China and EU forge new ties for low-carbon city project

The EU and China have agreed to join forces on a new low carbon city project in the city of Tianjin.

The EU's main climate innovation initiative, Climate-KIC, signed a memorandum of understanding with the mayor of Tianjin at the EU-China summit, in Beijing this week. The two partners will collaborate on green growth projects such as retrofitting programmes using energy-efficient technologies and ‘smart-city’ systems.

The Chief executive of Climate-KIC, Mary Ritter, argues that how china chooses to urbanise in the coming years will be crucial for not only china but the rest of the world. Chinese cities are facing not only the challenges of climate change, but also of sustainable development and demographic change.  

Tianjin is one of seven Chinese cities and provinces set to take part in a carbon market pilot being rolled out this year. Each of the seven pilot projects are expected to be fully operational by the end of next year with further trials also being planned for Chongqing and the provinces of Guangdong and Hubei. The latest schemes are due to be launch next week in Beijing and Shanghai (pictured).

This announcement follows that of the agreement between US software start-up Cityzenith and Amsterdam’s Economic Board, the Barcelona City Council and San Francisco’s Department of the Environment to launch a new online platform for ‘smart city’ data. The three cities will work together to collect, manage and share data in an attempt to enhance efficiency and improve services.

supporters of 'smart city' technologies argue that collecting and analysing detailed data from urban dynamics such as traffic flows and recycling rates, will allows cities to enhance their performance, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions as well as operating costs.