Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
bilateral consensus and cooperation in emissions-reduction mechanism building,
capacity building, financial assistance and low-carbon technology transfer will
bring tangible results to China in emissions reduction and economic sustainable
development and propel Japan and other followers' cooperation with China.
17
10.3
Sino-EU Cooperation in Climate Change Mitigation
and Green Development
10.3.1 Bilateral Cooperation History in Climate Change and Clean
Technology
The bilateral cooperation in climate change and clean energy can be traced back to
as early as 1994 (Table
10.1
). The two sides conducted their first energy conference
attended by enterprises and development organizations, facilitated by Spain,
Germany and Denmark in 1996, to promote energy and technology cooperation
between enterprises and governments. A large delegation of members from the EU
Parliament, the EU Council and entrepreneurs visited China in 1999 to evaluate the
possibilities in clean energy cooperation.
18
The Sino-EU Vice-Minister Environmental Dialogue kicked off in 2003.
Initiated in the same year, a 5-year Sino-EU Energy and Environment Project of
450 million Euros, partly supported the optimization of energy policies at central
and local governments level and partly channeled into adaptation research in new
energy technologies. A total of 26 seminars and conferences on energy policies and
practices were held from 2004 to 2008 under this framework.
19
The EU Energy and Transportation commission signed two projects with the
Ministry of Science and Technology, focusing on clean coal technology and
industrial energy efficiency in May 2010. The two parties issued the Joint Declara-
tion on Sino-EU Climate Change, establishing their partnership in this area on
September 5.
20
Leaders of the two sides stated their commitment to this partnership
in the Sino-EU Summit in Helsinki on September 9, 2006. The two agreed on the
rolling plan, periodically renewed to reflect the two sides' needs and to follow the
17
China Daily
,“Japan rejects Kyoto, 'casts a pall' over global climate talks”, December 1,2010,
18
Freeman and Holslag,p. 25.
19
Ibid.
20
The key cooperation areas of the partnership are: 1. Energy saving and efficiency; 2. New and
renewable energy; 3. Clean coal technology and CO2 CCS for the zero-emissions power genera-
tion; 4 methane recovery and utilization, 5. hydrogen energy and battery 6 power generation and 7.
CDM and other market based mechanism of carbon emissions trade 8. climate change impact and
adaptation research; 9. capacity and mechanism building, improvement of public awareness.
