No. 03/2010 Sony published the ninth version of SS-00259 on March 1, 2010, effective April 1, 2010. Dibutyltin compounds (DBT), dioctyltin compounds (DOT), and dimethyl fumarate (DMF) were newly added items. It should also be noted that the ninth version made relevant revisions to the content regarding cadmium and cadmium compounds, lead and lead compounds, mercury and mercury compounds, beryllium oxide, and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (and its salts) (PFOS). For the complete content, please refer to the original document. Source: Sony SS-00259 Ninth Version

The Ministry of Environmental Protection of China revised and adopted the "Measures for the Environmental Management of New Chemical Substances" at its third ministerial meeting on December 30, 2009. The revised "Measures for the Environmental Management of New Chemical Substances" was promulgated on January 19, 2010, and officially came into effect on October 15, 2010. The "new chemical substances" referred to in these measures are those not listed in the "List of Existing Chemical Substances in China," which is formulated, adjusted, and promulgated by the Ministry of Environmental Protection. The "Measures for the Environmental Management of New Chemical Substances" issued by the State Environmental Protection Administration on September 12, 2003, was simultaneously repealed. The key points of the "Measures for the Environmental Management of New Chemical Substances" include the following five points: 1. Scope of Application (Article 2): (a) Environmental management of activities involving the research, production, import, processing, and use of new chemical substances within the customs territory of the People's Republic of China. Environmental management of activities related to new chemical substances within bonded zones and export processing zones. The management of pharmaceuticals, pesticides, veterinary drugs, cosmetics, food, food additives, and feed additives shall be governed by relevant laws and regulations; however, the environmental management of activities related to new chemical substances used as raw materials and intermediates for the aforementioned products shall also be governed by these regulations. (b) Finished products designed to intentionally release new chemical substances during routine use shall be managed in accordance with these regulations. 2. Classification Principles (Article 3): Based on the identification and classification standards for the hazardous characteristics of chemicals, new chemical substances...

China officially signed the Copenhagen Accord on Tuesday (September 9), becoming the latest country to support the agreement. A formal letter signed by Chinese climate negotiator Su Wei notified the UN Climate Change Secretariat that the organization can now add China to its list of countries supporting the Copenhagen Accord. The Copenhagen Accord is a non-legally binding agreement reached at the UN Climate Change Conference in December 2009. More than 100 countries have supported the agreement. Russia is currently the only major greenhouse gas emitter that has not yet expressed its support. According to the agreement, $100 billion will be allocated globally annually from 2020 in the hope of limiting global warming to within two degrees Celsius. However, the agreement is not legally binding on any country. Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi stated at a press conference during the Two Sessions that China is willing to work with relevant countries and organizations to actively promote the process of addressing climate change. Environmentalists pointed out that the Copenhagen Summit was originally intended to reach a legally binding agreement among countries to address global warming, therefore the final agreement is rather basic. On Tuesday, India joined the agreement after developing countries such as Indonesia, Brazil, South Africa, and Mexico signed it. The United States strongly advocated for the agreement. President Obama reached this climate agreement after talks with several major economies, including China. Following the Copenhagen conference, China, as the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, preferred to emphasize not the agreement itself, but rather the 199...

Of the 50,000 products manufactured in Norway, approximately 8,000-10,000 chemical substances are used. Therefore, on May 21, 2008, the Norwegian authorities compiled and published three lists of hazardous chemical substances on their website, as follows: 1. The list of Priority Substances. The list of Priority Substances was first published in the 1997 White Paper on Sustainable Development Environmental Policy, Storting No. 58 (1996-97). Norway's national goal was to reduce emissions of the substances on the list by 2000, 2005, and 2010 respectively. This list currently includes approximately 30 types and categories of chemical substances. List URL: http://www.environment.no/Topics/Hazardous-chemicals/Hazardous-chemical-lists/List-of-Priority-Substances/ 2. Observation List Substances: These are chemicals that pose a hazard to human health and the environment, and whose widespread use and the resulting problems at the national level have reached a certain level. The Observation List contains a limited number of substances, and it has not been evaluated since 2002. List URL: http://www.environment.com

The Japanese government approved a basic bill on global warming countermeasures at a cabinet meeting on the 12th, which includes specific policies such as Japan's medium- and long-term greenhouse gas carbon reduction targets and the establishment of an emissions trading system. The government aims to enact the bill during the current Diet session. The bill sets medium- and long-term greenhouse gas emission reduction targets of 25% and 80% reductions from 1990 levels by 2020 and 2050, respectively. However, achieving the 25% reduction target is contingent on major developed countries setting proactive carbon reduction targets. Regarding the emissions trading system, the bill is based on setting a cap on total corporate emissions, but it also indicates that it will study setting emission caps based on production volume. The Japanese government plans to enact related legislation within one year of the Basic Law's enactment, but the production-linked emissions regulations have drawn strong criticism from environmental organizations, as emissions will rise with increased production. Furthermore, this approach differs from the Democratic Party's campaign promises and may cause controversy during Diet deliberations. Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama told the media on the morning of March 12th, "The most important thing is to include the 25% carbon reduction in the legislation, and sharing this concept with the people is of paramount importance." – Reference source: China Review News Agency, March 12, 2010

The European Commission announced that its 17th consultation meeting will be held in Belgium on March 26, 2010. The meeting will focus on discussing the revised implementation measures for household dishwashers and washing machines. Currently, the implementation measures for household dishwashers and washing machines are still draft versions. – Source: MTP website, 2010-03-05

The UK government released its first carbon emissions report under the carbon budget system on the 18th, stating that the UK's net greenhouse gas emissions in 2008 were equivalent to approximately 600 million tons of carbon dioxide, and that the carbon budget target is being steadily achieved. The report stated that the UK's greenhouse gas emissions in 2008 were equivalent to 626 million tons of carbon dioxide. Subtracting the 19.3 million tons of carbon dioxide purchased through the carbon trading system, the UK's net greenhouse gas emissions that year were equivalent to 606.7 million tons of carbon dioxide. Joan Rudock, the UK's Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change, said that this figure represents a 22% reduction in carbon emissions compared to 1990 levels, demonstrating the effectiveness of the UK's climate change policies and its steady progress towards achieving its carbon budget. The government will continue to promote the country's low-carbon transition by supporting clean energy and other means. The Climate Change Act passed by the UK government in 2008 established a carbon budget for the five years following that year and stipulated that the government should report annually to Parliament on the implementation of the carbon budget. This report is the first annual carbon emissions report since the implementation of the carbon budget system.

A prominent U.S. senator said today that the Senate will draft a compromise climate change control bill next week, designing a "cap and trade" plan to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from facilities including power plants. The senator told Reuters that this doesn't mean these plants are without problems, but the overall goal is to design a cap and trade system. Commonly known as emissions trading, cap and trade means that a permit is required for every ton of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions. The number of permits will decrease annually over the next 40 years, and companies holding permits will have to trade them on regulated financial markets. Senate aides indicated that former President Bill Clinton will speak at the Democratic Party's weekly luncheon on the 16th to push for climate change legislation. Even if the first bill to mandate reductions in carbon dioxide pollution to combat global warming is formally introduced, its passage in an election year remains uncertain. Following the Senate's release of a compromise draft bill, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) is expected to spend several weeks analyzing the bill's economic impact. If all goes well, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will schedule a debate and vote later this year. The EPA stated that if Congress fails to pass legislation...