Causecast

by SARAH NELSON, Contributing Writer

The world’s two biggest polluters are spending some quality time together this week to figure out a joint approach to figuring out a solution to the climate crisis. If their action is as good as their talk, progress looks promising. So far, President Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao have reached an agreement on a deal to share renewable energy information and a broader plan for a strategy of future clean energy. They are even talking about a joint effort in developing a U.S.-China Electric Vehicle Initiative.

Of course, climate change was not the topic for discussion on President Obama’s first visit to China, but with the Climate Conference in Copenhagen, less than a month away, climate change may be the most pressing issue discussed.

The climate talks have also generated some discussion on the much anticipated issue of transitioning from the use of coal-burning energies to cleaner energies. While the current global economic situation would make a total abandonment of coal-burning energies nearly impossible, the leaders did come up with a new name for their plans of collaborative cleaner energy efforts: "21st century coal initiative".

The White House has released a list of cleaner energy agreements achieved during President Obama’s visit to China.

Here’s the breakdown:

• The U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center will facilitate joint research and development of clean energy technologies by teams of scientists and engineers from the United States and China, as well as serve as a clearinghouse to help researchers in each country.

• The U.S.-China Electric Vehicles Initiative will include joint standards development, demonstration projects in more than a dozen cities, technical roadmapping and public education projects, all aimed at eventual deployment of electric vehicles to reduce oil dependence.

• The U.S. China Energy Efficiency Action Plan will allow the two countries to work together to improve the energy efficiency of buildings, industrial facilities, and consumer appliances, culminating with an annual U.S.-China Energy Efficiency Forum, rotating between the two countries.

• The U.S. China Renewable Energy Partnership will facilitate development of roadmaps for wide-spread renewable energy deployment. A new Advanced Grid Working Group made up of American and Chinese developers and strategists will help plan for grid modernization in both countries, and a new U.S.-China Renewable Energy Forum will be held annually, rotating between the two countries.

• A 21st Century Coal Initiative, for which the two Presidents pledged to promote cooperation on cleaner uses of coal, will include large-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) demonstration projects.

• A Shale Gas Initiative, will allow the U.S. and China to use experience gained in the United States to assess China’s shale gas potential, promote environmentally-sustainable development of shale gas resources, conduct joint technical studies to accelerate development of shale gas resources in China, and promote shale gas investment in China through the U.S.-China Oil and Gas Industry Forum, study tours, and workshops.

• The U.S. China Energy Cooperation Program will leverage private sector resources for project development work in China across a broad array of clean energy projects, to the benefit of both nations.

In a joint press conference, President Obama acknowledges that both he and President Hu agreed that a strategic solution to climate change would require a comprehensive global deal in Copenhagen. President Obama remarked, "Our aim there is not a partial accord or a political declaration, but rather an accord that covers all of the issues in the negotiations and one that has immediate operational effect."

For more information on President Obama’s visit to China, you can view the full list of U.S.-China collaborative efforts on the check out the White House Blog.

For more information on how you can be apart of the effort to solve the climate crisis with a successful Conference in Copenhagen, check out the Seal the Deal campaign.

Photo by Official White House Photo by Pete Souza, Wikimedia Commons.