Can the US and China Take On Climate Change Together? | Changhua Wu | TED

You don't hear much praise for China in the United States these days.

To be fair, China doesn't say great things about the US either.

(Laughter)

The two big nations are stuck in a geopolitical deadlock

that is bad for progress to fight climate change.

I'm a China sustainability policy analyst

and I have witnessed a clean energy revolution there

that could mean big things for the rest of the world.

But it's become clear to me

that if the US continues to see China as a threat,

the desired transition will never happen at the faster pace

and the larger scale as expected.

We urgently need to pivot from the currently dismal relations

and reset a constructive rather than destructive foundation

for a global clean energy revolution.

(Applause)

Let's take a look at the clean energy manufacturing,

because this seems to be where the tension lies today.

Some US commentators said,

"The best chance was 10 years ago. The second best chance is now."

The best chance was China's drive

to invest aggressively and ambitiously in clean technologies

with the China Make 2025 campaign.

The outcome is massive deployment of clean energy solutions

that established China as a global leader in this landscape.

The US Inflation Reduction Act in 2022,

a climate law that pushes for investments in domestic clean energy production,

represents the second best chance.

The IEA executive director Fatih vividly called this dynamic

“the beginning of a new age of clean energy manufacturing.”

A decade apart, China and the US stand at a different position

along the global value chain.

While China is already in the second decade of transition,

the US is just starting to take off.

The recent data shows China provided 77 percent of global batteries last year

and it is right on track to lead all nations

in manufacturing clean energy products by 2030.

China's investment has also put it as a global leader,

leading exporter of those technologies: solar, wind, batteries,

you name it.

My professional experience also tells me

that the US can learn a great deal from China's steadfast dedication

to push forward the clean energy transition in some key ways.

Firstly, China is re-energizing the world's largest energy system

with renewables and smart grid infrastructure.

And the US can adapt this with a much shorter learning curve

and reduced costs.

The first half of this year saw 34 percent of China’s electricity

generated from non-fossil fuels,

right on track to deliver 39 percent by 2025,

as has been planned,

and aiming for 80 percent by 2035.

Between now and 2035,

China's national endeavors are focused on rapid expansion of installations

and also consumption of clean energy in all sectors you could imagine.

In the meantime,

it's also dedicated to enhancing grid transmission and distribution systems

to accommodate this growth of renewables.

US and China operate power systems in two different regulatory contexts,

but share the logic and also technicality

when designing and building

a clean, smart, net-zero carbon emissions grid system.

China is also becoming a real daredevil

in pioneering the development of 5G

and AI-enabled power systems

and deploying the ultra-high-voltage grid systems

supplemented by vehicle-to-grid technologies

in order to accommodate the rise of EVs.

China's experience can provide an invaluable reference or insight

for the US to decarbonize your own power system.

Secondly, China is leading a global campaign

to increase solar usage.

The social, economic and environmental model deployed in China

can help the US to address climate injustice challenges domestically.

Solar energy is becoming the least-cost option

for new electricity generation in most parts of the world today.

The IEA forecasts an average annual solar generation growth

of 25 percent between 2022 and 2030,

which is about 10 times of the current total global installations,

in order to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by mid-century.

Or to put it another way,

this is one kilowatt solar installation per person by 2030.

That number stands today at one-tenth kilowatt globally.

China is on its way to achieve two-fifths kilowatt

by the end of this year.

To bridge the gap, a group of leading Chinese universities and institutions

launched a China campaign

advocating one kilowatt solar installation per person by 2030.

The strategy is -- and also turning that into a global campaign,

called Solar Lights the Planet.

The strategy is to really use solar installation

as the intervention point

to explore how rural energy transition in China

can benefit other UN sustainability targets.

On one side, it's cost-effective.

One kilowatt solar installation requires five square meters of space

and a 500-dollar upfront investment to install.

When completed, it generates green electricity

while avoiding carbon emissions.

And on the other side,

it also demonstrates that co-benefits can be created and maximized.

Rapid rural energy transition can bring new investment

and also create green power-enabled growth opportunities,

for instance, food, agriculture, fishery, energy services,

tourism and other industries.

China's experience definitely can be very valuable for the US

to think about the solutions to address climate injustice.

Solar Lights The Planet is the ambition.

It also offers colleagues in the United States

to work with peers from China and other parts of the world

to really tackle the climate injustice challenge.

Thirdly, China is mainstreaming a circular economy

and transforming its supply chains.

Joining forces, China, the US, together with the EU,

can literally reset the global supply chain solidly on sustainability.

China is a global manufacturing powerhouse.

Its demand for raw materials

and critical metals is growing exponentially.

As we all know, the planet cannot possibly afford

the ecological destruction from quadruple,

and in some cases even six times the current import of critical metals

to match the planned energy transition.

A circular economy offers a remedy to decouple the growth from resource use.

China is also well positioned to reset its supply chains

with circularity at the core.

Today, China recycles more than 95 percent of nickel and lithium.

Business communities have a big role to play,

providing solutions or answers to what hurdles to remove,

what innovative solutions to deploy,

what business models actually to promote,

and very importantly, how to consolidate a global partnership

to work together to shape our sustainable and circular global supply chain.

Which is why a group of Chinese organizations are working together,

kicking off a China Circularity 100 initiative,

aiming by 2030 to really find the pathways

to close the loop in recycling for critical metals

and also for the energy sector.

It's targeting at least 100 companies

to work together to find the alternative pathways.

China's practice can become a very important reference

for the United States to make investment decisions

to embrace circularity now.

So how do we jump-start a new US-China partnership?

Well, the two governments ... should start with a revised narrative,

one that is with good intention, as well as with collaborative spirit.

In the meantime, the two nations need to assure the rest of the world

that they are really seriously and sincerely working together

to find their alternative and to rebuild partnership.

One thing to keep in mind:

the climate change doesn't care about our ideological divide.

Rather, it demands for collective actions that deliver outcomes.

Cornering China as a national security threat

seems to claim that the US, rather than China,

is the legitimate and trustworthy global leader in this transition.

And yet, as the world's largest developed economy,

the US doesn't meet the bar of what's expected of a global leader.

Along the line, it doesn't provide the rest of the world

with sufficient, accessible and affordable clean energy solutions,

nor does it provide, deliver its financial commitments

to other developing countries under the Paris Agreement.

And China undoubtedly has to go a long way too

in rethinking its strategy and behavior in dealing with the US.

It needs to make extra efforts to convince the world

that it's not a threat, but rather a trusted partner,

willing and capable to work with the US

to shift towards a collaborative partnership.

Let me leave this stage with some sort of cautious optimism.

My heart feels enlightened when media in our two countries

start to tell different US-China stories.

Treasury Secretary Yellen's China trip last week

went viral in Chinese social media.

The rainbow welcoming her landing in Beijing Airport

represents some hope

and also a new beginning of bilateral relations.

And her love for the wild mushroom soup from Yunnan province --

(Laughter)

literally gives me this kind of a warm and also sweet human touch.

And I have a message to climate envoy John Kerry,

who is coming to China later this month.

You know, the two governments have already declared quite a number

of joint commitments and collective actions

to fight climate change.

What's urgently needed now is a shared vision, mission, aspiration,

wisdom and very importantly,

a compass to guide everyone back on track,

to take collective actions and deliver the due results.

It seems to me that's the must-have precondition for us all

in order to keep a sustainable future within reach.

Thank you.

(Applause)