U.S. and China tackle clean energy challenge
Posted: Friday, October 30, 2009 11:01 AM
BEIJING – Ahead of President Barack Obama’s first visit to China next month, American and Chinese officials and scholars are engaged in intense discussions on how the world’s two biggest polluting nations should manage their responsibility to address climate change and clean energy issues, which are expected to be high on the president’s agenda.
With the U.N. Copenhagen Climate Change Conference scheduled for December, China and the United States, which account for a combined 40 percent of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions, are under pressure to cut down their production of greenhouse gases.
“China is doing a lot and we are doing a lot,” declared U.S. Energy Undersecretary Dan Poneman, refuting talks of China taking the leadership on clean energy technology.
“We are investing significantly across a whole range of clean technologies,” he said, adding that the U.S. is comfortable with China’s ambitious nuclear energy program.
Professor Ken Lieberthall of the Brookings Institution, was also very positive about the prospects for collaboration.
“I think the Chinese are actually very serious about cooperation on clean energy,” said Lieberthall. The Brookings Institution recently sponsored a forum in Beijing on U.S.-China clean energy efforts with the China Institute of Strategy and Management. The event gathered over 300 guests, including Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and former U.S. Vice-President Al Gore.
“The whole world is looking at the U.S. and China,” said Lieberthall. “But there are many obstacles, politically and technically, to overcome that simply require a lot of work.”
Poneman and Lieberthall spoke at length to NBC News in Beijing about the prospects of the United States and China working together in the clean energy arena. See the attached video to hear more of their views.
