Olivia Gippner
NFG Research Group “Asian Perceptions of the EU“
Dept. Political and Social Science
Beyond reach: China-UK relations and
patterns of interaction on climate security
RUSI Workshop on Environmental Security
May 3, 2014
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Puzzle
Emissions trading vs. Global
deal and emissions caps
Gippner, UK-China relations and bureaucratic politics, 3 May 2014, RUSI, London
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Research Question and Structure
“Why did China decide to adopt ambitious climate
policies such as emissions trading, carbon capture
and storage and low carbon development?“
A. Framing Climate Change and Environmental Security?
B. Case study: CCS
C. What does it mean for the UK?
Embedded in a larger research on EU influence and
channels of influence towards Chinese climate policy.
Gippner, UK-China relations and bureaucratic politics, 3 May 2014, RUSI, London
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Research Design “The EU‘s role in Chinese
climate policy“
• Semi-structured interviews with 50 academics, public think tanks,
NGOs, and policy makers in Beijing, Brussels, London and at
UNFCCC meetings.
• Questions about climate policy making, stakeholders, norms,
policies, motivations, personal history
• Coding using qualitative content analysis software
• Literature review (esp. Chinese writing and policy papers)
Gippner, UK-China relations and bureaucratic politics, 3 May 2014, RUSI, London
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A) CHINESE FRAMES OF CLIMATE
CHANGE BEFORE AND AFTER 2007
Gippner, UK-China relations and bureaucratic politics, 3 May 2014, RUSI, London
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Enviromental security: a Chinese
perspective
• Vulnerability: Consequences of air and
environmental pollution
• Energy security and water security
• Urbanization
But: no securitization angle, Climate change is still
mainly dealt with under NDRC (since 2011 climate
change department)
Gippner, UK-China relations and bureaucratic politics, 3 May 2014, RUSI, London
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Vulnerability
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2010 Green GDP CNY 1.5 trillion (USD248 billion):
3.5 percent of 2010 GDP
Quality of life in cities
Premier Li Keqiang presents concept of „humancentered urbanization“ and “declared war
against pollution”, placing environmental
concerns on the same level as the wealth gap
No “environmental security“ approach: China has been reaching
out for policy cooperation on air pollution, energy security,
actual productivity losses (Green GDP), increasing
opposition by population
Gippner, UK-China relations and bureaucratic politics, 3 May 2014, RUSI, London
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Impact on Climate Change
Source: Eva Sternfeld (taken from PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (2011):
Long Term Trend in Global CO2 Emissions. 2011 report
China accounts for 26.3 percent of global CO2 emissions (2012)
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Determinants of changing frames
1. dramatic shift of energy usage, drop in energy
intensity 1990-2002, increase in energy intensity
after 2003, reduction in 2006 – efficiency and
increased consumption
2. increasing environmental pollution and awareness
of vulnerability
3. change in industrial policy, green growth strategy
(benefits for Chinese industry, ex. Wuxi, Dezhou)
4. great power status, “responsible actor“, multilateral
involvement
Gippner, UK-China relations and bureaucratic politics, 3 May 2014, RUSI, London
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Changing Frame since 2007
• EU-China relations in the field of climate change
have evolved over the past decade due to
– changes in the framing of the climate change debate
(climate security and vulnerability)
– changes of determinants of Chinese policy-making and
global position in general
– changes in the domestic decision-making structures of
the Chinese climate change network.
Gippner, UK-China relations and bureaucratic politics, 3 May 2014, RUSI, London
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B) CHINESE CLIMATE POLICY:
CARBON CAPTURE AND STORAGE
(CCS)
Gippner, UK-China relations and bureaucratic politics, 3 May 2014, RUSI, London
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Capturing Carbon emissions
• Goal of emissions reductions has risen on the Chinese
political agenda since 2007
• Commercialization allows China to continue present coalbased development
• Developed countries, lose their R&D market, due to a
lack of resources and public resistance (eg. In Germany).
• CCS/CCUS global industries will be increasingly
dependent on Chinese technologies.
Gippner, UK-China relations and bureaucratic politics, 3 May 2014, RUSI, London
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CCUS foreign involvement
• UK: NZEC 2006 capacity building project, followed by EU-led
funding schemes COACH and STRACO2
• Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) -> in 2011: change of
policy making to NDRC
• 2013 evaluation assessment: international cooperative activities
had increased Chinese capacity and raised awareness of CCS
• Considering the high cost of commercializing CCS technologies,
NDRC, which in itself has one of the lowest government budgets,
cooperates on foreign funded CCUS projects on demonstrating
CCUS technologies and using experiences in China as best practices
for (funding role)
Gippner, UK-China relations and bureaucratic politics, 3 May 2014, RUSI, London
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C) CONSEQUENCES FOR UK-CHINA
COOPERATION
Gippner, UK-China relations and bureaucratic politics, 3 May 2014, RUSI, London
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What do bureaucratic politics mean for
UK-China relations?
• Turf acquisition, turf competition and turf transition
• China no monolithic actor: Core role of NDRC
• Many competing external actors
Gippner, UK-China relations and bureaucratic politics, 3 May 2014, RUSI, London
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Existing UK-China relations on climate
change
• Projects at technical level: CCS, ETS, Adaptation
projects
• Leadership at strategic level: 2°C target, low
carbon development
• On climate change China-UK relations active,
mostly untouched by diplomatic fallout in 2012
• Dependent on domestic politics
Gippner, UK-China relations and bureaucratic politics, 3 May 2014, RUSI, London
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Gaps in UK policies and capacity for
cooperation with China
• UK is already doing a good job, however, lack of domestic
drive currently holding back more bilateral cooperation
(see CCS third phase)
• Coordination with other European countries and other
partners to avoid duplication of efforts (China is a
strategic partner for all)
• Domestic dynamics condition any kind of efforts by the
UK
Gippner, UK-China relations and bureaucratic politics, 3 May 2014, RUSI, London
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Areas for future bilateral cooperation
• Policy Areas
– UK has something to offer that China cannot yet supply itself
(reforestation, natural flood risk management, allocation
methods for emissions reductions, coordination mechanisms in
a devolved system...)
– Public communication, use of social media
• Instruments
– Bilateral dialogues, technology transfer
– Invest in understanding the Chinese decision-making process,
embedded work exchange
– Study tours, socialization of Chinese policy-makers
– long-term personal relationships/guanxi development
Gippner, UK-China relations and bureaucratic politics, 3 May 2014, RUSI, London
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Conclusion
• Frames of climate change have been aligning – climate
security / vulnerability
• Turf competition (mostly over access to decision-making
and control, not budget) around NDRC characterize
climate policy adoption and mediate EU/UK climate
policy promotion
• The UK plays the role of an agenda-setter:
– Actively: capacity-building through financing demo/pilot
projects, study tours, personal interactions (longterm
professional relationships/guanxi)
– Passively: as a model
Gippner, UK-China relations and bureaucratic politics, 3 May 2014, RUSI, London
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“
Thank you very much.
I looking forward to your feedback: olivia.gippner@fu-berlin.de
Gippner, UK-China relations and bureaucratic politics, 3 May 2014, RUSI, London
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The NFG Research Group
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International/interdisciplinary research team / 8 members
(India Cluster, China Cluster)
Academic Council / Meetings at Beida & JNU
Field Studies (6 months / 50 interviews)
Partner Projects (NCRE..)
Visiting & Associate Fellows
Reading Groups (NFG+)
NFG Working Paper Series
Reviews / News (I & C)
Networked Think Tank
Associated Project of
KFG „Transformative Power of Europe“
More on: www.asianperceptions.eu
asianperceptions.eu
NFG Partners
Visiting Fellows
Academic Council
NFG
NFG Research Group „Asian Perceptions of the EU“
A transnational Networked Think Tank.
www.asianperceptions.eu
Funded by the German Ministry of Education and Research - Associated Project of
the KFG „Transformative Power of Europe”
Gippner, UK-China relations and bureaucratic politics, 3 May 2014, RUSI, London
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