The United Nations has named 2012 the “International Year of Sustainable Energy for All,” setting three goals: ensuring universal access to modern energy services, doubling the rate of improvement in energy efficiency, and doubling the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.
Given its burgeoning economic growth, its rapidly expanding industries, large population, and growing consumer class, many in the environmental field have an intense interest in how China will address its environmental problems.
The Ring of Fire around the Pacific Rim is ablaze with the new carbon trading schemes, and investors worldwide are taking note of these developments.
One of the most persistent themes at the climate negotiations in Durban has been how to bridge gaps -- the divide between the developed and developing nations, many of whom disagree about whether the Kyoto Protocol should be extended into a second commitment period; the hole in climate finance pledges from developed countries; and the ambition or emissions gap between the Copenhagen pledges and the stabilization of global temperatures below a 2 degrees Celsius increase from pre-industrial levels. We had a chance to discuss some of these issues with Chinese energy expert Jiang Kejun, Energy Research Institute, NDRC. The following post is republished from China FAQs: The Network for Climate and Energy Information.
When China launched its first official pavilion at a UN climate conference, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat Cristiana Figueres was there alongside China’s NDRC Vice Minister Xie Zhenhua to cut the ribbon. Swarmed by journalists in the standing-room only conference center of the China pavilion in Durban, Figueres applauded China for being a “trend-setter” in global renewable energy, resonating around the world and during the first week of climate negotiations in Durban. The following post is republished from China FAQs: The Network for Climate and Energy Information.
Switzerland leads the world in addressing pollution control and natural resource management challenges, according to the 2012 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) produced by researchers at Yale and Columbia Universities in collaboration with the World Economic Forum. The Yale-Columbia research team released the report January 26, 2012, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Watch a recording of the press conference here.
To improve its environmental standing both domestically and on the international stage, experts say it's time China adopted a new policy approach.
