The challenges of air pollution and climate change are closely linked, with overlapping solutions, and significant public health co-benefits in addressing them. This necessitates a cohesive policy approach toward maximizing co-benefits, and avoiding unintended trade-offs. In this workshop, the California-China Climate Institute shared lessons-learned from its study on the policy and technological options available to maximize public health co-benefits, sharing insights from urban cases of Los Angeles, Beijing and Shenzhen. California has integrated public health into its air and climate policies, primarily by incorporating public health indicators in policies, establishing public health monitoring networks, and measuring implementation action. China, meanwhile, has excelled at developing highly sophisticated air quality monitoring tools and a comprehensive climate policy framework. This culminating event presented project findings, heard issue-expert commentary, and shared local experiences from urban cities in both jurisdictions.
Past Events
For a schedule of all our events, seminars, and lectures visit our calendar.
U.S.-China Climate Forum
This event, hosted by the California-China Climate Institute – a University of California-wide initiative jointly housed at UC Berkeley Law’s Center for Law, Energy, and the Environment, and Rausser College of Natural Resources – featured an array of experts’ work, identified and explored policy gaps, and detailed opportunities to work together on matters relating to climate policy in the U.S. and China.
[Webinar] Methane Series: Reducing Methane Emissions from Abandoned Coal Mines
As both the United States (U.S.) and China are transitioning from coal, a large number of coal mines are being left abandoned. These abandoned mines are a significant source of methane - a potent greenhouse gas. Although reducing methane emissions from abandoned coal mines presents difficulties, the benefits of addressing this issue are significant: slowing near-term climate change, diversifying energy sources, revitalizing the local economy, as well as alleviating health and environmental hazards. Join us to hear from issue experts on these topics, including on a new California-China Climate Institute report focusing on lessons learned from the U.S.
[Webinar] Opportunities for Enhanced Near-term U.S.-China Climate Action: Subnational Climate Leadership
Subnational collaboration offers unique opportunities for cooperation between China and the U.S., particularly in areas where local governments can have a greater impact and federal authority is limited. Both nations have influential states that inform their national policy decisions. Several key sectors offer opportunities for subnational climate action, including: transitioning from fossil fuels and coal, decarbonizing energy, enhancing climate resilience and adaptation, designing carbon markets, and reducing methane emissions. Join us to hear from issue-experts, including on a recent paper, Subnational Climate Action in the U.S and China: Where We Are and Opportunities for Cooperation.
[Webinar] Opportunities for Enhanced Near-term U.S.-China Climate Action: Decarbonizing the Power Sector
The United States and China both face similar challenges in decarbonizing their power sector, despite differing political and economic systems. Meanwhile, both nations have made commitments for transforming their power sectors, with the U.S. targeting zero carbon power by 2035 and China aiming to achieve 39% non-fossil based power by 2025. Join us to hear from issue-experts on opportunities for enhanced near-term action in the power sector for the U.S. and China, including on a recent report, Decarbonizing the Power Sector in the U.S. and China.
[Webinar] Opportunities for Enhanced Near-term U.S.-China Climate Action: Reducing Methane Emissions in the U.S. and China
As two of the largest global economies and energy consumers, China and the U.S. are also the top and third largest methane emitters, respectively. Both nations have significant opportunities to reduce their methane emissions over the next decade, with some methods of reduction having low or no costs associated. In the U.S., it's estimated that a total reduction potential of 224 million metric tons of CO₂ equivalent (Mt CO₂e) can be achieved through abatement measures costing $100/t CO₂e or less by 2030. Meanwhile, in China, the potential for methane reduction is predicted to reach 469 Mt CO₂e in 2030, which is equivalent to a 35% decrease from 2015 levels. Join us to hear from issue-experts, sharing insights from a new report, Reducing Methane Emissions in the U.S. and China.
[Webinar] Opportunities for Enhanced Near-term U.S.-China Climate Action: Industrial Decarbonization
Industrial emissions are responsible for approximately 60% of China’s greenhouse gas emissions, and 30% of U.S. emissions. Taking action to reduce emissions from industrial sectors like iron & steel, cement, and the chemical industry will be critical to helping the U.S. and China meet their mid-century carbon neutrality goals. What technological innovations and policy tools are available to the U.S. and China, particularly within this current decade? During this event, we hear from issue-experts on opportunities in energy and materials efficiency, electrification, and the circular economy, including new insights from a recent report, Decarbonizing Industry in the U.S. and China.
[Webinar] Renewable Energy Deployment in China: Accelerating the Path to Carbon Neutrality
A collaborative research study between the California-China Climate Institute, UC San Diego and Tsinghua University is culminating in the launch of a new research report, Renewable Energy Pathways to Carbon Neutrality in China. For China to decarbonize the power sector and reach carbon neutrality requires a large increase in low-carbon renewable energy and complementary infrastructure including storage and transmission. While these long-term objectives are clear, the deployment structure, pace, and distributional impacts are uncertain. To address this gap, we developed a novel modeling approach with a high special and temporal resolution to identify the plausible pathways for deploying renewables, storage systems, and transmission lines, by decade, from 2020 to 2060. During this event, we heard about the new report from our joint California-China climate research team.
[Webinar] Opportunities for Enhanced Near-term U.S.-China Climate Action: Zero Emissions Vehicles
The global vehicle market in 2021 was heavily influenced by the United States and China, who together accounted for over 50% of the market. Zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) sales saw significant growth, with 4% of total light-duty vehicle sales in the U.S. being ZEVs, doubling the previous year's market share and reaching a penetration rate of 12.4% in California. Meanwhile, China leads the world in ZEV adoption, particularly in the commercial sector, with its New Energy Vehicles accounting for 50% of global sales. We heard from issue-experts from the U.S. and China, sharing the latest insights from a new report, Accelerating the ZEV Market in the U.S. and China.
[Webinar] Methane Webinar Series: Reducing Methane Emissions from the Solid Waste Sector
As two large economies, China and California are now taking actions to reduce methane emissions from the solid waste sector. Since different policies and technologies are adopted in the two jurisdictions, both sides can share lessons-learned and experiences with one another. Join us to hear from issue-experts on these topics, including about the launch of a new California-China Climate Institute report which focuses on lessons-learned from California.