Changhua Wu, Greater China Director of The Climate Group, shares her thoughts on the inaugural Global Cleantech Innovation Summit and outlines the role of technology in driving China's Clean Revolution.

At the closing of the National People's Congress at the beginning of this year, the Chinese Premier Li Keqiang declared a “war on pollution". This represents a solemn commitment to the country's people and the international community.

However, if China is committed to implementing a war on pollution, prerequisites for success are technology development and technology industrialization, and an emphasis must also be placed on the marketization of applications. Economic growth and environmental protection are inseparable from clean technology innovation.

In New York, the two cleantech incubator partnerships of the NYU School of Engineering and the City created 900 new jobs and generated more than US$251 million in economic activity. These cleantech innovators are tackling issues such as urban resilience and energy efficiency, and in doing so contributing to economic growth and prosperity.

China’s tech entrepreneurs are doing the same. By 2020, our clean tech market, which is currently the largest in the world, is expected to grow to US$2.2 trillion. There is enormous potential to radically disrupt the carbon heavy system - and clean technology holds the key to progress. Through innovation, trial and error and persistance we can rapidly accelerate the global clean revolution.

In recognition of the central role that technology is playing, The Climate Group, together with its partners Cleantech Scandinavia and the Cleantech Group, will hold the first Global Cleantech Innovation Summit in Tianjin on September 12-13. We are also delighted to have the support of Deloitte and the International Finance Corporation from the World Bank Group as knowledge partners and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation as a strategic partner.

The summit will publicize international and domestic clean technology, capital, and industrial property, while also helping China to achieve a sustainable development transformation.

By uniting investors and stakeholder with cleantech entrepreneurs, the event will provide the foundation for future partnerships, and these collaborations will certiainly be instrumental for the realization of China’s low carbon targets. It is an exciting and unique platform which will act as a springboard for new climate change solutions.

The summit is one of a series of activities organized by The Climate Group to mark our 10th anniversary. For more information on our international activities and our work with leading business and political leaders, please see here.

Read more from Changhua Wu's blog by clicking here.

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