Highlights from Summer '24 Student FieldWork Grants
For the summer of 2024, The California-China Climate Institute launched a Student Travel and Fieldwork Grant program for UC Berkeley Students. Below outlines the selected student projects and some of their key highlights. Learn more about each of their projects through their blogs.
Catastrophe insurance and resilience to climate disasters in Guangdong, China
The below blog was written by a California-China China Climate Institute Travel and Fieldwork Grant Receipient Student, Isabel Qi, Ph.D Candidate, City and Regional Planning at UC Berkeley. It serves as one of the culminating outcomes of the student fieldwork project, "Climate Adaptation to Flooding in China."
As cities around the world are experiencing exacerbating impacts from climate change from wildfires and extreme heat to typhoons and extreme rainfall, it is imperative for governments of all levels to expand their financial toolbox to support resilience efforts and post-disaster recovery.
Marginalized Community Resilience to Wildfires
The below blog was written by a California-China China Climate Institute Travel and Fieldwork Grant Receipient Student, Erica Anjum, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of City and Regional Planning at UC Berkeley. It serves as one of the culminating outcomes of the student fieldwork project, "Marginalized Community Resilience to Wildfires."
This summer, I conducted site visits, interviews, and focus groups with decision-makers and planners involved in local wildfire recovery and preparedness efforts, as well as impacted residents. Although many sites were rural, my research prioritizes understanding the vulnerabilities of urban minorities, particularly migrants in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, and adjacent counties, who frequently face evacuation.
Zero-Emission Vehicle Mandates and Climate Justice: A Case from China’s Ride-Hailing Economy
The below blog was written by a California-China China Climate Institute Travel and Fieldwork Grant Receipient Student, David Su, a Ph.D candidate at UC Berkeley. It serves as one of the culminating outcomes of the student fieldwork project, "Ride-Hailing and Food-delivery platforms and climate policy in Guangdong, China."
China’s strong push toward Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) adoption has placed it at the forefront of green energy innovation, with ZEV policies being central to the country’s climate strategy. However, the rapid implementation of these mandates, especially in pilot cities in Guangdong Province, has raised significant challenges for gig workers, particularly those in the ride-hailing industry. Despite ambitious goals, the gap between policy design and reality reveals climate justice is a key condition for successful policy implementation.
Investment in Africa’s Energy Sectors Will Benefit U.S.-China Climate Collaborations
The below blog was written by a California-China China Climate Institute Travel and Fieldwork Grant Receipient Student, Xi Xi, a Master of Science (M.S.) Candidate in Energy and Resources at UC Berkeley. It serves as one of the culminating outcomes of the student fieldwork project, "Chinese and U.S. collaboration on green hydrogen in Kenya."
Despite a long history of collaboration around climate change, there is simultaneously a rising tide of increasing competition and tension between the U.S. and China. This plays out in many domains, but often overlooked is the key role it plays on the continent of Africa around infrastructure development, critical minerals, and other key resources.
Low-Carbon Pathways for China’s Cement Industry
The below blog was written by a California-China China Climate Institute Travel and Fieldwork Grant Receipient Student, Chengyao Liang, a Ph.D Candidate in Civil and Environmental Engineering. It serves as one of the culminating outcomes of the student fieldwork project, "Lowering Carbon from China's Cement Industry."
The cement industry plays a pivotal role in global construction and infrastructure development, yet it is also one of the largest sources of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. In China, the cement sector has been a cornerstone of rapid economic growth and urbanization, contributing significantly to both national infrastructure and global cement production. However, with China's commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2060 and peaking CO2 emissions by 2030, transitioning to low-carbon cement production is essential.
Preparing for China’s 15th Five-Year climate planning cycle:
A new California-China Climate Institute report highlights that national goals in China for reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions have historically been in intensity terms. Neither national nor provincial 14th five-year plans have incorporated absolute limits on emissions. Instead, the 14th five-year plans have continued the central government’s historical preference for CO2 intensity goals, which are set at 18% below the 2020 level by 2025, and 65% below the 2005 level by 2030.
How should China Mitigate Methane Emissions from Rice and Manure?
Our new California-China Climate Institute report analyzes policies and technologies China should adopt to mitigate agricultural methane mitigation. This report utilizes an integrated analytical framework to (1) understand the factors that are driving methane emissions, (2) reflect regional agricultural contexts and the need for localized policy approaches, and (3) recognize the steps needed to establish a robust MRV system.
Wetland Restoration is an Important Measure to Mitigate Greenhouse Gasses
Our new California-China Climate Institute brief summarizes how wetlands contribute to climate change mitigation and factors that affect greenhouse gas flux in wetlands. Lessons and experiences from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California provide insights for other regions on best practices that could be adopted, as well as existing gaps and challenges.
Achieving Public Health Co-benefits Through Air and Climate Policy: Lessons from California and China
Our new California-China Climate Institute report analyzes policies and programs, implementation mechanisms, and lessons learned from California and China in achieving public health co-benefits through air and climate policies. Lessons and experiences from both jurisdictions - including case studies from Los Angeles, Beijing and Shenzhen - provide key insights for other regions on best practices that could be adopted, as well as existing gaps and challenges.
U.S. Efforts to Reduce Methane Emissions from Abandoned Coal Mines
Our new California-China Climate Institute report identifies best practices, as well as existing challenges to reducing methane emissions from abandoned coal mines.
Decadal and Regional Planning for China’s Power Sector Decarbonization
A new California-China Climate Institute report, produced with colleagues from UC San Diego’s Power Transformation Lab and the Institute of Energy, Environment and Economy at Tsinghua University, developed a novel modeling approach with a high spatial and temporal resolution to identify feasible and efficient pathways for deploying renewables, storage systems, and transmission lines, by decade, from 2020 to 2060. This new research highlights potential changes to the energy technology choices, the pace of renewable deployment, and the uneven local impacts over time and space.
The Nexus of Energy Efficiency and Air Strategies for Buildings
China accounts for about half of the world’s new building area and the building operation accounts for one-fifth of the country’s carbon emissions. Therefore, it can benefit greatly from building energy efficiency. China connected with California's energy efficiency policies in the 1980s and developed building and appliance efficiency standards. While China’s initial standards built off of those of California’s, some of California’s recent efficiency standards (for example, for computer monitors) were built upon those of China’s. Continued dialogue and competition between California and China will help develop groundbreaking energy efficiency policies and reduce emissions from buildings.
California’s Efforts to Reduce Methane Emissions from Landfills
Our new California-China Climate Institute report, produced with colleagues from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, analyzes policies and programs, implementation mechanisms, and lessons-learned from California in reducing methane emissions from the solid waste sector. California’s lessons and experiences provide insights for other regions on best practices that could be adopted, as well as existing challenges and gaps to achieve methane reductions.
Why Wind and Solar Are Ready to Power China’s Next 40 Years
The recently concluded COP27 international climate change summit in Sharm El Sheik offered world leaders, experts, and activists an opportunity to stop and take stock one year after a landmark agreement to “phase down” coal emissions. Already, there is reason for concern.
US and China: climate collaboration on the ground
As the governments of China and the United States stall over climate cooperation, subnational entities — including states, provinces, cities and universities — are pressing forwards and finding common ground. They are uniquely positioned to test, accelerate and form partnerships on new ideas and policies.
The Challenge of Achieving China’s Carbon Neutrality Target
The China Energy Outlook 2022, a new report published by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), looks comprehensively at recent energy use and related policy in China, using scenario modeling to evaluate potential future pathways. The report shows that in the near term energy-consuming activities in China will need to be reduced, conducted more efficiently, and produced by renewable energy sources at unprecedented levels if China is going to be successful in turning around its current upward trajectory of both energy consumption and emissions of greenhouse gasses.
U.S. - China Subnational Climate Cooperation - Updates, Progress, and Recommendations: Part Two
The first blog in this two-part series, provided a brief update on the state of U.S.-China subnational climate cooperation and reviewed domestic progress on climate policy in the U.S. This second and final piece, provides more detail on subnational climate action and progress in China, and concludes with suggestions on how to re-invigorate U.S.-China cooperation and facilitate greater mutual understanding.
U.S. - China Subnational Climate Cooperation - Updates, Progress, and Recommendations: Part One
U.S.-China subnational climate cooperation has faced significant headwinds over the past few years — from the impacts of COVID-19 which largely froze travel between the U.S. and China, to the broader instability of the U.S.-China relationship.
Reimagining Nature-based Climate Solutions to Meet Our Policy Goals
This blog distills a research paper advancing a new Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) Governance Framework, to support subnational policymakers in integrating nature-based strategies into climate policy planning processes. NbS approaches such as regenerative agriculture, forest restoration, and green infrastructure, confer concurrent benefits within and beyond the landscapes they improve.