Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Oakland, CA — ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability announced today the launch of the California-China Urban Climate Collaborative (CCUCC), a new partnership with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the California-China Office of Trade and Investment, the Bay Area Council, and the Asia Society.
The CCUCC is a dynamic new long-term exchange between cities in California and China seeking to reduce carbon and air pollution and advance the clean energy economy. This public commitment by cities will include a strong engagement with the private sector.
Through the CCUCC, participating cities will receive tools and technical support, access to a panel of leading experts, and networking opportunities to drive emissions reductions through proven climate action planning processes and technology solutions. Ten California and 10 Chinese cities will make up the initial cohort and will be selected using various indicators and detailed research and analysis. Selection of the initial cohort will be made by ICLEI in the next month.
The CCUCC was conceived in close coordination with the State of California led by CalEPA, the California Energy Commission, and the office of Governor Jerry Brown as a strategy to implement a series of Memoranda of Understanding between California, provincial leaders, and China’s National Development and Reform Commission. The intent of the program is to help achieve the strategic goals of those agreements and build a long-term technically focused information and collaboration network between cities on climate change measures.
The program components were developed in partnership with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), the California-China Office of Trade and Investment, the Bay Area Council and the Asia Society.
Berkeley Lab brings decades of on-the-ground technical experience to the collaborative and is widely recognized for its leadership in China for developing strategies to implement greenhouse gas reductions. Strong private sector engagement, with a focus on cleantech and finance, is a key part of the program. The Bay Area Council brings leadership from Silicon Valley and California, and the Governor’s China Trade and Investment Office brings corresponding connections to some of the largest Chinese firms in the space. The Energy Foundation China generously provided seed funding to launch the program.
“We are honored to contribute to the success of the U.S.-China Climate Cities Summit with the formal announcement of the CCUCC,” ICLEI USA Executive Director Michael Schmitz said, “and to have the opportunity to work closely with our ICLEI colleagues in the ICLEI East Asia Secretariat and China office, who will provide services to the cities participating in China.”
ABOUT ICLEI – LOCAL GOVERNMENTS FOR SUSTAINABILITY
ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability is the leading global network of local governments dedicated to sustainability, resilience, and climate action, with more than 1,000 cities, towns, and counties around the globe. We connect leaders to share solutions and accelerate progress, and our cutting-edge tools and technical guidance help local governments reach their ambitious goals. For more information please visit www.icleiusa.org and www.eastasia.iclei.org.
Contact: Angie Fyfe, ICLEI USA Director, Resource Efficiency and Renewable Energy 303-908-3250 angie.fyfe@iclei.org