The Earth Institute is taking an extra step to contribute to China’s environmental future by sponsoring the first Beijing Week on Energy and Environment, a week-long program this summer for emerging leaders and professionals in the fields of energy and environment.
The non-degree program, organized through the China Sustainability Project of the Center for Sustainable Development, will be held June 28-July 5 at the Columbia Global Center in Beijing. It will include lectures, seminars, panel discussions and practice labs; meetings with policymakers and international business people; a field trip and social and cultural activities.
To apply for the program, complete an application by May 30. More information can be found in the Beijing Week Brochure, or by contacting china.sustainability@ei.columbia.edu. You can also visit the program’s web page.
China’s economic development has been remarkable over recent decades. But the associated problems that come with such rapid development have prompted the Chinese government to commission new efforts to tackle the environmental challenges, including renewable energy, innovative urban development and research on new technologies.
By gathering government officials, entrepreneurs and innovators, consultants and leading scholars in the capital, the Beijing Week aspires to spark constructive discussions on issues such as the impact of the oil price plunge on China’s structural transformation; the geopolitical dynamics influencing China’s energy outlook; and private-sector involvement in electric vehicle and renewable generation deployment.
“Let’s do something concrete on China’s sustainability future,” said Professor André Corrêa d’Almeida, director of Columbia’s China Sustainability Project. He is heading up the Beijing Week, along with Professor Manuel Pinho, former president of the EU Council of Energy Ministers and an adjunct professor at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs.
