Over the past 27 years China has built up an ambitious array of environmental protection laws and regulation. Pollution control laws have included command and control approaches and have recently committed to the use of market mechanisms, increased public participation and greater transparency of information, and stronger penalties for pollution violations. In the area of energy and air pollution, China has passed some highly progressive laws and standards on energy efficiency, renewables, and vehicle emissions. While the implementation of pollution control and energy conservation laws have often fallen short, the two speakers at this meeting will highlight emerging opportunities for improving China's environmental governance system for energy/climate change policy and pollution control.

Roger Martella, of the general counsel of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, will describe the EPA's new China Environmental Law Initiative, which focuses on sharing expertise and experience to help China strengthen crucial legal tools (e.g., enforceable standards, legal authority, and effective implementation of environmental laws) to improve China's environmental health. Debbi Seligsohn, who is working on climate change issues in China for World Resources Institute (she is the former Counselor of the ESTH office in the U.S. Embassy in Beijing), will talk about China's climate change policy and the kinds of tools that can support its implementation.