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Greater China

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We began operations in Greater China in 2007 and today have offices in Beijing and Hong Kong (SAR). Our team here is working closely with business and government leaders to build a low carbon China.

We count some of China's biggest companies, including Suntech, Broad Air Conditioning, and China Mobile. among our members.

We also work closely with several partners, organizations and institutions to speed up low carbon policies and technologies. For example, we're helping cities like Guiyang and Tianjin pilot LED lighting. And in the Pearl River Delta - China's most developed region - we're working with business and government to guide the policies and investments that are needed to really speed up the low carbon economy.

Go to TheClimateGroup.cn for the latest Greater China activities (Chinese language)

See all China publications (Chinese language)

Read Changhua Wu, Greater China Director, The Climate Group's Blog (Translated to English)

In addition to our global work, our Greater China team is focused on the following regional initiatives:

 

Hong Kong Carbon Reduction Campaign. Launched in April 2009, we're helping over 5000 Hong Kong employees to take action on climate change.

Pearl River Delta Program. We're asking national and provincial governments to support low carbon policies and technologies in one of China's most developed industrial regions

1000 Solar Village Project. In partnership with the Jet Li Foundation and Tony Blair, we're working to install solar-powered LED lighting across 400 villages in China, and 600 more in China, Africa and India.

Million Forest Project. Li Bingbing and Tony Blair have teamed up with us to launch this reforestation project in Beijing. Its goal is to help farmers in northwestern China plant over a million sea-buckthorn trees.

Why China Redesign

China is both at the frontline of climate challenges and climate solutions.  

The nation is at a critical juncture, undergoing rapid urbanization and industrialization. Chinese cities currently consume three-quarters of the country’s energy — a proportion that is set to rise to 83% by 2030.

But Chinese cities are also centers for low carbon technology manufacturing and deployment. These cities will meet or exceed the national 40-45% carbon intensity reduction target by 2020.

China has committed to clean economic development that will continue into the 12th Five-Year planning period - from 2011 to 2015. Cities will be at the heart of the plan.

As cities rapidly expand, building green and low carbon is urgent. City managers and governments are quickly overwhelmed by multiple pressures. Most city managers currently have limited expertise in climate change-related issues. Their knowledge and efforts must continuously grow to meet the demands of energy, environment, economic development and health issues.

Over the next three years, the China Redesign program will enable city governments to rapidly scale-up low carbon technologies and their associated regulatory and finance solutions. China Redesign will enhance the ability of city managers to implement low carbon city plans by bringing technology, policy, finance and business solutions to meet each city’s needs. China Redesign will also be a platform for information exchange, dialogue, communication and outreach amongst business leaders and city managers – leaders at the forefront of China’s low carbon development.

We are creating China Redesign at the request of many Chinese cities. Through first-hand in-depth knowledge from our network of cities and businesses in China, we are well positioned to assist cities as they sift through various resources and business offers, advancing China’s Clean Revolution.

What we’re doing

China Redesign has been established by The Climate Group (Greater China), in partnership with The Administrative Center for China’s Agenda 21, housed under the Ministry of Science and Technology (ACCA21).

For China Redesign to succeed, extensive research, tailored capacity building, piloting of specific projects and programs, and effective communications are needed. The Climate Group has met with Chinese cities and discussed their needs, so we’re connecting cities with the most appropriate and most experienced solution providers, technology suppliers and financial institutions.

The program will initially implement—as part of the execution of their low carbon development plans—ten projects in five cities. We will focus on energy management, urban planning, sustainable transportation, green buildings, renewable energy, clean energy finance and green industrialization.

The work of China Redesign will be driven by three targets:

  • Enabling five of China’s major cities to execute low carbon development plans by 2013.
  • Restructuring China’s cities to be energy efficient, manufacturing and deploying clean technology and collectively reducing their carbon intensity at least 40-45% below 2005 levels by 2020.
  • Executing ten ‘beyond business as usual’ demonstration projects in the five cities.

In Phase 1 we will work with five cities chosen from amongst the following: Guiyang, Shenyang, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Zhuhai, Shenzhen, Nanchang, Chongqing, Tianjin, Wuhan, Dezhou, and Hangzhou. We will work with the remaining seven cities in Phase 2 of the program.

In each phase we will deliver training sessions, facilitate best practice sharing and bring leading solution providers and financing partners to these cities to begin executing specific projects, as part of the Clean Revolution in China.

More on China Redesign:

Event: China Redesign

Event review: Tony Blair, Jiang Zhaoli and business leaders attend China Redesign

News: Landmark program will help Chinese cities meet low carbon objectives of 12th Five Year Plan

Download update from Changhua Wu on China Design (translated by Sofia Li-Hsin)