Lately I've been juggling several projects- I'm still communicating with
Chinese suppliers for the rice husk generation project, and at the same
time evaluating reports on improving fuel efficiency in the Chinese
automotive industry. Both have been great learning opportunities for my
Chinese, and also HUGE tests of my patience and determination. For
example, not only do I have to understand biomass generation technology
but also I must communicate the project needs to the suppliers, make
sure they understand some key aspects of a GEF project, and keep the
project lead updated. It's been difficult since we are not flexible on
the project parameters and we are looking for a turnkey supplier, but
things are moving along.
At the office, it's generally casual and quiet. Most people work on their own projects and know relatively little about what's going on for others. However I do appreciate that the more senior/experienced officers are very approachable and incorporate me as much as possible. For example, J and M were extremely helpful when I had questions about my visa, D told me about an EU Call for Proposals for collaborating environmental projects and the UNEP emissions gap press release (of which I was completely unaware), and A invited me to a China in the World meeting and a biotechnology and biofuels conference next Tuesday. By attending these events, I've been getting a feel for how the international community works in Beijing and also the plethora of orgs related to environment, water, energy, sustainability, etc. And it's not just NGOs or European countries' development agencies or international development groups; there is a great representation from Chinese governmental agencies and research institutes who work in this field as well. I have to say, in a very cliche way, that it's exciting and inspiring to see so many individuals and groups working toward a common goal.
So last Thursday, I attended the UNEP Emissions Gap Beijing Press Release. Yet another reminder that the improvements we're making in climate change are not nearly enough to put us on the golden path- the golden 2C path that will maintain the global temperature increase at 2C. How's it looking right now? We're several gigatons of carbon emissions away from achieving this path, and we're headed on a path for ~3.5C increase.
The politics of climate change research, policy, and organizations was definitely present. At the press release, the 2 Chinese representatives for the IPCC presented on the emissions gap as well as climate change, energy, and environment in the Chinese context. The first expert, who is a professor Tsinghua University, mentioned a heavily debated "negative emissions" scenario in which around the year 2070 the technologies in carbon capture and storage and the utilization of renewable energies will be so well developed that more carbon is being removed from the atmosphere rather than emitted (a simple mass balance: carbon_IN < carbon_OUT). Currently there's a lot of climate change policy action- the World Bank also released a report called Turn Down the Heat, on mitigation efforts and how much more susceptible the developing world is to natural disasters, famine, and other climate phenomena. You can read more here. These reports were all published at the opportune moment, right before the UNFCCC's Doha meeting.
At the office, it's generally casual and quiet. Most people work on their own projects and know relatively little about what's going on for others. However I do appreciate that the more senior/experienced officers are very approachable and incorporate me as much as possible. For example, J and M were extremely helpful when I had questions about my visa, D told me about an EU Call for Proposals for collaborating environmental projects and the UNEP emissions gap press release (of which I was completely unaware), and A invited me to a China in the World meeting and a biotechnology and biofuels conference next Tuesday. By attending these events, I've been getting a feel for how the international community works in Beijing and also the plethora of orgs related to environment, water, energy, sustainability, etc. And it's not just NGOs or European countries' development agencies or international development groups; there is a great representation from Chinese governmental agencies and research institutes who work in this field as well. I have to say, in a very cliche way, that it's exciting and inspiring to see so many individuals and groups working toward a common goal.
So last Thursday, I attended the UNEP Emissions Gap Beijing Press Release. Yet another reminder that the improvements we're making in climate change are not nearly enough to put us on the golden path- the golden 2C path that will maintain the global temperature increase at 2C. How's it looking right now? We're several gigatons of carbon emissions away from achieving this path, and we're headed on a path for ~3.5C increase.
The politics of climate change research, policy, and organizations was definitely present. At the press release, the 2 Chinese representatives for the IPCC presented on the emissions gap as well as climate change, energy, and environment in the Chinese context. The first expert, who is a professor Tsinghua University, mentioned a heavily debated "negative emissions" scenario in which around the year 2070 the technologies in carbon capture and storage and the utilization of renewable energies will be so well developed that more carbon is being removed from the atmosphere rather than emitted (a simple mass balance: carbon_IN < carbon_OUT). Currently there's a lot of climate change policy action- the World Bank also released a report called Turn Down the Heat, on mitigation efforts and how much more susceptible the developing world is to natural disasters, famine, and other climate phenomena. You can read more here. These reports were all published at the opportune moment, right before the UNFCCC's Doha meeting.
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