Air Pollution in China Means Investment Opportunities, According to New Issue of Money and Markets

Tony Sagami takes a closer look at the poor air quality in China and how that is affecting preparations for the 2008 Olympics being held there. In this issue of Money and Markets, Mr. Sagami examines what the Chinese are doing to solve the air pollution problem.

Jupiter, Fla. (PRWEB) March 6, 2008 -- Tony Sagami takes a closer look at the poor air quality in China and how that is affecting preparations for the 2008 Olympics being held there. Mr. Sagami examines what the Chinese are doing to solve the air pollution problem.

The Chinese government has gone to great lengths to ensure that far less ink has been spilled covering what is turning out to be the most expensive and important pre-Olympics project in history. A major problem for China's Olympic Games: Poor air quality.

According to the European Space Agency's indisputable satellite images, China has the planet's worst levels of air pollution. Also, the World Bank said China is home to 16 of the planet's 20 most air-polluted cities. And a study from the Chinese Academy on Environmental Planning blamed air pollution for 411,000 premature deaths. According to China's own government-controlled numbers, there were 51,000 demonstrations or riots of a hundred or more people protesting the country's horrible pollution problems.

No wonder the Ministry of Public Security has ranked pollution among the top five threats to China's peace and stability. The air pollution is so bad in Beijing that the International Olympic Committee is worried that it may have to cancel some events if the pollution doesn't improve.

To make matters worse, Haile Gebrselassie, the men's marathon world record holder, is threatening not to run if conditions are not safe. As a result, the Chinese government is so desperate to reduce pollution before the Olympics that they are attempting to control the weather. The Chinese think they can summon rain storms to clear the pollution. In fact, China employs 50,000 people and is spending an estimated $100 million a year on rainmaking. Beijing is circled by rainmaking installations with anti-aircraft guns and rocket launchers that can blast the sky with silver iodide. All told, the Chinese have installed 6,781 artillery guns and 4,110 rocket launchers to do the job.

Chinese scientists claim to have increased rainfall from 1995 to 2003 by 210 billion cubic meters, enough to meet the annual needs of 400 million people. And that's not the only measure Beijing is taking. It will also pull millions of cars off the roads and shut down the most polluting factories in the weeks leading up to the Olympics. There are several culprits, but the biggest source of the pollution is coal-fired power plants. Currently around 80% of China's electricity is generated by coal-burning plants and that translates into some very dirty air. So, in Chinese environmental circles, coal-fired power plants have been labeled Public Enemy #1.

"Companies that can help China solve air pollution stand to make a fortune. That means in the months and years to come, there will be an explosive demand for alternative energy sources to coal and companies that can help clean up China's extremely polluted air, "Mr. Sagami states.

To read this issue online, please visit:
http://www.moneyandmarkets.com/Issues.aspx?1498-Air-Pollution-in-China-Means-Investment-Opportunities

About TONY SAGAMI & MONEY AND MARKETS    

Tony Sagami, a veteran investment advisor and a leading expert on Asian markets, is the owner and founder of Harvest Advisors, an investment research and money management company. Mr. Sagami has been managing money for more than 20 years and is one of the early pioneers in the application of technical and quantitative analysis to mutual funds and stocks. He is a featured contributor to Weiss Research's daily e-letter, Money and Markets and monthly Safe Money Report as well as the editor of Asia Stock Alert.

Prior to establishing his own firm, Mr. Sagami was managing director at W.E. Donoghue & Co, serving additionally as the director of investment. During his successful career, he also held the position of account executive at Merrill Lynch.

Mr. Sagami's views on Asian markets, specifically Chinese investments, have been featured in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Barron's, Kiplinger's, Smart Money, Business Week, New York Times, Washington Post, Investors Business Daily, Bloomberg, Financial Planning Times, Mutual FundsMagazine, Chicago Tribune, and the LA Times, as well as on CNBC and CNBC Asia.

Mr. Sagami holds a degree in economics from the University of Washington.

Money and Markets (www.moneyandmarkets.com) is a free daily investment newsletter from Dr. Martin Weiss and Weiss Research analysts offering the latest investing news and financial insights for the stock market, including tips and advice on investing in gold, energy and oil. Weiss Research, Inc. is located in Jupiter, Florida. For more information about our editors, or to set up an interview, please contact Jennifer Moran at 561-627-3300 or visit www.moneyandmarkets.com.

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