Ancient City Captivated by Green Technology – DESSC China Summit

The 3,000-year old city of Xi’an was the capital of the first Chinese feudal dynasty. The city is world renowned as the home of the largest collection of ancient terracotta warriors.  Every visitor to Xi’an is amazed by the sophisticated culture preserved in these terracotta sculptures.  However, attendees at this year’s DESSC China Summit held in Xi’an May 18-19 were even more impressed with high tech’s role in driving economic growth while improving sustainability.

DESSC China produced its first report on the technology industry’s role in improving energy efficiency and fostering low-carbon economy in China at the end of 2010.  The report gained traction quickly and not long after its release, DESSC China was invited to present it to the senior Chinese official in charge of nationwide low-carbon economic development across industries.  Next time we heard from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and the National Development and Reform Commission, DESSC China’s suggestions has been adopted into the twelfth Five Year Plan that provides guidance and directions for hundreds of thousands of Chinese officials and government agencies over the next five years.

To build on this momentum, DESSC China published their second report late last year, focusing on the specific approaches the technology industry is taking to advance sustainability.  At our forum, this message resonated among participants representing automobile companies, investors, urban developers, NGOs, and policy makers.  All parties shared this vision.  The Chinese Institute of Electronics and the Xi’an Economic Development Zone signed a strategic cooperation agreement advancing ICT energy efficiency and a low-carbon industrial base.  This agreement is important in that it will foster integration of energy-efficiency enabling technology across industries.  It seeks to create an industrial base comprised of smart data centers, green electronics manufacturing capacity, and the research and development of low-carbon technology applications in financial and services sectors.  The Vice Minister of MIIT, Mr. Su Bo, highlighted the significance of this milestone in meeting the goals of DESSC China.

There can be no doubt that DESSC China is winning the hearts and minds of China’s top thinkers and policy leaders.  This ensures the continued promotion of tech’s role in reducing the Chinese economy’s carbon footprint, successfully addressing one of China’s top challenges. 

Public Policy Tags: Intelligent Efficiency, Environment & Sustainability

Related