Press release
27.11.2015

Research cooperation: What can the key energy and climate policy regions Germany, China and California learn from each other?

Three international research organisations establish the Energy Policy Exchange Forum.

Berlin, 27 November 2015 – In the lead-up to the Conference of the Parties (COP) in Paris the Hertie School (Berlin), Tsinghua University (Peking) and the Prize School of Public Policy at the University of Southern California (Los Angeles) have established the Energy Policy Exchange Forum. As part of this cooperation forward-looking approaches in these three key energy and climate policy regions will be investigated comparatively to catalyse a shared learning process.

While Germany is pursuing new avenues in its energy transition, China and California are, due to widespread use of coal and ever-increasing automobile traffic, battling air pollution and other environmental issues. “In all three regions there are promising lighthouse projects that could be useful examples for the others and even beyond the scope of this cooperation,” explained researchers Franziska Holz and Jan Minx from the Hertie School.

At the launch meeting in Peking the researchers discussed themes including the Chinese plan to introduce a national emissions trading scheme in 2017, a project that could definitely benefit from the experience of the design and effectiveness of the European Emissions Trading Scheme. Further joint research projects in the areas of governance of the coal phase-out, green urban planning, emissions trading schemes, as well as carbon foot printing and energy-efficient behaviour of households, are also planned. The next Energy Policy Exchange Forum will be hosted in Berlin in 2016.

Hertie School Experts Franziska Holz, Professor of Governance of Energy and Infrastructure, and Jan Minx, Professor for Science Policy and Sustainable Development, are available for any media queries regarding energy and climate policy.

Photo

A photo from the launch meeting in Peking is available on the Hertie School Website.

Top row from left to right: Feng Tei (Tsinghua University), YiXin Dai (Tsinghua University), Hilda Blanco (Prize School), Franziska Holz (Hertie School), Sabine Fuss (MCC), Dan Mazmanian (Prize School), Nicole Sintov (Prize School), Dan Wei (Prize School), Lee White (Prize School).
Bottom row from left to right: Qi Ye Tsinghua University), Nicolas Koch (MCC), Jan Minx (Hertie School/MCC), Adam Rose (Prize School), Yue Lan (Tsinghua University), Jack Knott (Dean, Price School), Helmut Anheier (President, Hertie School), Zhang Xiliang (Tsinghua University).