EcoLinx Programs

California-China Clean Tech Alliance (C3A)

A. Capacity Building: Environment & Energy

Our goal is to promote capacity building in local government to encourage effective implementation of constantly evolving energy and environmental laws and policies.

With China’s rapid economic development over the last two decades, a considerable toll has been exacted on the environment. While the reforms from a centrally-planned to a socialist market economy have encouraged the rapid growth of the private sector and competition, a new institutional and legal framework has not developed at the same pace to support these reforms. This is particularly so in the area of environmental and energy law. National laws are typically very general and often vague, allowing for broad interpretation by local governments, resulting in sometimes inconsistent implementation. Hence, a widening gap has developed between the goals embodied in China’s environmental and energy legislation and actual levels of environmental quality and energy conservation on the ground. It is essential at this juncture in China’s development to build capacity at the local level through bilateral exchanges and training to promote best practices.

On September 1, 2003, China’s Environmental Impact Assessment law became effective which also requires public participation. As the provincial and local environmental protection departments and bureaus will have to implement this law, they will need to bolster their capabilities. As the U.S. is the pioneer of Environmental Impact Assessment Law, U.S. experts are in an ideal position to facilitate experience and expertise in promoting effective implementation of EIA law but with “Chinese Characteristics.”

The EcoLinx Foundation is providing assistance to key academic and government institutions in China and organizing workshops and conferences to promote technical, educational and research exchanges. Most of our work today centers around capacity building by partnering with government agencies, institutes, and universities in China. As such it has entered into an MOU with the State Environmental Protection Administration's Appraisal Center for Environment and Engineering (the agency responsible for implimenting EIA in China) to organize a series of training courses for decision-makers and reviewers from government, professionals responsible for carrying out EIAs in the field, and university lecturers responsible for teaching EIA.

"Our visit with CEMP at Nanjing University, April 05"

B. Climate Change: Carbon Mitigation & Smart Energy

We consider that Climate Change is the most intractable environmental problem facing us today and we see China as the “environmental keystone” in the Global Warming conundrum. Our goal is to promote development of renewable energy, energy efficiency and rural bio-energy through Programmatic CDM (Clean Development Mechanism) of the Kyoto Protocol.

This program also provides training to local government officials in climate change mitigation through energy efficiency by using California as a model to achieve a less carbon-intensive future.

C. Environmental Education: A Crucial Element of the Sustainability Equation

An integral part of our work in China is Environmental Education conducted in partnership with government, academic institutions and NGOs. This is a two-pronged effort. First, we aim to create a greater awareness of our most pressing environmental issues, including Global Climate Change and biodiversity loss. Second, we support approaches that teach solutions to these problems by encouraging energy conservation, sustainable use of natural resources and the protection of endangered ecosystems.

For more details of these activities, please go to the EcoLinx Events page.