On August 3rd the Beijing government announced a new “green performance system,” where the careers of Government and party officials will be determined by their performance in meeting environment protection and energy efficiency targets. In the past, officials were judged mainly on their ability to promote economic growth and there was little incentive to protect the environment or act against polluters.
In addition to the “new green performance system”, a new green credit policy has been developed by the State Environment Protection Authority together with the People's Bank of China. The nation's environmental watchdog has listed 30 polluters, and the list forwarded to leading financial institutions. Blacklisted companies will, in theory, find it harder to get loans.

In the past, environmental policies introduced by the government have been under-funded and under-resourced. Greenpeace spokesperson Kevin May notes that “the worry is about implementation.” Huang Shengchu, head of the China Coal Information Institute, said it was difficult for local officials to cut energy use without greater investment and many would fail environmental targets.
It is speculative as to exactly why Beijing is implementing these new environmental protection policies, but they do represent a positive step as far as awareness and policy are concerned. It remains to be seen whether these will be accompanied with practical outcomes, and whether they will be integrated with other development goals.*******Club of Pioneers contacted Sze Ping Lo, the Campaign Director of Greenpeace China, to find out more about what Greenpeace thinks about China's new green performance laws and the new green credit policy.What does Greenpeace think about these two new initiatives?
Greenpeace thinks that the government is going in the right direction by these two new initiatives. The green performance policy holds local officials accountable for energy conservation and environmental protection. And the green credit policy that stops the money flow to blacklisted companies. But implementation is the key to their success.What would Greenpeace like to see happen in China in terms of environmental protection?
Greenpeace thinks what the central government is doing is impressive, but is far from enough. We expect to see a mentality change for a broader population in China, not limited to SEPA or high level officials from the central government. We would like to hear about concrete environmental protection initiatives echoed from the local levels, we would like to see
public concern of environmental degradation being heard and taken into account; we would also like to contribute to the awakening of the environmental awareness.
Links to the story:The Age
Peoples Daily
Fotos: Anna Benjamin

Jakob von Uexkuell is the founder of the Right Livelihood Award, often referred to as the Alternative Nobel Price. He studied politics and economy. He holds the German and Swedish citizenship. In 2006 he founded the World Future Council. The Council focuses on advising political leaders and governments. The 40 members of the council represent zones of the world. The World Future Council designs its policy and project recommendations as global campaigns that involve parliamentary hearings, legislative assistance, tailored mailings, events, and this website, which is envisioned to become a multimedia clearinghouse for information on policies to change the world.

American President George W. Bush sticks up for a new and worldwide agreement of reducing CO2 emissions in the year 2008. Observers see a change in the President's politics on climate change in this announcement. However, adressing a new initiative for 2008 signifies the no-interest of the President in finding a new strategy for lowering the CO2 emissions during the G8 summit neyt week in Heiligendamm, Germany.The German government is not really amused about President Bush's proposal but Chancellor Angela Merkel embraced it saying it is important that all polluters worldwide recognize their responsibility in lowering emissions and facing the possible risks of climate change.It is not ruled out there will be no agreement next week in Heiligendamm. In 2008 a new American President will be elected. It seems Mr. Bush wants to transfer the issue to his successor.

Cherno Jobatey presents the "Morgenmagazin" (Morning Show) of ZDF - German Television. His hallmarks are sports shoes, long hair and suit. Leading German Newspapers call him "the most cheerful alarm clock of the country". Cherno has his own manner to express things - as we learn here in this interview with Club of Pioneers.More about Cherno in EnglishMore about Cherno in German

German economy is booming – above all, business with sun, wind and water is flourishing. What years ago no one would have imagined and would not have been perceived in the general public has now become reality: Environmental technology in the broadest sense is way ahead of traditional branches of German record exporting.

“In 2020 this sector will provide for more employees than that of mechanical engineering or the automobile industry,” states Torsten Henzelmann, consultant with Roland Berger, in the 8 April 2007 issue of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung. Henzelmann and his colleagues have written an ecology atlas for Germany on behalf of the German federal government, which will be presented during the EU summit in June. Over 1500 companies active in ecological technology were surveyed. Around one million people are currently employed in these companies. In environmental engineering Germany already occupies the leading global position and is the avant-garde of eco-technology. Banks are investing in technologies of the future; climate protection and alternative sources of energy are top items of the political agenda and have gained magnitude in the awareness of the media. In view of these developments it is no wonder that Germany’s Minister of Environment Sigmar Gabriel has named this eco-boom the “third industrial revolution”. Export hits of the eco-industry, one example: Energy requirements in China grow each year by 20 percent. Coal-fired power plants guarantee that 16 of the 20 cities worldwide with the worst air quality are located in the so-called Middle Kingdom, China. This means that the Chinese government needs to invest in soot filters, drinking water purification, and sewage treatment plants. The necessary know-how for operations engineering, chemical engineering and plant construction is “made in Germany”.

The seismograph of social change in the USA is the economy. National trust in the mechanisms of the market is often greater than in political forethought. The current trend is toward environmentally compatible industries, toward renewable energy technology and sustainable design. Fund managers are looking right now for investment opportunities in the energy technology sector. Furniture designers like Jesse Johnson produce beautifully designed furniture without chemicals additives.Business representatives are surging into the political arena. At the end of January this year ten large companies, including the energy corporations BP America and General Electric, the chemical corporation DuPont, and the construction and mining equipment manufacturer Caterpillar have founded the United States Climate Action Partnership (USCAP) in Washington D. C. On their Web site the group issues a “Call for Action”. They maintain that the challenges posed by climate change will create more economic opportunities than risks for the US economy. If legislators don’t take immediate action, then the business world must step in with market-driven approaches. And, incidentally, the environment will profit from that.

There seems to be a battle going on these days, taking
place on the stage of climate change. The players are the countries - up for the challenge of how to decrease their own impact on the climate. The price for the winner is a good reputation worldwide, better national opinion polls and, who knows, even a push for the national economy. Sweden certainly knows how to play the game. Monika Sahlin, the Swedish Minister for sustainable development, just recently announced, that the whole country aims for being “oil-free” till 2020 – making it the first country worldwide. Sceptics do not really believe in accomplishing this mission. Understandable, considering that concrete plans have not yet been made. A group of experts is still working on the final suggestions - to be handed in just before the upcoming election of the parliament! Nonetheless some facts speak for a success. The public transportation system in Stockholm for example runs already on ethanol. Since the 70ties and the oil crises, Sweden succeeded in decreasing the use of fossil fuels from 77 to 34 percent.

The historic district of Stockholm - called Gamla StanIt also invested in water power as well as wind energy making it nowadays less dependent on oil compared to other countries. Therefore Sweden has a good foundation to built its newest energy policy on.One move the government should not make is to decrease the dependency on oil through increasing the use of natural gasoline. Rumour goes that the construction of some gasoline pipelines point in that direction.

That would be like denying the devil but dancing with a demon. It might win Sweden some points in the battle for the climate change award. But in the long run just switches one dependency for another.More about Swedish energy policy