Greentech: A Call to Action -- kicks off in Shanghai

SHANGHAI, CHINA: Over 100 global thought leaders on sustainability convened in Shanghai to develop an action plan to drive China's greentech market forward.

Greentech: A Call to Action is based on market-defining analysis and unprecedented US-China collaborative programs. The conference provides a roadmap to move from agreements and discussions to actionable greentech solutions.

Organized by the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai (AmCham Shanghai) and the Asia Society Northern California, Greentech: A Call to Action is a platform for executive and government decision makers to collaborate and drive US-China cooperation, which is essential to the development of a greentech market and a sustainable future.

The conference has attracted international executives including Mark Norbom, President & CEO of GE China, Dr. Shi Zhengrong, Chairman & CEO of Suntech, and David C. Wang, President of Boeing China and political leaders from China and the US including Fu Zhihuan, Chairman, Finance Committee, 10th National People's Congress and US Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Chairwoman of the Senate Subcommittee on Energy.

"As two of the world's largest economies, as well as the world's largest importers of oil, consumers of coal and emitters of greenhouse gases, the US and China have the potential to become world leaders in developing and deploying green technologies," said Brenda Foster, president of AmCham Shanghai. "The private sector, working closely with government, will play a key role in defining this market."

A primary goal of Greentech: A Call to Action is to overcome impediments that have prevented the US and China from working together in a truly joint partnership.

Bruce Pickering, Executive Director of the Asia Society Northern California said: "As in so many other areas, the relationship between the United States and China will be crucial to tackling the problems of sustainability and climate change. If we deal with these issues in a positive and constructive fashion, we can begin to chip away at what will likely be the critical issue of the 21st century. We really don't want to contemplate any other outcome."

The conference highlights the power of collaboration and multi-lateral cooperation bringing together organizations committed to advancing sustainability and developing the greentech market. The US-China Clean Energy Forum, sponsor of 8 Initiatives designed to transform the energy systems of the US and China, provides the conference with established bi-lateral cooperative programs.

The China Greentech Initiative provides market-defining insights from the China Greentech Report, the Initiative's first deliverable to be launched on September 10 at the World Economic Forum meeting in Dalian, China. Both organizations are presenting partners at the conference, along with PricewaterhouseCoopers, which has provided the conference thought leadership and industry-focused expertise, and is also a founding partner of the Greentech Initiative.

Kicking off day one of the two-day conference, Chairman Fu Zhihuan and Senator Cantwell joined Han Wenke, Director General of the Energy Research Institute of the NDRC, and Stanley H. Barer, Co-Chairman of the US-China Clean Energy Forum, in a signing ceremony for the Clean Energy Forum's 8 Initiatives for US Clean Energy Cooperation.

"US-China collaboration is absolutely essential. This is not about adopting any particular form of technology, but rather creating an ongoing dialogue of leaders from the two countries focused on removing impediments and facilitating cooperation," stated Stanley Barer, "The 8 Initiatives provide a roadmap for the way forward."

United through the China Greentech Initiative, leaders from Beijing Shougang, BP, Cisco Systems, Corning, Climate Change Capital, GE, Owens Corning, Hitachi, IBM, Philips, Shui On Land, Suntech, Volkswagen and dozens more focused on What's Hot, What's Not and Why during greentech market sector roundtables. Topics covered in the roundtables were based on the Initiatives' nine-month open source collaboration project and designed around an analysis of seven market sectors.

"We examined 125 greentech solutions, both existing and emerging, across seven sectors providing a view of the solution's potential environmental impact as well as total commercialization opportunity," said Ellen G. Carberry, co-founder of the China Greentech Initiative.

"The report is the result of hundreds of industry experts through 21 in-depth working sessions. It is a tangible example of the power of collaboration to drive the greentech market forward," commented Randall S. Hancock, co-founder of the China Greentech Initiative.

On Tuesday, the Conference will host Catalyst Sessions with topics drawn from the US-China Clean Energy Forum's 8 Initiatives. Each session will be moderated by a partner from PricewaterhouseCoopers. Topics will include Solar Technologies, Electric Vehicles, Advanced Coal and Sustainable Biofuels. Results from the Catalyst Sessions will define focus areas for collaboration and 'catalyze' market action moving forward.

"Collaboration is a core value at PricewaterhouseCoopers. It is exciting to see the active adoption of this approach by the China Greentech Initiative, the US-China Clean Energy Forum and here at the Greentech: A Call to Action conference," commented Ruth Dobson, Advisory Partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers.

"The Catalyst Sessions provide another excellent opportunity for key market leaders to work together to move towards tangible market-based plans for particular greentech markets both in China and the US."

Results of the Sector Roundtables and Catalyst Sessions will be documented and content will be made publicly available after the conference at http://www.amcham-shanghai.org/Greentech.

This content will form the basis for a series of action plans and a platform to develop strategies that will accelerate the greentech market and help advance the agenda at follow-up conferences starting later this year.