Other
Taiya M. Smith
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Source: Getty
Testimony
International Climate Change Policy
As the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, China will be central to efforts to combat global climate change at Copenhagen and beyond.
Published on Nov 17, 2009
Source: Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
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As the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitter, China will be central to efforts to combat global climate change at Copenhagen and beyond. In testimony before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Taiya Smith explains that China is serious about addressing climate change, and assesses the implications and opportunities presented by its recent efforts to reduce carbon emissions at home.
Current realties in China:
- China’s actions to address climate change should be taken seriously. To maintain national stability and GDP growth, China has concluded that it must address environmental degradation and climate change. Additionally, China long ago concluded that reliance on foreign oil creates considerable political difficulties.
- If present trends continue, China is on pace to meet its emissions targets: reducing energy intensity by 20 percent between 2005 and 2010, obtaining 15 percent of the nation’s energy supply from non-fossil fuels by 2020, and increasing forest coverage and stock volumes 20 percent above 2005 levels by 2020.
U.S. Policy Recommendations:
- Establishing an international body that allows countries to monitor one another’s emissions and provides a mechanism (similar to the WTO) to resolve disputes could be one of the most effective ways to both ensure that China develops a strong internal monitoring system and that the international community can engage with China on the data that it issues.
- Access to the joint American-Chinese market will be a critical motivator for the development and dissemination of clean technology. The United States needs to work with the Chinese to ensure that we keep our markets open to each other by creating policies that encourage competition in clean technology. Specifically, our two countries need to:
- Develop shared standards for new technology;
- Drop barriers to access and investment in each other’s markets;
- Implement the right set of incentives to encourage competition in this rapidly expanding sector.
About the Author
Taiya M. Smith
Former Senior Associate, Energy and Climate Program, Asia Program
Smith has spent the last decade working in international negotiations. Most recently, she served as a member of Secretary Hank Paulson’s senior management team from 2006 to 2009 as the deputy chief of staff and executive secretary for the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
- Why Go Strategic?: The Value of a Truly Strategic Dialogue Between the United States and China
- After CopenhagenArticle
Uri Dadush, Vera Eidelman, Taiya M. Smith
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Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
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