A Roadmap for U.S.-China Collaboration on Carbon Capture and Sequestration

on November 1, 2009

The United States and China are the world's largest greenhouse gas emitters. Collaboration between the two nations, therefore, offers the greatest opportunity for achieving meaningful reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions. The time is ripe for such collaboration. The two countries have participated in various global commitments on technology cooperation, including the 2007 Bali Action Plan and the Major Economies Forum declarations on Energy and Climate after the G-8 summit in Italy this July. The United States and China also made joint commitments at the July 2009 U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue in the form of a "Memorandum of Understanding to Enhance Cooperation on Climate Change, Energy and the Environment," and during U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu's recent trip to China. The United States can translate this political goodwill into concrete action, but it will need to begin laying out a roadmap for progress on areas of mutual concern. While the general purpose of this report is to help bring about a new partnership between the U.S. and China, the immediate aim is to help catalyze U.S. leadership to action by sketching out a concrete, collaborative new plan of action on carbon capture and sequestration that the United states government can adopt as it confronts the twin challenges of addressing climate change and strengthening Sino-U.S. relations.

Embed Code: 
View the PDF on Document Cloud
Topics: 
Energy
Environment
Keywords: 
Carbon
U.S.-China Relations
Environmental Regulation
Organization: 
Asia Society

China’s Boom: The Dark Side in Photos

By Orville Schell on October 29, 2009

I have seen some woeful scenes of industrial apocalypse and pollution in my travels throughout China, but there are very few images that remain vividly in my mind. This is why the photographs of Lu Guang are so important. A fearless documentary photographer who lives in China’s southern province of Zhejiang and runs a photo studio and lab that funds his myriad trips around China, Lu photographs the dark consequences of China’s booming but environmentally destructive economic development in ways that stay with you.

The Enigma of Chiang Kai-shek

By Jonathan D. Spence on October 22, 2009

Back in 1975, when he died in Taiwan at the age of eighty-seven, it was easy to see Chiang Kai-shek as a failure, as a piece of Chinese flotsam left awkwardly drifting in the wake of Mao Zedong’s revolutionary victories. Now it is not easy to be so sure. In today’s China, the transformational political visions of Mao seem to have little resonance, as the country faces up to its new global responsibilities, including its potential financial leadership.

China at 60: Who Owns the Guns

By Perry Link on October 7, 2009

The most striking feature of China’s October 1 celebration of sixty years of Communist rule was the spectacular and tightly choreographed military parade in the center of Beijing. The display of crass militarism—paralleled only by parades in Pyongyang or, a few years ago, Moscow—cannot have done much for China’s image around the world, but China’s rulers may not have cared about that or even been aware of it. They no doubt had a domestic audience in mind.

Identifying Near-Term Opportunities for Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) in China

By Jingjing Qian, George Peridas, Jason Chen, and Yueming Qiu on October 1, 2009

To avoid the worst consequences of global warming, the world must limit average temperature increases by significantly reducing carbon emissions by 2050. Achieving the urgently needed emission reductions will require efforts beyond first-resort measures such as energy efficiency, conservation, and enhancement of natural carbon sinks. Given the world’s current heavy reliance on fossil fuels, nations must pursue a wide range of carbon mitigation strategies that includes Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS). China is well-positioned to be a global leader in the development and deployment of CCS technologies that—with broad support and engagement from the international community—can be an important tool for reducing carbon emissions as the world transitions to truly clean energy technologies.

Embed Code: 
Sara Segal-Williams
Topics: 
Energy
Keywords: 
Environment
Pollution
Organization: 
Natural Resources Defense Council