Broaden Your Horizon on China’s Energy Transition and Climate Actions with Shuang Tan
Spoiler: In-depth Interview on China's Green Movement in Issue #07 – exclusive for paid subscribers
Over the past few years, I have considered myself one of the most vocal proponents of timely, adequate, and contextually informed intelligence on China's climate policy.
As a matter of fact, the Shuang Tan newsletter was created as a result of my firm conviction that without a proper understanding of China's positions on climate change and its energy and climate policies, decision-makers across all societies can not make effective diplomatic, economic, or business choices, much less accelerate climate actions in China, and with China.
Nevertheless, it has become increasingly evident that the international climate society’s laser-like focus on government policies and political announcements has reached its limits.
As I argued in this short essay, many assumptions about China’s domestic and overseas climate actions have been fundamentally challenged, if not already changed. One simply cannot use the rulers of the past to predict the trajectories of the future.
Why? Public Policy 101: Even with impeccable policies and ambitious slogans, implementation cannot be taken for granted. This universal rule applies to China, and particularly to China.
The new conviction that "China climate watchers" must broaden their horizons and engage beyond the state's actions, regardless of the difficulties, drove me to make two choices as I resumed Shuang Tan in May 2023:
To temporarily halt publishing policy analyses and data insights that many of you requested in the Reader Survey and, instead, shed light on the actions of non-state actors on the ground before the official launch of Shuang Tan 2.0.
To introduce a membership model to sustain the Shuang Tan newsletter instead of counting on donors, as most China-/climate-focused journalism, strategic communication, and research projects do.
Shuang Tan 2.0 will return on a due date. As a membership business built for and with members like yourself, it will provide tailored products to help you address the biggest challenges you face in your work as a diplomat, analyst, journalist, investor, philanthropist, and more.
But before going back to the technocrat approach, allow me to show you around, exploring how the Chinese people view energy transition and climate change.
Coming up in Issue #07:
In-Depth Interview: Has China’s “Green Movement” Ended?
Over two hours of intense debate with a witness of China's Green Movement who remains an active member of Chinese civil society, I challenged the interviewee and myself on our existing views on environmentalism, green activism, and the past, present, and future of the environmental movement in China.
With their consent, I transcripted and translated our conversation. We attempted to explore the answers to the following questions – and many more:
Has China’s “Green Movement” ended?
Does China’s “Shuang Tan” climate pledge offer an exceptional opportunity for green activism?
Are Chinese millennials “new farmers” and their efforts to build “nearby” and live green lifestyles incubating new waves of the green movement in China?
Here are two of my favourite quotes:
If we examine Chinese society from a macro perspective, it is undeniable that the "Green Movement," which involved diverse social groups negotiating and cooperating to advance a specific environmental agenda, has already ended. However, it is completely false to claim that China's civil society is a desert devoid of green activism.
The “Green Movement” sowed some seeds. When the conditions are unfavourable, the seeds will retain their strength and grow when the next heavy rain comes. That said, it also only takes one wildfire to burn everything down. I don’t know what awaits us next.
🤖 Heads up 🤖
The interview will be exclusively distributed to paid subscribers.
Independence is the core DNA of the Shuang Tan newsletter and my consulting work. As an independent consultant, I advise international organisations, thinktanks and investors to develop their China research and strategies. In 2022, I created this newsletter to share my expertise and insights with a broader audience.
The Shuang Tan newsletter has been free to read, yet the production is not. Each newsletter, from policy analysis and data insights to in-depth interviews, requires an average of 40 to 50 hours of effort.
If you enjoy reading Shuang Tan, please consider upgrading your subscription. As a paid member, you will have access to exclusive content and opportunities to meet and exchange with “China climate watchers” from around the world.
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