Local-to-Local Energy Linkages: California and Alberta in China May 20, 2008

Both the Canadian and U.S. governments have many bilateral agreements and memorandums of understanding to cooperate with China's central government on energy, but overall, the actual cooperation has been much less than what might be promised on paper. To fill this void, some U.S. states and Canadian provinces, as well as NGOs and research centers in both countries, are pursuing very effective forms of engagement with Chinese counterparts on energy.

Please join the Canada Institute and the China Environment Forum for a discussion that will compare the innovative ways states, provinces, and NGOs in Canada and the United States are working with their counterparts in China to improve energy efficiency and lower greenhouse gas emissions. The conference also aims to assess whether sub-national efforts may serve as a model for cooperative federal action between the three countries to address air pollution and increase energy efficiency.

Commissioner Dian Grueneich, of the California Public Utilities Commission, and Bo Shen, of the Natural Resources Defense Council, will discuss a very intriguing demand side management center the two organizations have setup with Jiangsu Province to promote progress on energy efficiency in the province and facilitate green building.

Gary Mar, Minister-Counsellor for Alberta at the Embassy of Canada will outline similar energy initiatives between the Alberta provincial government and China, while Wenran Jiang, a professor of political science at the University of Alberta, will offer commentary from his research on China-Canada relations.

Seating is limited. RSVP to Linden.Ellis@wilsoncenter.org

Official Website: http://www.wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm?topic_id=1420&fuseaction=topics.event_summary&event_id=402568