10 July 2007

China Environmental Problems Tackled with U.S. Help

Pollutants crossing national borders, experts say

By Andrzej Zwaniecki
USINFO Staff Writer

Washington – Growing concerns about international and domestic effects of industrial pollution in China have spurred the United States to help that country address its environmental challenges, according to officials and experts.

China can surpass the United States in 2007 as the largest emitter of carbon dioxide, one of the main greenhouse gases believed to contribute to global climate change. Acid rain formed from emissions coming from China has degraded forests and watersheds in parts of Asia and some Asian pollutants are reaching as far as the U.S. West Coast, experts say.

International assistance focused on improving air quality and energy efficiency can have the greatest effect both globally and within China, according to Jennifer Turner, who directs the China Environment Forum at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington.

The climate change issue does not really resonate with the Chinese, who do not want to slow down economic growth to mitigate carbon dioxide emissions, Turner said in an interview. But they are very receptive to propositions that can help them decrease energy consumption without endangering the fast pace of growth, she said.

Improving energy efficiency could allow China not only to reduce the cost of environmental degradation, which now equals 8 percent to 13 percent of its annual gross domestic product, but also cut down its greenhouse gas emissions, Turner said.

And better air quality, experts say, could save some 200,000 to 750,000 lives per year now lost prematurely in China, according to international organizations.

Turner said nearly 60 U.S. nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), professional societies and universities are doing a particularly good job in that country, working on energy and environmental projects. Those projects range from developing energy conservation incentives to improving water management to developing standards for energy efficient buildings.

NGOs have become the mediators and the “organizational glue” that bring together Chinese government agencies, local governments, the nongovernmental community and U.S. interests to tackle environmental issues, Turner said.

According to Turner, NGO-driven projects often are surprisingly well funded. For example, the Energy Foundation, a U.S. nongovernmental organization, helps promote energy efficiency in China with grants that are significantly greater than the total U.S. Department of Energy’s technical assistance budget for China.

NGOs also have contributed to creating a new policymaking environment by promoting public participation within China in making decisions on environmental issues, she said.

Judith Ayres, assistant commissioner of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), says Washington and Beijing share an interest in promoting sustainable energy policies and good environmental practices.

China has shown keen interest in learning from U.S. and other countries’ experiences, with the 2008 Olympics providing a particularly strong incentive, Ayres said in an interview.

EPA’s projects in China, carried out in partnership with many U.S. and Chinese entities -- including NGOs -- range from reducing indoor air pollution from home cooking and heating to lowering marine diesel emissions and retrofitting city buses in Beijing with pollution control equipment.

Ayres said the U.S.-China Strategic Economic Dialogue (SED) has elevated bilateral collaboration to a new level by bringing “together the various elements of the Chinese government whose policies impact environmental outcomes.”

Under the SED, the two countries have launched a joint economic study to identify cost-effective approaches to saving energy and controlling emissions from the power-generation sectors in both countries.  Other SED initiatives include labels endorsing energy-efficient products, promoting low-sulfur vehicle fuel standards and capturing and utilizing coal mine methane, which is one of the most potent greenhouse gases.

Ayres said China recently announced plans to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and improve energy efficiency, and these efforts may provide additional opportunities for multilateral and bilateral cooperation.

However, she said, a U.S. priority will continue to be better enforcement of China's environmental laws and regulations.  

EPA’s Chinese counterpart -- the State Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) -- lacks sufficient regulatory powers, and only in the past two years has pursued polluters aggressively, according to experts.

Because many essential environmental decisions are made at the provincial or local level, Ayres said, EPA, with support from the Asian Development Bank, is helping the Chinese agency to establish six regional supervision centers.  The centers are expected to improve oversight and serve as platforms for better enforcement at the regional and local levels, she said.

The full texts of testimonies in June by Ayres and Turner to the U.S.-China Commission are available on the commission’s Web site.

The full text of an environmental performance review of China by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is available on the OECD Web site.