Location: Yale Center Beijing, 8 Jianguomenwai Avenue, 36th floor, Tower B of IFC Building (Yong'anli Subway Station, Exit C)
Date: Tuesday, 21st July, 6:00 -8:30 pm, followed by a reception
Registration: https://jinshuju.net/f/azuFCk

This event provides an overview of a report on environmental and social risk management of Chinese transnational corporations, which is a collaboration between the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and WWF.  Speakers include:

Dr. HU Tao, China Program Director, WWF US
Ms. WANG Yiting, Program Development Manager, China's Green Shift Initiative, WWF China
Dr. FANG Li, Assistant Director-General of CCICED and Ex DG of International Dept. of Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP)
Dr. MAO Xianqiang, Director of Center for Global Environmental Policy, Beijing Normal University

Sir Peter Crane, Dean of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies’, preface to the report:

China is the world’s second largest economy, and is projected to be the largest by 2030 if current economic trends continue. Much of this growth, like growth in other major economies, depends fundamentally on the use, and often irreversible modification, of natural resources, from reef and river fisheries to forests and land cleared for agriculture. As one indication of the magnitude of China’s impact, China ranks only 75th in its per capita carbon footprint according to the latest Living Planet Report from WWF. But China’s vast population, the world’s largest already accounts for 16% of the total global carbon footprint. More than any country including the U.S., which accounts for 15%.

An important and positive outcome of China’s growth over the past two decades has been a significant increase in the standard of living of many of its people and its human development index. However, at the same time, this increased consumption has greatly increased China’s demand on natural resources, and the impacts have been felt not only in China but also globally. Chinese transnational corporations are now engaged in commerce and the use of natural resources all over the world.

This Report summarizes the results from a workshop held at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies in the spring of 2014 that focused on the possibilities for enhancing the environmental and social performance around the world of China’s transnational corporations. It also include articles solicited from conference participants and their co-authors. The workshop was organized by an enthusiastic group of students from Yale, many of them from China, in close collaboration with WWF-China and WWF-US. The workshop included excellent participation by representatives from major Chinese transnational corporations. As Dean of the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, and also a member of the Board of WWF-US, I could not be more delighted by this exciting collaboration, which points the way for future progress at the crucial interface between business and the environment.