Photos

Day 5

Secretary Adams and China Program Director Margaret Kim in front of the State Forestry Administration building.

China headquarters for the United Nations Development Programme.

Day 4

Secretary Adams launches China's first voluntary greenhouse gas emissions registry.

China Program Director and Margret Kim talk with New York Times Beijing bureau reporter about California's unique partnership with China.

New China Energy and Climate Registry partners.

Day 3

Secretary Adams and China Program Director Margret Kim meet with China Daily US edition reporters to talk about possible sector projects in China.

Day 2

Linda Adams applauds China's green business leaders at the China Green Companies Summit in Beijing.

Linda Adams speaks with Chinese reporters about California's climate action initiatives and collaboration with China.

Day 1

Secretary Adams and China Program Director Margret Kim met with Shi Dinghaun, energy advisor to Premier Wen Jiabao and American Council on Renewable Energy over traditional Peking Duck dinner to discuss collaboration on power sector project between California and Jiangsu Province.

 

Secretary's Blog: China Trip, April 22-April 27, 2009

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Day 5 -- April 26: The Great Green Wall of China

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It's been an extremely productive trip to China -- and has gone by quickly. Today we had our last meetings in Beijing. We met with China's forestry department, the State Forestry Administration, to discuss the forestry sector. And we met with the United Nations Development Programme to discuss action items from the agreement we signed last year during my spring visit to Beijing.

Forestry is an extremely important topic in the global climate negotiations. Severe logging of the world's forests account for up to 25 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Although the forest sector is clearly a part of the climate change problem, it has the obvious potential of being a significant part of the solution. When areas are replanted and trees are given more time to grow, then their ability to sequester carbon dioxide is greatly enhanced.

I learned today that China’s forests cover approximately 18 percent of the total land area. But about a third of this area is covered by young, low quality trees. So the State Forest Administration has developed sustainable forest management guidelines to grow bigger and better trees. It's called the Great Green Wall project, and its goal is to cover more than 40 percent of China's land mass with new, healthy and productive forests by 2050.

Deforestation not only worsens global warming, it is contributing to "yellow dust" storms in the Pacific. These storms are sands from deserts in Northern China that are blown as far as Korea, Japan, and even Alaska because trees that used to help prevent the sandstorms have been cut down.

California has committed to working with Chinese forestry officials to share our best practices, including a world class protocol for sustainable forest management. It's an important effort where we can share what's working well in California to enhance global climate efforts and improve air quality problems.

We are now headed home and I appreciate that you've chosen to join this journey with us by following the blogs.

Day 5: Photos

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Day 4 -- April 25: Knowledge is Power in the Global Warming Battle

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Today I was pleased to help launch China's first voluntary greenhouse gas emissions registry. It's a partnership of The Climate Registry, which California helped form, and the Innovation Center for Energy and Transportation (iCET), a government-supported non-profit organization here in China.

This is a tremendous achievement -- a project we've championed here in China for more than a year. So this is an achievement with personal significance.

In fact, the significance goes back years ago when I helped negotiate the law that formed California's registry, which I now chair. This was the first step that helped provide the foundation for California's adoption of AB 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act. So beginning a registry in China is an essential step toward deeper action on global warming.

What exactly does a registry do? It's actually quite basic. It provides a technical platform for companies to monitor and analyze their greenhouse gas emissions. This information then can help companies make better business decisions.

It's simple math. Greenhouse gas emissions are emitted when fossil fuels are burned. And fossil fuels are the biggest business expense in the form of natural gas, electricity and gasoline. When companies start measuring their emissions, then they see where their money is going. It's knowledge to power changes in operations to increase efficiency, save money and reduce pollution.

I'm very encouraged by this launch and have been challenging Chinese and multinational companies to join the new China Energy and Climate Registry during this trip to China.

Our trip is just about finished. We have meetings on Monday to discuss forestry sector collaboration.

Day 4: Photos

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Day 3 -- April 24: Why Do We Care About China?

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People often wonder why California is so interested in helping China. First and foremost, it's the law. When the Legislature sent the Governor AB 32, the state's global warming law, it required that California coordinate with the global community to ensure maximum reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

But there's more to our commitment than merely a requirement of law. California has a lot to offer our counterparts here with our many successes on energy efficiency, low carbon fuels, green buildings, clean technology and much more. California wants to support China's efforts by offering hands-on help so that they'll feel more comfortable making a global commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This concept cannot be overstated.

I think we take for granted our general understanding of environmental protection and sustainability. From 2002-07 (the latest data available), California led all states in patent registrations for green technologies. That’s why we always describe our state as the laboratory for innovation. It comes naturally to California, but it’s not so natural in other parts of the country and the world.

So if we show China how we’re implementing environmental policies successfully, then maybe they’ll be more encouraged to take action. The world wants China to commit to a cap on emissions. But they need practical tools to help reduce pollution. And that’s where we can help.

If California reduces our own pollution according to AB 32 without taking into account the pollution that's imported via energy-intensive goods, then we're ineffective in our original goal to “encourage other states, provinces and nations to fight global warming.” By supporting China we begin to help prevent leakage – emitters that move from California to escape regulation – protecting California companies and jobs.

But this commitment to helping our partners in China is just the first step. We also must do it the right way. That means working with the central government in order to get their blessing to set up pilot projects in the local provinces. That’s why we’re here on this trip. We’re following up on the Declaration signed at the Governors’ Global Climate Summit. And we're making some good progress.

Yesterday we met with Mr. Gao Guangsheng, Director General of the National Development and Reform Commission -- the agency charged with climate action in China. The meeting was extremely positive and we were given support to work with the eastern coastal provinces on energy efficiency, cement and forestry projects. We’re very encouraged by this because it builds on the meetings we’ve had this week on possible cement and energy sector projects. On Monday we meet with officials to discuss possible forestry projects.

This has been a very productive trip so far, and I look forward to a conference tomorrow where we will launch China’s first voluntary energy and climate registry for greenhouse gas emissions data reporting.

Day 3: Photos

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Day 2 -- April 23: Consumer Demand for Green Products a Powerful Influence

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Today concluded the second annual China Green Companies Summit. It was a fantastic event that featured leaders from some of the world's largest multinational and Chinese companies. You might recognize some of them: IKEA, Panasonic, Bank of China, Nokia, GE, Dell, and many more.

Here are some of the most notable points that came out of the Summit:

• Liu Donghua, Executive Chairman of the China Entrepreneur Club, challenged the faulty concept that going green is a luxury in an economic crisis.
• Wang Zhongyu, Chairman of China Enterprise Confederation, considers Chinese companies the key for green transformation.
• Kenneth Lieberthal, Visiting Fellow of Brookings Institution, called the green revolution an "opportunity" for China's companies.
• Bill Ginn, Chief Conservancy Program Officer for The Nature Conservancy, explained that China is in a unique position to prevent environmental problems by learning from the mistakes made by developed countries.

These are just a few of the themes from the conference.

I had the opportunity to applaud these progressive companies for their commitment to the environment. Executives and other leaders cited three main reasons for taking action. First, sustainable practices save operating costs -- literally millions annually. Second, global consumers increasingly want to purchase "green" products and these companies are investing in actions that make their products stand above the competition. And lastly, executives expressed a very personal commitment to protecting the environment for generations to come.

The concept of consumer demand influencing business decisions was another recurring theme today. That means you and I have an enormous power to push dirty companies to transition into clean companies. The more we buy sustainable products, the more impact we have.

In addition to the China Green Companies Summit, Margret and I also met with a top official at China National Reform and Development Commission (or NDRC). There will be more about this meeting in tomorrow's blog.

Thanks again for following our trip to China. Don't forget to post your comments or questions on our fan page found on Facebook.

Day 2: Photos

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Day 1 -- April 22: Progress on Cement Pilot Project with China

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We arrived yesterday in Beijing under blue skies, and we've hit the ground running.

China Program Director Margret Kim and I met with leaders from the China Sustainable Energy Foundation and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to discuss progress on a possible pilot project with the cement industry in Shandong Province.

Cement is one of the world's most energy intensive industries. That means it takes a lot of electricity to process and manufacture cement. And we know that electricity generation is one of the world's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions. That's why the global community is focused on finding solutions for these energy intensive industries.

So why does California care about working with China on cement? Most importantly, cement is an important industry for California. It creates jobs and benefits our economy. We already import nearly 40% of our cement from China. So in order to protect our cement industry, we must find ways to keep them competitive globally.

That's why California is working directly with our partners in China to develop a local project to provide training on best practices and to help transfer efficient technologies.

Much like the development of environmental policy in the United States, here in China when policies go nationwide, it's because it was tried and succeeded locally. California has always been the laboratory for innovation, developing policies that are adopted across the nation. It's the same here. So if we can help develop a successful pilot project in the cement sector, then we can help influence national action and help find global solutions for this global problem.

If you're interested in following more of my trip to China, find the California Environmental Protection Agency on Facebook to view more photos and videos throughout the week.

Day 1: Photos