Clash or Cooperation? The Chinese Climate Change Dilemma

On June 26 The New America Foundation's American Strategy Program and the Heinrich Böll Foundation hosted Reinhard Bütikofer, the leader of Germany's Green Party, for a discussion about possibilities of cooperation with China over the issue of climate change. Steve Clemons, the director of the American Strategy Program, moderated the discussion. An MP3 audio recording can be downloaded below, while video is available at right.

Bütikofer began by detailing the importance for Europe of involving China in projects to control climate change; they are the world's biggest CO2 emitter, and he stated that the United States would be unlikely to support a climate change regime that did not also apply to Russia and rapidly developing countries such as China, India, and Brazil. At the same time, Bütikofer acknowledged that any plan for a climate regime would still need to protect economic growth, in order to get China to sign on to it. This would require a new developmental model that offsets carbon output.

He also detailed China's reasons for supporting a comprehensive move against climate change, listing the many environmental consequences of climate change for China. These included more powerful storms, rising sea levels, damage to important river systems, and a drop in food production.

In response to these challenges, Bütikofer suggested a number of things the west can do to help curb emissions in China. These include sharing research on climate change, transferring technology that can raise energy efficiency, and also transferring administrative experience, to allow the Chinese government to overcome the inefficiency and obstructiveness of regional and local leaders. He suggested that more democracy would also be helpful, because reversing climate change requires the unified effort of civil society to check corruption and make sure necessary change occurs.

-Andrew Lebovich, Research Intern, American Strategy Program.

This event was co-sponsored with The Heinrich Böll Foundation of North America.

Participants

• Reinhard Bütikofer
  Chairman
  Green Party of Germany

• Helga Flores Trejo
  Executive Director
  Heinrich Böll Foundation of North America

• Steven Clemons
  Director, American Strategy Program, New America Foundation
  Publisher, www.TheWashingtonNote.com