2015 “Climate Change” Twinner
Chinese NGO |
European NGO |
| China Youth Climate Action Network, Beijing | BUNDjugend Berlin, Germany |
| Green & Low-Carbon Development Think Tank Partnership, Beijing | Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy, Germany |
| Rock Environment and Energy Institute, Beijing | Change Partnership, Belgium |
| Hangzhou Eco-Culture Association, Hangzhou | Legambiente Direzione Nazionale, Spain |
| EnviroFriends, Beijing | Plant-for-the-Planet, Germany |
China Youth Climate Action Network, Beijing
China Youth Climate Action Network (CYCAN) was established in August 2007 by seven youth organizations. As the first Chinese non-profit organization focusing on youth development and climate change, CYCAN aims to inspire and guide young people to become a new force to achieve global sustainable development. CYCAN’s activities focus on three aspects: international communication and cooperation, local climate actions and youth campaigns. CYCAN has branches in Beijing, Guangzhou and New York and more than five projects running, including the “Low Carbon Campus Project”, “International Youth Summit on Energy and Climate Change” and “My H2O Project”.
BUNDjugend Berlin, Germany
BUNDjugend Berlin is a subordinate branch of BUND Berlin (Friends of the Earth Berlin), which is particularly addressing people under 27 years of age. Members independently plan campaigns, projects and actions and decide which issues they want to focus on – emphasis is however given to food, agriculture, climate change and consumption. Member may enhance their skills in workshops and trainings supported by the staff of the BUNDjugend Berlin office. BUNDjugend Berlin believes in a peer-to-peer concept in which active young people inform other young people about environmental problems and motivate them to act. In doing so they are convinced they will help young people take their future into their own hands.
Topic of Exchange:
Both China Youth Climate Action Network and BUNDjugend Berlin supervise projects at universities where students are brought together to discuss environmental problems (with a focus on climate change), share their ideas for how to best address these problems and motivate others to join them in their actions. Besides, CYCAN and BUNDjugend Berlin will organize activities and workshops for young people during the 21st Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Paris to raise awareness and promote public discussion about climate change
Green & Low-Carbon Development Think Tank Partnership, Beijing
Green & Low-Carbon Development Think Tank Partnership (GDTP) was founded in 2014 by ten Chinese think tanks focusing on low-carbon development. Its aims are: building a cooperation mechanism of research, promoting the both integration and popularization of domestic and overseas policies as well as practices of green low-carbon development. It strives to provide for a publicly-advocated and partner-serving general platform of decision support and technical exchange which fosters the exchange and spread of research on low-carbon development.
Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy, Germany
The Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy designs transitions towards sustainable development. It aims at generating practical and actor-oriented solutions on local as well as global level and is organized in four research groups: Future Energy and Mobility Structures; Energy, Transport and Climate Policy; Material Flows and Resource Management; Sustainable Production and Consumption. Clients of the Wuppertal Institute come from governments, the business and industry sector as well as civil society.
Topic of Exchange:
Green & Low-Carbon Development Think Tank Partnership and the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy will focus on the quantitative modeling of designs of policies which support low-carbon development, energy efficiency in the construction sector and the usage of renewable energy
Read the IGDP & Wuppertal Institute Participant Reports here
Rock Environment and Energy Institute, Beijing
Rock Environment and Energy Institute (REEI) was established in Beijing in year 2012. REEI strives to become an influential civil think tank, conducting in-depth research on climate change, energy policy, air pollution mitigation, low-carbon development, municipal waste treatment and many more. REEI aims to facilitate a more effective discussion of environmental and energy policies on the basis of justice and sustainability.
Change Partnership, Belgium
Change Partnership is an action orientated institution with strong believe in the power of creative thought. It focuses on solving the problems of climate change and operates through identifying and securing key solutions which foster transformative change in public policy, technology development and society.
Topic of Exchange:
Rock Environment and Energy Institute and Change Partnership will collaborate on outlining the impact of climate and energy measures on industrial policy in China and Europe. In particular they will analyze how cities and regions manage the transition to low-carbon systems. They will make use of the comparative results from their analysis to give recommendations on low-carbon development policy design in China and Europe
Hangzhou Eco-Culture Association, Hangzhou
The Hangzhou Eco-Culture Association (HZECA), also known as Green Zhejiang, was founded in 2000 and is currently the largest environmental NGO in Zhejiang Province, China. It works on environmental monitoring, ecological community development and environmental education. Green Zhejiang is the first 5A level environmental NGO in China evaluated by the Ministry of Civil Affairs. It is a full member of the Waterkeeper Alliance, NGO partner of GEF (Global Environmental Foundation), a member of the China Civil Climate Action Network (CCAN) and has been supported by the United Nations Environment Programme UNEP, the United Nations Development Programme UNDP and other international or domestic organizations and foundations.
Legambiente Direzione Nazionale, Italy
Legambiente is an environmental association composed by a national headquarter, 20 regional branches and more than 1000 local groups.
Topic of exchange:
Hangzhou Eco-Culture Association and Legambiente Direzione Nazionale will share knowledge and experiences on climate change, forming national and international strategies that aim at reducing greenhouse gas emission after 2030. By brainstorming on topics such as energy innovation, development of renewable sources, recycling and waste management and other contemporary environmental issues, the associations will enhance their practical experience and expertise on environmental protection.
EnviroFriends, Beijing
EnviroFriends Environmental Institute of Science and Technology (EnviroFriends) is a non-governmental organization working on environmental science and technology research and public environmental education. EnviroFriends aims to raise citizens’ awareness for environmental issues and motivate them to actively engage in the promotion of sustainable development in China. Main working fields include assistance and support for the government or companies in carrying out environmental protection and sustainable development research, implementing environmental education as well as promoting exchange and cooperation between non-governmental organizations.
Plant-for-the-Planet, Germany
They idea for Plant-for-the-Planet came from a nine years old boy’s homework about the climate crisis in 2007. Inspired by Wangari Maathai who has planted over 30 million trees within 30 years in Africa, Felix Finkbeiner had a vision: children in each country of the world would plant a million trees and thus effectively do something again climate change while adults keep talking but refrain from action. His vision evolved into a children’s movement with children from more than 100 countries participating so far. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) supports Plant-for-the-Planet and has handed over its Billion Tree Campaign into the hands of children.
Topic of exchange:
EnviroFriends and Plant-for-the-Planet focus on climate change education. They will empower primary and second school students to become Climate Justice Ambassadors. As such, the students promise to initiate and conduct one action for climate justice every month – e.g. planting a tree.
Read the EnviroFriends & Plant-for-the-Planet Participant report here