Chen Tian, Director General of the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau, discusses green cities and energy technology development in China and the Nordic region.
Speaking in a panel alongside the mayors of Copenhagen and Toronto at World Climate Solutions 2010, Chen Tian highlighted the various initiatives underway aiming to make Beijing a more sustainable city. Covering everything from electric buses to green buildings, the municipality of 22 million inhabitants is continuing the many greening activities initiated in the lead-up to the Olympic Games in 2008.
In an interview after his speech, Tian explained that while the work of cities like Copenhagen is certainly interesting to China, there are significant limitations in the applicability of Copenhagen’s solutions to Beijing. The municipality of Beijing is more comparable in population to that of the entire Nordic region, albeit with vast differences in population density, development and various other factors. Tian did however mention that certain technological solutions from the Nordic countries have greater applicability.
The vast potential for the export of energy technololgy knowhow and solutions to China has all Nordic countries scrambling to build a national presence there. When asked about how the Nordic countries are perceived in China, Tian responded: “We see the Nordic countries as a common community, there isn’t too much difference from country to country.
China offers much more than a market for energy solutions. It is fast becoming an R&D leader – its increasing prioritisation of the field is illustrated by the figure at left. Energy R&D cooperation with China is at the top of many national research agendas, and is a focus area for the Nordic region too. In June the Nordic-Chinese Energy and Climate Day explored options for Nordic-Chinese cooperation in energy R&D. One outcome was a proposal to focus Nordic efforts on a specific city or municipality in China, instead of a bilateral or multilateral agreement.
Tian voiced his agreement with this direction, citing the significant differences between regions within China, and the importance of choosing the right regions and partners in order to ensure cooperation is mutually beneficial and successful in the long term.
Nordic Energy Research will publish a report in late 2010 outlining the status and next steps for establishing cooperation with China from a common Nordic platform.
by Benjamin Smith, photo courtesy of Bjarke MacCarthy