Latest from ChinaFAQs
China’s Massive Traffic Jam Shows the Importance of its Rail Expansion
Posted by Deborah Seligsohn on Sep 1, 2010
The biggest energy-related news out of China this week has involved transport – the mega-traffic jam in Inner Mongolia, leading to Beijing. After more than ten days, extra police did manage to redirect traffic and clear the jam. While this story has played mainly as a global human interest story with many suggesting visions of futuristic nightmares, the actual causes, well outlined in Shai Oster’s Wall Street Journal blog are far more complex than just the number of vehicles on the road.
ChinaFAQs Expert Ed Steinfeld on China’s Technological Development and the West in the Wall Street Journal
Posted by Luke Schoen on Aug 23, 2010
ChinaFAQs Expert and Director of the MIT China Program Ed Steinfeld recently discussed his new book “Playing Our Game: Why China’s economic rise doesn’t threaten the West” in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.
Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions: China Closes Highly Polluting Plants
Posted by Deborah Seligsohn on Aug 11, 2010
The big news this week is that China is removing outdated equipment from another 2000 plants, and they are moving quite rapidly – the equipment is to be phased out by the end of September. These closures are part of the tougher measures Premier Wen Jiabao announced in April. While some have expressed skepticism about this move, because equipment rather than whole factories are being phased out, in fact, this looks to be a positive move. While China has made significant efficiency advances by closing whole factories, there is a limit to how many such highly inefficient factories actually exist. As the very oldest, least efficient have been phased out, more sophisticated policies that pinpoint problematic equipment are needed.
China Tops U.S. in Energy Use to Become World's Top Energy Consumer
Posted by Nick Price on Jul 20, 2010
China has passed the U.S. to become the world’s biggest energy consumer, according to new data from the International Energy Agency. And while many expected China to overtake the U.S., most thought it wouldn’t be for another 5 years.
ChinaFAQs: Economic Drivers of Energy Use and Carbon Emissions in China
Posted by ChinaFAQs on Jul 12, 2010
Key Points:
- Macroeconomic forces – often unpredictable or poorly-understood – are crucial drivers of China’s energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.
- Booming investment in heavy industry, mainly for domestic infrastructure development, as well as rapid growth in China’s export manufacturing sector, are the two most important factors driving China’s energy consumption.
- As China’s middle class demands more goods like air conditioners and cars, domestic private consumption could be in the future (but is not yet) a major driver of energy use and emissions.
- These economic trends are rooted in fundamental political and social factors. Reform will require concentrated attention to these considerations; fortunately, Chinese leaders have indicated that creating a more energy efficient economic structure is a high-level priority.
Climate Change Messengers in China: Al Gore Brings His Lecture to Beijing
Posted by Deborah Seligsohn on Jun 10, 2010
Former Vice President Al Gore launched his Climate Project’s lecture program in Beijing June 10, personally devoting an entire day to training 300 Chinese in how to give his famous lecture. The event was striking for the diversity and the quality of the participants. His partners in China’s Ministry of Science and Technology and the China Agenda 21 Sustainable Development Office invited participants from all over China, including scholars, government officials, corporate middle managers, independent entrepreneurs, NGO staff and students.
ChinaFAQs Experts Mark Levine and Lynn Price to Serve as Lead Authors for Next IPCC Report
Posted by ChinaFAQs on Jun 3, 2010
China Energy Group members Mark Levine and Lynn Price have been invited to serve as Lead Authors for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC’s) Fifth Assessment Report. Dr. Levine will serve on the Buildings chapter and Ms. Price will serve on the Industry chapter of the Working Group III report on Mitigation of Climate Change.
Experts In the News
Experts
- Nathaniel Aden , World Resources Institute
- Edward Cunningham , Boston University
- Erica Downs , The Brookings Institution
- Meredydd Evans , Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
- Barbara Finamore , Natural Resources Defense Council
- Jerry Fletcher , West Virginia University
- Sarah Forbes , World Resources Institute
- David Fridley , Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
- Kelly Sims Gallagher , Tufts University
- Banning Garrett , Atlantic Council
- Melanie Hart , Center for American Progress
- Mikkal Herberg , The National Bureau of Asian Research
- Isabel Hilton , Chinadialogue
- Trevor Houser , Peterson Institute for International Economics
- S.T. Hsieh , Tulane University
- Angel Hsu , Yale Center for Environment and Policy
- Daniel Kammen , University of California, Berkeley
- Robert Kapp , Robert A. Kapp and Associates
- Albert Keidel , Atlantic Council
- David Kline , National Renewable Energy Laboratory
- Bo Kong , Johns Hopkins University
- Michael Levi , Council on Foreign Relations
- Mark Levine , Lawrence Berkeley National Lab
- Joanna Lewis , Georgetown University
- Kenneth Lieberthal , The Brookings Institution
- Haibing Ma , Worldwatch Institute
- Denise Mauzerall , Princeton University
- Irving Mintzer , Potomac Energy Fund
- Chris Nielsen , Harvard University
- Rose Niu , The Paulson Institute
- Stephanie Ohshita , Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
- Huei Peng , University of Michigan
- Lynn Price , Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
- David Pumphrey , Center for Strategic and International Studies
- JingJing Qian , Natural Resources Defense Council
- Rod Quinn , Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
- Luke Schoen , Tsinghua-Berkeley Inter-University Program
- Deborah Seligsohn , World Resources Institute
- Monisha Shah , National Renewable Energy Laboratory
- Bo Shen , Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
- Edward Steinfeld , Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Jennifer Turner , Woodrow Wilson Center
- Alex Wang , UC Berkeley Boalt Law School
- Elizabeth Wilson , University of Minnesota
- Julian Wong , Green Leap Forward
- Ailun Yang , World Resources Institute
- Zhang Xiaoquan , The Nature Conservancy
- Nan Zhou , Lawrence Berkeley National Lab
Data Sources
BP Statistical Review of World Energy
Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (ORNL)
China Energy Databook (LBNL)
Key China Energy Statistics 2011 (LBNL)
Climate Analysis Indicator Tool (CAIT)
Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR)
Energy Information Administration (EIA)
International Energy Agency (IEA)
The World Bank
UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
