Photo @Bill Oxford on Unsplash  

On September 29, together with the National Center for Climate Change Strategy and International Cooperation (NCSC), NRDC organized the US-China Climate Law Exchange workshop. NRDC experts Jake Schmidt and David Pettit shared recent climate policies from the Biden Administration, and the experiences of the climate regulatory actions of mobile sources in California, respectively. Founding Director of NRDC’s China Environmental Law and Governance Project, Alex Wang, who is now a professor of UCLA and a leading expert on the law and policies of China, delivered a presentation regarding the carbon trading scheme in California as well as providing reflections and suggestions for China. Environmental Law Institute experts furthered discussion of local efforts in California and NYC, and Chinese researchers from leading research institutes and universities exchanged insights and recommendations for China’s climate law. Officials from the Department of Climate and the Department of Law and Standards from China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment discussed the objectives, scope, basic elements of a climate law in China, and how to align with carbon peaking and neutrality goals. An expert from Tianjin also shared the most recent progress on issuing Tianjin Regulations to Promote Carbon Peaking and Carbon Neutrality. Experts all believe that a robust climate law is crucial for climate mitigation and adaption in China. This workshop is part of NRDC’s joint project with NCSC regarding climate law research on carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. NRDC will continue to support study on this topic and foster international exchange on climate laws, policies, and adjudication.