A year ago today China joined a small group of countries that ban or limit the use of plastic shopping bags. The law says shopkeepers must charge for such bags - or face a fine of up to $1,500.
The aim is to reduce so called “white-pollution” - an eyesore in many parts of the country.

And, in urban areas at least, the ban seems to have been successful. A survey carried out by the China Chain Store and Franchise Association found that supermarkets have used around 40 billion fewer bags since last June…

Cyclists on Beijing's streets are becoming a dying breed. China's rising affluence has translated into a love affair with cars…which means many bikes are being squeezed out of the bike lanes.

But this group of people aims to change all that.

While Paris shuts its streets to make way for the world's best cyclists, Beijing made way for those who are simply trying to stop the extinction of cyclists…and raise money for charity at the same time.

A new government report shows China's water is far more polluted than previously thought. Back in 2007, the government said water pollution had declined by three percent from the previous year. But according to the first national pollution census released this week, water pollution in that year was more than twice the official estimate.

The agriculture ministry had previously insisted that farms contributed only a tiny fraction of pollution in China. But according to the study, agriculture is responsible for 67 percent of phosphorus, 57 percent of nitrogen discharges and 43 percent of the nation's chemical oxygen demand, a measure for water pollution.

The lakes of southwestern China provide food and water for large numbers of people who live around them. They depend on them not only as a source of fresh water, but also for food. Now though, inadequate protection against pollution is threatening to destroy life in the waters that support one of the country's poorest regions. And, as BON's Andrew Livingstone now reports, mother nature is being asked to lend a hand in a last ditch effort to save one of China's best known inland waters. Andrew Livingstone has the story.

There has been more than two months since the gulf oil spill event broke out, but it is still a hot topic in the world. It seems the environment around the gulf is getting worse. Recently, many media releases photos showing the badly influenced environment there. Those photos caused a wide discussion among Chinese web users.

At the same time, Chinese government has highlighted the safety of its offshore pipelines. The country's cabinet, the State Council has passed a law on oil and natural gas pipelines.