Waking the Green Dragon: US-China Cooperation in Global Environmental Protection

Tuesday, October 19, 2004
5:30 pm, Reception
6:00 pm, Program

Waking the Green Dragon: US-China Cooperation in Global Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development
A moderated discussion featuring Wen Bo, Elizabeth Economy, Miansheng Wang, and David Gordon

China is experiencing a period of intense economic growth unlike anything the world has ever seen, but while the past 35 years of 9% annual growth has dramatically improved the standard of living for its citizens, the environmental costs have been enormous. China is the home of seven of the ten most polluted cities in the world and is the second largest emitter of energy-related global carbon dioxide emissions, after the United States. The Chinese government is well aware of the social and economic costs of environmental pollution, and in 1999 proclaimed its intention to stop environmental degradation by 2010. Will China rise to meet the challenges of sustainable development?

This panel discussion with leading experts on US-China environmental policy, advocacy, and industrial/business cooperation, who will explore the "greening" of China and the implications for the US and the globe: Wen Bo - China Program Director, Pacific Environment, and Founder, China Green Students Forum; Elizabeth Economy - Director of Asia Studies at The Council on Foreign Relations, author of The River Runs Black: The Environmental Challenge to China's Future; Miansheng Wang - Managing Director, US Secretariat of the China-US Center for Sustainable Development; David Gordon - Executive Director, Pacific Environment (moderator).

Pricing: Members: $8.00; Non-members: $15.00; Students: $7.00. For Information and reservations call the Commonwealth Club of California at (415) 597-6700. Cosponsored by Pacific Environment, Stacey's Bookstore, and the Center for the Pacific Rim.