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Interdependencies on Energy and Climate Security for China and Europe

The Chatham House Report - Changing Climates: Interdependencies on Energy and Climate Security for China and Europe is available for download in English and Chinese.

The European Union (EU) and China face many common challenges on energy and climate security in the next quarter century. These range from dealing with the challenges of global climate change, securing stable supply of energy resources to advance national economic development as well as generating innovative market solutions to foster the potential of emerging technologies in meeting climate and energy security needs. In order to meet these challenges, it may be useful to harness the combined market power of the EU, the world's largest single market, and China, the world's fastest growing economy, to help drive progress towards sustainable development, including a transition towards a sustainable energy and a low carbon future.

Project Website

www.eu-china-energy-climate.net

Project Concept

Chatham House, E3G, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and the Chinese Energy Research Institute (ERI), in co-operation with the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI) and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impacts Research (PIK), have come together to address these issues. Backed by the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Sweden's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Interdependencies on Energy and Climate Security for China and Europe aims to:

• Identify the EU and China's mutual interests, challenges and opportunities on energy security and climate security over the next 25 years;
• Generate a shared vision for achieving the goals of both regions in order to strengthen long-term engagement on these issues;
• Produce high quality analysis on the priority opportunities for future collaboration to meet our climate and energy security goals;
• Produce policy recommendations for policy makers and stakeholders.

Research Areas

The project team will identify the mutual goals, synthesise the research findings and generate policy options around four "clusters" of issues:

New Technologies

What kind of new/emerging technologies need to be developed to assist the shift towards a low carbon economy within the next generation? What type of co-operation would help to improve the deployment of adaptation technology?

Investment and diffusion of existing technology

How do we ensure that the investment set to flow into energy systems over the coming decades is diverted so that existing low carbon technologies and technology systems can properly penetrate the market? What is the scope for enhancing the competitiveness of each region by investing in a low carbon global economy? How might EU-Chinese co-operation enhance this process?

Governance for energy and climate security (international and domestic)

What kind of arrangements can help enhance energy security and accelerate low-carbon technology trade and investment internationally for both regions? What are the practical implications of existing trade/market rules, environmental rules and intellectual property rights regimes? At the national/regional level, what governance structures need to be strengthened? How to ensure confidence of companies and investors in long term market opportunities in these areas?

Fostering stability and security

Meeting climate change and energy goals will help to deliver development, stability and security, but what are the short and long-term challenges likely to undermine this vision? How can the EU and China work to align international incentives towards stability?

Project structure and team

The project team comprises five full-time researchers, based at Chatham House, working alongside part-time researchers in China and Europe. The team is guided by a Steering Committee of members from the six partner organisations listed above. Senior government officials as well as stakeholders including business, research institutes and NGOs provide input into the research.

Further information

EU China Interdependencies, Energy and Climate Security, Roundtable Report, December 2006

New project work - Developing the Methodology and Piloting Low Carbon Zones in China.

Contact

Felix Preston
Project Manager and Research Fellow, EEDP
+44 (0)20 7957 5741
Email Felix Preston >>