US experts discuss China's efforts to address eco-challenges

CHICAGO - Many US experts have met to discuss the challenges China is facing in its eco-system, saying continued efforts are needed to achieve positive results.

"China's increasing ecological challenges have made global headlines for their unprecedented scale, but so have the budget and the measures the government plans to take to clean up," said John Robinson, principle consultant at Cornerstone China Advisors, a consulting firm specializing in supporting businesses and investors that have China-related water technology interests.

"China invested over $65 billion in greentech in 2012, the largest in the world," said Elle Carberry, co-founder of the China Greentech Initiative (CGTI), a US company based in Beijing.

She suggested a new approach that will link targets and policies to tangible outcomes and align environmental goals with economic incentives.

The central government has provided the guidelines to address environmental issues, and the provincial and city government need to implement them, Carberry said. "It's happening. There is huge upward potential to innovate and improve."

Carberry also stressed the need to reduce environmental impact of buildings through integrated solutions, stimulate consumer demand for electric vehicles and promote green energy.

China's 12th five-year plan emphasizes keeping a balance between growth and the environment, maintaining energy security, and reducing pollution and CO2 emissions, Carberry said. "If it can be done elsewhere, it can be done in China," she said.

She added that Chicago is closely related to China in terms of green technology, especially in battery industry and green energy.

Carberry on Wednesday gave a briefing on the CGTI's 2013 report on China's eco-system development.

Those who also attended the meeting included Scott Mosley, director of Global Capital Strategies at Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, Steve Wittrig at Clean Air Task Force, and Dick T. Co at Argonne-Northwestern Solar Energy Research.

"The world is so complex and the changes are so rapid, (and) the only way to make it work is to work together," Co said.