Energy Current: In Search of Net Zero System

Send us Fan Mail All eyes are on Glasgow as COP26 heads towards its last days of discussion. REEI’s Zhao Ang and Lin Jiaqiao starts the episode by summarizing key accomplishments and progress from COP26 this week. Following our last episode, where we interviewed Prof. Asuka from Tohoku University in Japan discussing issues related to COP and views on NDCs, this week we'll interview Mr. Lee Ji...

Send us Fan Mail As COP 26 is ongoing in Glasgow, many countries have updated their NDCs. Are these NDCs ambitious enough to achieve the 1.5℃ target? What outcome are we expecting from COP 26? In this episode, Lin from REEI will talk with Prof. Jusen Asuka from Tohoku University about their views on NDCs, then move on to topics such as power shortages, role of coal and carbon border adjustment mea...

Send us Fan Mail As one of the most developed metropolitan areas, Hong Kong is a latecomer in the climate action arena in the region. By committing to reach carbon neutrality by 2050 last year, Hong Kong is catching up with other peer cities such as Tokyo and Seoul. In her annual policy address on October 6th 2021, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam announced some specific policy measures both in climate...

Send us Fan Mail It's urgent and essential for China to place a decarbonization roadmap for the next 3-4 decades. Before COP26 Glasgow, International Energy Agency (IEA) presents a comprehensive energy sector decarbonization roadmap based on China's announced pledges scenario, in order to support the biggest international carbon emitter to take more active measures and commit to reduce t...

Send us Fan Mail In recent months, many countries have experienced episodes of disruptive energy supply shortage due to various causes, either technically or structurally. China's power outages across many regions have hit the global supply chains. In response, the Chinese government enacts a new policy which allows coal-fired power generators to charge above the benchmark price that is set u...

Send us Fan Mail International Energy Agency just launched a decarbonization roadmap for China's energy sector before the upcoming COP26 in Glasgow. The positive and supportive analysis recommends Chinese policy makers to take more ambitious measures to speed up the decarbonization course by arguing the huge amount of social, economic and environmental benefits. Has the report overlooked the...

Send us Fan Mail The recent power outages in both industrial manufacturing and residential areas across some regions of China may be a result of various and differentiated causes, such as the high cost of coal and the central government controlling the growth of energy consumption in heavy industries. What about other reasons? REEI’s two researchers , Zhao and Lin, argue that the lack of market-ba...

Send us Fan Mail In October 2021, China announced it is moving forward to cease its oversea coal power investment. How ambitious is China’s move? Will this commitment mean the beginning of the end of coal? Before COP26 in Glasgow in November 2021, will China set a higher target on coal, like suspending the domestic coal investment within a couple of years? Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Today, we bring one of the most important bilateral relationships to the forefront and one of the most pressing challenges around our world to our discussion. Yes, we will discuss the climate diplomacy between U.S. and China. If you are interested in this topic, join us! The content of this issue is very exciting. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail This episode introduce the concept of Health Impact Assessment, and how it is used to identify beneficial health outcomes while mitigating climate change within the road transportation industry around the world, specifically examining case studies from New Zealand and Netherlands. The episode also discusses China's first Health Impact Assessment tool in Shanghai and how that...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Zhao Ang and Lin Jiaqiao from REEI discuss the “hot” topic of China's carbon peaking, starting from the carbon peaking year in major economies and the 4 major driving forces, then introducing China's regional carbon peaking plans in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces (more developed regions in the Yangtze River Delta). The discrepancies of the regional plan...

Send us Fan Mail Today, our talk discusses the topic of natural gas, based on the newly released report called “China’s natural gas development 2021”.This report is jointly released by three authoritative organizations, and this year is the sixth year that the report has been released. The report released this year summarizes the details of China's development during the 13th Five-Year Plan p...

Send us Fan Mail Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) management has experienced a structural change in 2011-2020, with incineration overtaking landfill as the No. 1 treatment technology. When decision makers aim to raise the incineration percentage from approximately 50% in 2020 to 65% by 2025, Chinese government have to consider waste management in the context of pursuing carbon neutrality by 2060. Decar...

Send us Fan Mail While more frequent extreme weather events generate huge pressure towards the reliable and quality healthcare services, the sector have to fight two battles, improving its climate resilience and taking actions to reduce its carbon emissions. In this episode, we present a special conversation on why and how the healthcare sector should pursue a low carbon development by reducing th...

Send us Fan Mail Continuing our talk on renewable transportation, this week we will dissect a newly released report by The China Automotive Technology & Research Center (CATARC) titled "China Automobile Low Carbon Action Plan Research Report 2021" that was released in July of 2021, using data from 2018-2020 representing current situation and examine scenario analysis for future trend...

Send us Fan Mail How do you picture yourself traveling in 10 or 20 years? Will there by flying cars or under ocean trains? In today's episode, we discuss possibilities of the future of travel through interviews with industry experts, from battery technology, to AI advancements and the development of Electric Vehicles. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we focus on a legislative proposal form European Commission, Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) which is a part of the “Fit for 55” packages unveiled on 14 July. The packed policy aims to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels. - Will a CBAM fix the problem of carbon leakages? - Is a CBAM legal under existing WT...

Send us Fan Mail Since the start of covid-19 crisis, the heath industry has an increasing urgency to tackle climate change after seeing how environmental damage can significantly impact the health system. UK’s NHS has been a leader in decarbonizing its industry and shares its ambitious goals in the next two decades in this report.  Support the show

Send us Fan Mail With the support of the Vanke Foundation, we co-hosted a side event with C Team and The Climate Reality Project during the Asia Pacific Climate Week. Four guests were invited to the conference, namely Zhao Ang, Rocky Ma, Professor Don Henry and Professor ASUKA Jusen. They shared some insights on the development and technology of renewable energy at this conference. We recorded the...

Send us Fan Mail Featured guest: Sonia Roschnik, lead author of "Roadmap for Healthcare Decarbonization". REEI dissects the China profile from report "Roadmap for Healthcare Decarbonization" by Healthcare Without Harm, published in April 2021. This podcast specifically analyzes the fact sheet, emission projections, and possible action items pertaining to the Chinese healthcare...

Send us Fan Mail Today we will take a look at a new report titled "Global Roadmap for Healthcare Decarbonization" by an international not-for-profit group called Healthcare Without Harm, in collaboration with Arup consulting group. This report  identifies a set of actions the health sector can take to align itself with the ambition of the Paris Agreement, while simultaneously achieving g...

Send us Fan Mail Today, we will discuss the gender issue in renewable energy development in Japan around a research report titled "Women in Community Energy in Japan". This report summarizes the results of a questionnaire survey of member organizations of Japan Community Power Association on the role of women in community energy projects. We are also honored to have Dr. Shota Furuya, the...

Send us Fan Mail Today we will continue to discuss the topic of electric vehicles. Focusing on Tesla, the leader in the electric vehicle industry. What impact will Tesla's development in China have on the Chinese electric vehicle market? What will China's electric vehicle policy determine? Listen to this episode now to find out the answer! Support the show

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode, we want to examine China's attitude towards coal investments following G7's climate push towards stopping international funding for coal. Especially, taking a closer look into the climate and economical significance of Chinese coal investments, both domestically and internationally, and the technologies that require more rapid development and uti...

Send us Fan Mail Today, we will talk about a research article named “Assessing China’s efforts to pursue the 1.5°C warming limit”. It was published in the journal "Science" on April 22 and it was co-authored by several domestic and foreign researchers and scholars. Based on the existing scenario from global models and new national modeling, this research conducted a multi-model study to...