Clinton's Visit
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gets two thumbs up for her handling of the climate issue in Beijing. It's worth taking a little step back to think how far we've come in recent months. Just two...
View ArticleApproval of foreign investment in China to be linked to environmental index
In a notable step, China's Commerce Ministry announced late last week that approval of "foreign-funded enterprises" will now be based in part on an "environmental protection index" and a "land-use...
View ArticleSino-American green stimulus; or, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)...
The US-based environmental NGO Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has recently released a report on strengthening US-China climate "engagement." The report comes on the heels of similar reports...
View ArticleJiangsu acid leak exposes another hole in China's environmental enforcement...
Coming right on the heels of northern China's severe drought, another environmental disaster has gripped newspaper headlines: "Toxic water scare leaves a sour taste" (see China Daily). Water supply to...
View ArticleMomentum on US-China climate cooperation builds; Tsinghua holds "Overcoming...
Following Secretary of State Clinton's visit to Beijing, Ken Lieberthal, co-author of a landmark Brookings Institution report on US-China climate cooperation, headlined a seminar at Tsinghua University...
View ArticleCGS on vacation
CGS will be on vacation all next week to attend the "Fulbright Research Forum" in Hong Kong. Please help keep us up to date on important events, reports, etc in the coming days.
View ArticleMixed messages on environment as National People's Congress convenes
Every March, China's National People's Congress (NPC), the nation's highest legislative body, convenes in Beijing to ratify the decisions of the nation's leadership. It is often an occasion to announce...
View ArticleMore mixed messages on climate as NPC Continues
Given the importance of China's annual National People's Congress (NPC), it's worth expanding on yesterday's post to cover a few other signs of the direction China's climate policy will take in the...
View ArticleDealing with transboundary water pollution in China
Most water pollution by nature crosses boundaries; in China, incidents like February's acid leak in Jiangsu indicate the inability of local authorities to deal with contamination. A good recent post on...
View ArticleHow to make international environmental cooperation work; Or, Report from EU...
This past Wednesday and Thursday, CGS attended a workshop on the European Union's Support to Regulatory Activities in Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) (STRACO2) and Cooperation Action Within CCS...
View ArticleFocus on water in China
The World Water Forum, which convened last week in Turkey, may not be the sexiest of international environmental gatherings. But it is likely to become one of the most important, for the chief human...
View ArticleClimate impacts in China
We're all in for a rocky road ahead if climate change continues apace. But China, as a large, still mostly poor, ecologically diverse region, faces a special set of challenges, as the government...
View ArticleAgainst crisis, China attempts to tighten enforcement of pollution laws
Following last month's acid spill in Jiangsu, China's government has acted to tighten enforcement of the country's environmental laws. Charles McElwee'sChina Environmental Law Blog reports that the...
View ArticleChina and America's new climate legislation
The New York Times reported today that two members of the US House of Representatives have released a draft version of a bill intended to cut US greenhouse gas emissions by 83% from 1990 levels by...
View ArticleBridging the developed/developing nation divide on climate
One of the thorniest aspects of the global climate problem is how to apportion the burdens of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The old rich world is responsible for the vast majority of historic...
View ArticleCo-authored editorial with Julian Wong of Green Leap Forward
Readers of this blog will be familiar with the argument that a bolder, more aggressive stance on climate change will benefit China in a great many ways. The following is a hopefully more persuasive...
View ArticlePlanning for Smart Growth
CGS is returning from a long absence, much of which was spent researching developments in the United Arab Emirates, which due to its oil reserves and carbon-intensive model of development is of great...
View ArticleGetting Serious on Climate: the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009
Early last month, the US House of Representatives released a public summary of the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (CGS is a little behind on this, but better late than never!). The Act,...
View ArticleClimate change as a security issue for China
CGShas been absent for the last month, having been caught on the wrong side of China's Great Firewall (The twentieth anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre was Thursday). CGShas also been working...
View ArticleMr. Stern goes to Beijing
Todd Stern, the chief American climate negotiator, arrived yesterday in Beijing for talks meant to pave the way for Copenhagen. The New York Times quoted Congressman Edward Markey, co-sponsor of the...
View Article
