Barbara Finamore

Barbara A. Finamore is the Founder and Director of the China Program at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), one of the world’s most effective environmental organizations. NRDC was the first international environmental group to establish a clean energy program in China, Ms. Finamore now leads NRDC’s 30-member China team working out of our Beijing and U.S. offices on climate change, energy efficiency, renewable energy, responsible sourcing, sustainable cities and environmental governance. NRDC works with China to build capacity and develop innovative laws, policies, technologies and market mechanisms to accelerate its transition to a clean, low-carbon economy.

Ms. Finamore has had nearly thirty years of experience in environmental law and energy policy, and has lived or worked in greater China for nearly two decades. She has also worked as a litigator in NRDC’s nuclear nonproliferation program and at the U.S. Departments of Justice and Interior, and as an international consultant for the United Nations Development Programme and the Center for International Environmental Law. Ms. Finamore served as President and Chair of the Professional Association for China’s Environment (PACE), and is the co-founder and President of the China-U.S. Energy Efficiency Alliance, a nonprofit organization and public-private partnership that works with China to reduce its carbon emissions through energy efficiency. She holds a J.D. degree with honors from Harvard Law School.

In the News:

• A Five-Part Strategy to Cap and Cut China’s Coal Consumption
• Pedal to the Metal: Three Recommendations for the New U.S.-China Climate Change Working Group
• Barbara Finamore summarizes China’s position at Cancun in “Climate: 5 Lessons from the U.N. Cancún Climate Summit”, Time, December 11, 2010
• Barbara Finamore on China at Cancun in “Climate Talks Host Says It’s Time for Agreements”, Bloomberg Business Week, December 8, 2010
• Barbara Finamore and Edward Steinfeld describe how China’s green tech growth is having a positive impact on the U.S. in “In Clean Energy Race With China, Both Countries Come Out Ahead”, The Independent, October 13, 2010
• Barbara Finamore on policy expectation for the U.S. vs. China after Tianjin in “China Calls on Rich Nations to Improve Emission Targets”, Guardian, October 5, 2010
• Barbara Finamore on China’s large offshore wind power assets in “China Sailing Ahead in Offshore Wind Power, UPI.com, September 8, 2010
• Barbara Finamore on China’s upcoming role at Cancun in “China Acts to Raise Profile on Climate Change”, Wall Street Journal, May 7, 2010
• Barbara Finamore and Kenneth Lieberthal in “China Insists That Its Steps on Climate Be Voluntary”, New York Times, January 29, 2010

Additional Information:

• Barbara Finamore’s blog and homepage

Select Publications:

• Testimony by Barbara Finamore to the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, April 1, 2010
• Leading the Way Towards Climate Solutions for China
• From Crisis to Opportunity: How China is Addressing Climate Change and Positioning Itself to be a Leader in Clean Energy
• The Prospects for Global Cooperation to Address Climate Change at Copenhagen and After