As the dangers of climate change grow, UCLA has joined a new partnership with other University of California campuses, former California Gov. Jerry Brown and China’s top climate change official, Xie Zhenhua, to launch an initiative designed to spur further climate action through joint research, training and dialogue.
Alex Wang, professor in UCLA School of Law and a member of the school’s Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, will serve as co-chair of the California-China Climate Institute’s academic advisory committee. The institute is a multi-campus project housed at UC Berkeley with collaboration from UCLA, UC Davis, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and others.
“China and California are the second- and fifth-largest economies in the world and their actions on climate change send an important signal to the world about what is possible with concerted effort,” Wang said. “In California, there is a growing recognition that China has become a source of climate change policy innovation and not just a recipient of global ‘best practice.’ Research and exchange on climate policy through this new institute will help both California and China expand on their ambitious climate programs.”
The institute, which is chaired by Brown, will advance research on low-carbon transportation and zero emission vehicles; carbon pricing; climate adaptation and resilience; sustainable land use and climate-smart agriculture; carbon capture and storage; and long-term climate goal-setting and policy enforcement.
The California-China Climate Institute will identify and share best practices and key lessons; scale innovative climate solutions; and help inform top policy and decision makers in California and China — and beyond.
Read the full news release.
