Washington, D.C. – On April 23rd the National Center for Sustainable Development (NCSD) in conjunction with the George Washington University’s Institute of International Economic Policy and the Bertelsmann Foundation will host another milestone in the implementation of the US China Low Carbon Initiative. The Energy and Climate Forum, which is a roundtable discussion of practical approaches to reducing carbon intensity, as viewed from public and private sector perspectives.

This Forum was proposed by the joint agreement of NCSD, and the Chinese CDM Fund while meeting in Washington in November 2009 as part of the 2010 work plan and management agenda. The goals of the Forum are to continue to analyze and evaluate selected national policies in a comparison study and to identify demonstration projects designed for practical implementation. The Forum will focus on the experience of the two largest global GHG emitters: the United States, with its 100 year perspective as a developed country with current economic realities and China with its developing country 25 year perspective with rapid growth but with an economy less than half the US size and four times the population.

These two perspectives will be both challenged and informed by the perspective of the leader of the developed world that has embraced the opportunity of a low carbon future: the Federal Republic of Germany. With a host of innovative pioneering approaches towards balancing Energy and Climate equation, we are fortunate to have Ambassador Dr. Klaus Scharioth address the Forum. Ambassador Scharioth is an internationally known opinion leader on the subject of practical steps and the public sector policies that speed their implementation.

NCSD, the CDM Fund and George Washington University are grateful for the ongoing support of the Bertelsmann Foundation and its leadership both in Washington, DC and Germany to join in the promotion of a prosperous and sustainable low carbon future.