en persoonlijk overzicht, op basis van persoonlijke ervaringen en feedback. Het is niet noodzakelijk volledig.
Met wie naar China reist vanuit België of Nederland kijkt best uit naar een betrouwbaar reisagentschap (erkend door de ABTO) en aangesloten bij het Garantiefonds Reizen (SGR in Nederland) waardoor bij onvermogen van de Tour Operator of onderleverancier (incoming) de klant altijd zijn reis zal kunnen doorzetten.
THE CHINA GUIDE
The China Guide is a wholly foreign owned Beijing based travel agency run by American Peter Danford, a long-term friend and a fellow Rotarian. They specialize in western standard service (no mandatory shopping stops) and guides trained to a high level; the agency aims for quality at a fair price. English speaking travel agents help develop custom private tour itineraries throughout China. Peter’s team has well served several Belgian people for individual arrangements and with a personal service.
The China Guide’s web site features 360-degree virtual tours, professional photography and information to help people select the destinations for their tour. Itineraries for Beijing can be customized and quoted immediately from the web site’s database.
Tours have no hidden costs, meals include unlimited drinks and free bottled water in the vehicle. At local restaurants the guides order according to the taste of the clients.
The China Guide also specializes in organizing educational trips for overseas universities bringing students to China.
Web: http://www.TheChinaGuide.com
 Email: book[at]thechinaguide.com (emails in English)
HIDDENCHINA.NET
Christoph Mueller is a Swiss friend, an avid skier and fellow Rotarian. He manages the agency in Beijing.
They organize tailor-made tours for individuals, small groups and incentives all over China under Swiss Quality criteria. The major focus is on serving any client from 3-4 star level up to VVIP.
Some of the special offerings:
– Itinerary absolutely tailored to the needs of the traveler, no matter if individual, small group with special interest or company event/incentive.
– Special interest such as: golfing, skiing, contemporary arts, history, culture, Jewish history, mountaineering / trekking, 4WD, motor biking and Chang Jiang 750 sidecars. They can also provide all necessary licenses and permits for world travelers to pass through China with their own vehicle.
– Special tours which most major companies cannot do: visit in the most important places areas which are not open to the public, world-wide recognized experts (Great Wall, architecture, journalists, medicine, the most famous contemporary Chinese artists), art galleries and much more.
Website with all details: http://www.Hiddenchina.net/
Contact: cmueller[at]hiddenchina.net
EASY TOURS
Easy Tours is een Tour Operator en dusdanig aan het Garantiefonds aangesloten en erkend door de ABTO.
Een paar referenties: Acer Latin America, Janssen Pharmaceutica, een hele reeks regionale Voka delegaties, Prova, CD&V fraktie Vlaamsparlement, VKW, Unizo, Bouwunie, Confederatie Bouw, enz.
Contact: Antoine Noens, Product Director, Easy Tours Belgium, Beijing Office
Email antoine[at]easytours.be
Antoine werkte 18 jaar voor Best Tours en ontfermde zich ook over Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Indonesia, Senegal, Mexico, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Panama, Ecuador, Peru, Argentina en Brazil.
KUONI Destination Management (Beijing) Ltd.
Kuoni Destination Management, part of the Swiss-based Kuoni Travel Group. The office in Beijing is a wholly owned foreign enterprise with a license to operate inbound business into China. A team of 35, headed by Mrs. Veronique Ducassy (MD, French) and Mr. Kris Van Goethem (GM, Belgian), provides services and arrangements not only for leisure individual and group travelers, but also for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events. Clients are from all over the world, with a focus on the European markets. As the group has recently acquired the Best Tours brand from Belgium, Kuoni Destination Management is now also handling their business in China.
Website : www.kuoni-dmc.com
Email : kris.vangoethem[at]cn.kuoni.com
TUI China Travel Co. Ltd.
TUI is well known worldwide and has a large presence in China. For those who are used to their services, a good alternative. An affiliate of TUI AG, the world’s leading tourism group, TUI China was established in late 2003 as the first joint venture with foreign majority share in the Chinese tourism industry. I know the top people in Beijing and they are very professional.
website: http://tui.cn/en/
Email: private-tours[at]tui.cn
China Oriental Dream
Niet volledig duidelijk maar er zou een relatie zijn met Uniglobe – Robins Travel – Wereldwijzer.
Het Beijing kantoor is in the handen van Olivier Sieuw die ook Nederlands spreekt.
Persoonlijke mening: kan ik niet aanraden.
Notes:
Our consultancy was deeply involved in setting up one foreign travel office in Beijing and advising a major international travel agency on strategies to enter the Chinese market for inbound/outbound travel, which included linking them up with major Chinese tourist companies. (sorry, our clients’ names are kept confidential)
The above entries replace a previous posting after additions and changes. The personal observations are based on personal contacts and feedback. It is not meant to be complete.
Last update: 27 April 2011

Pinocchio has arrived in Beijing

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

And his nose is growing sooooo large.
China Daily reported that Beijing has hit its “blue-sky target” of 266 days ahead of time. We wonder, what is the definition again? I think the Beijing Environmental Monitoring Center is:
– color blind
or
– denies factual findings that only naive idiots ignore (including a number of foreigners)
or
– follows the official line that orders to systematically deny any problem of whatever nature in this country (bleached mushrooms, pork full of antibiotics, milk with you-know-what, corruption by officials in land deals, name it.); till the Internet forces them to swallow some of their words.
I chose, all of the above.
This year has seen till now an astonishing degradation of the air quality that leaves in the dust (literally) the short-term progress of 2008. The situation is actually hopeless. Traffic is mostly to blame. As soon as the wind stops, pollution shoots up to levels of 150 to 300 AQI.
Check it out on Twitter.
La morale de l’histoire: Chinese government officials cannot be trusted, but even Chinese know that. They say, “You can’t even trust the weather report!”
How true indeed.

And those poor Hong Kong people are worried about their air. Can I have some of it over there?

Crazy Bad: humor from the U.S. Embassy

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

The past days in Beijing have seen horrendous air quality. The Beijing dinosaurs don’t comment on it, in other civilized cities schools would be closed plus other measures. Here, all continues. I saw people jogging in that toxic smog but as they were Chinese it does not matter, according to local doctors only foreigners with their fragile lungs are being impacted. Chinese spit it all out on the spot with a big roar. No problems for them they say.
Authorities are “not able to explain”. You don’t need too, it’s simple – no wind, traffic jams caused by millions of uncivilized morons who all think they own the road and the winter heating being switched on. And no acid rain to clear it up.

With all our misery BeijingAir posted Crazy Bad, Beyond Index, Hazardous as the variations. At least they made me laugh and I quickly switched on my air purifier.

Hong Kong versus Beijing air

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

The Air Pollution Index in Hong Kong “reached very high levels”. That means for them, above 100. Lucky people. Here in Beijing the Environmental Protection Bureau shows their distorted figures of under 100 for the API – Twitter shows AQI of far above 100 with peaks of over 200. As for today (6 November), it’s worse – levels of over 200 and getting close to 300. Pollution in Beijing has been this year pretty bad. I started again to cough and I hear everywhere people coughing. I have not been able yet to restart serious running (in the gym, of course). The air irritates my lungs. My cough is always dry and very irritating. Whatever cough medicine I take does not seem to help much (I have chronic bronchitis thanks to the local air pollution and running marathons).
Beijing continues to hide the truth about its horrible air. Some foreigners also wonder why people like me make a fuss. Just wait till you get older and then you’ll know (too late). Ignorance is nice till…
Some days ago I gave a presentation about the Beijing air, refuting the lies from the authorities.
Some weeks ago my daughter in the USA was alarmed the AQI was locally at 80. I sign a contract at once to have that quality every day.