Summer has almost arrived in Beijing and we’re delighted to welcome visiting groups here in the Project Pengyou courtyard! On May 16, we hosted the China Carbon Forum and the Center for Sustainability in Shanghai who brought a crew of 25 students from the California State University Maritime Academy (Cal Maritime) in San Francisco.

The students are all on their first trip to China, and have been traveling around exploring issues of sustainability in China. Beijing was the last stop on the 3 week trip, and we were glad to be able to show them a little Beijing hutong hospitality while they learned about China’s evolving carbon markets from Peter Edwards and Huw Slater of the China Carbon Forum.

Peter and Huw shared insights into the emissions trading system (ETS) through their 2015 “China Carbon Pricing Survey” they conducted which shows how China is piloting the new policy in 6 cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Chongqing). Although it will likely take years to perfect, it’s heartening that the trend seems to be one of long term solutions and plans to address climate change overall rather than just isolated incidents of air pollution.

After hearing Project Pengyou Executive Director, Alyssa Farrelly, speak a bit about what we do as well, the audience was curious about how our individual journeys brought us to China. We each shared a bit of our stories, the common theme being that although we didn’t expect to end up where we are today, our experiences in China have molded all of us and hugely impacted our careers.

Peter also gave the group some parting words of wisdom about China and their career paths:

“It’s not often that you have the chance to be at the head of an organization before the age of 30…There are lots of entrepreneurial opportunities here [in China] and you will grow so much from being here. Don’t be afraid to dream big!”

It was wonderful to see everyone on a sunny summer morning, and fascinating to hear expert insights into China’s carbon markets. We look forward to seeing you all again soon.

About China Carbon Forum:

China Carbon Forum (CCF) was established in 2007 by professionals in China’s climate change sector as a non-for-profit organization to exchange information, best practices and engage with China’s climate change stakeholders, since then, CCF has held over 40 events and discussions on specific climate change topics; facilitated countless linking opportunities between China’s climate change stakeholders; and attracted high-level stakeholders such as China’s chief climate negotiator (Su Wei), the European Commissioner for Climate Action (Connie Hedegaard) and President of World Resources Institute (Manish Bapna). CCF now has a network of more than 1,400 experts and professionals spanning all areas of China’s climate change community.

About the Center for Sustainability Shanghai:

The Center for Sustainability is an effort pulled together by industry professionals and scholars with the mission of educating international students on the latest trend of sustainable development taking place in China. The Center specializes in offering students, industry professionals and scholars the opportunity to engage in dialogue, share ideas, skills and perspectives in reference to the common goal, sustainability.