Global Environmental Institute

Last updated
Global Environmental Institute
AbbreviationGEI
Founded2004
TypeCivil non-enterprise unit
HeadquartersBeijing, China
Location
  • Beijing, China
Website www.geichina.org

The GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL INSTITUTE (GEI) was founded in the U.S. in 2003 and was registered as an independent non-profit organization in the State of Delaware. GEI's mission was to design and implement market-based models for solving environmental problems in order to achieve development that is economically, ecologically, and socially sustainable. GEI was dissolved in October 2011. GEI's sister organization, the independent Beijing Chaoyang District Sustainable Global Environmental Institute in China (GEI-China) remains active.

Contents

GEI-China's mission and strategy

GEI-China is an independent Chinese environmental non-profit, non-governmental organization and think tank that was established in Beijing, China in 2004. GEI-China shares GEI's mission to design and implement market-based models for solving environmental problems in order to achieve development that is economically, ecologically, and socially sustainable.

GEI-China was founded on these principles and specifically aims to:

GEI-China [1] has worked extensively in the fields of rural energy, biodiversity conservation, energy efficiency in industry and environmental governance in China. [2] In particular, it has made significant headway in spurring on unofficial, bilateral talks on climate change between the United States and China [3] [4] [5] (please see page 3 of the latter reference).

GEI-China is one of a small number of NGOs based in China, and works closely with a number of important government and academic institutions in China (including the Ministry of Environmental Protection, State Forestry Administration, Tibet Development Fund and Tsinghua University).

Programs

GEI-China's work falls into four main program areas: Sustainable Rural Development, Biodiversity Conservation, Energy and Climate Change and Environmental Governance.

GEI-China's Sustainable Rural Development program works to incorporate successful commercial models to the development of rural communities. In particular, its projects focus clean renewable energy at the household and village level (e.g. biogas, solar cookers) as well as organic farming and rural finance. Project sites include Lijiang, Yunnan Province, the Tibet Autonomous Region and Chebaling Nature Reserve in Guangdong Province (with UNESCO) in China, as well as five provinces in Sri Lanka.

The Biodiversity Conservation program at GEI-China works to spur economic development of communities living near the buffer zones of nature reserves and promoting financial models that resolve conflicts between biodiversity conservation and local economic development. GEI has worked closely with county and provincial level governments to promote the Conservation Incentive Agreements [1] [6] model in the Fengtongzhai Nature Reserve in Baoxing County, Sichuan Province. In addition, the program team has worked with the Chinese government and Chinese timber enterprises in the publication and promotion of the "Guidelines on Sustainable Overseas Silviculture by Chinese Enterprises" (see below).

GEI-China's Energy and Climate Change program works towards the development of clean energy and energy efficient enterprises through market-oriented solutions. Its work in this area has included the promotion of energy service companies (ESCos) and capacity building for Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects in China, particularly in the cement industry for energy efficiency retro-fitting. GEI-China has also provided training subsidium for Chinese enterprises under their Eco-Entrepreneurship Training Project. [7]

The use of energy efficiency in China's metallurgy industry and models for the bulk procurement of energy efficient products and technology has also been actively encouraged in selected Chinese cities. In addition, GEI has worked closely with Chinese and US government institutions to promote unofficial dialogue and cooperation on climate change (see article below).

Finally, GEI-China's Environmental Governance program works to provide capacity building on sustainable development for China's high-level decision makers, and to this effect it has worked closely with China's Central Communist Party School. The team also works to improve the environmental behavior of Chinese enterprises operating overseas through application of environmental tools such as Environmental Impact Assessment and payment for ecosystem services. In addition, it works closely with host countries to strengthen environmental policy. GEI is currently working with the Lao National Land Management Authority to strengthen its land management law and enforcement. [1]

During the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference, Madame Jiaman Jin, executive director of GEI-China, said that GEI will continue to follow the climate action framework set up by the Center for Climate Strategies, placing greater emphasis on the provincial and city prefecture level in China. In addition, GEI-China will actively facilitate South-South collaboration on rural energy, particularly on technologies like biogas, solar energy and energy efficient stoves. [8]

Through the years, GEI-China has worked to develop local capacity, both by supporting and incubating new NGOs and training current and future government leaders through an environmental curriculum at the Central Party School of the Chinese Communist Party. [9]

Partners

GEI-China has worked with a number of enterprises, government agencies and NGOs in implementing its projects. These include:

The GEI-China Partnership Program assists international NGOs in developing environmental protection efforts in China and provides a platform for Chinese organizations and leaders to interact with and learn from environmental efforts of those outside of China. Some of these programs include:

GEI-China - Innovation Center for Energy and Transportation Partnership

The Innovation Center for Energy and Transportation (iCET), originally known as Auto Project on Energy and Climate Change, was launched in 2005 and aims to promote clean and energy efficient transportation technology and stringent fuel efficiency and vehicle emission regulations in China. iCET has now become an independent NGO that continues to receive financial and technical consulting from GEI.

GEI-China - Green River Partnership: Three Rivers Migration Study Project

In 2005, GEI-China and the Green River Environmental Protection Organization of Sichuan Province organized to implement the Three Rivers Migration Study. This partnership aims to facilitate public understanding of the regions changes, monitor government action and to develop information and recommendations to help the government improve its migration policy. [1]

GEI-Americas

GEI-Americas (GEI-A) constituted the Americas-based program operations of GEI. GEI-A helped local entrepreneurs in emerging countries such as Brazil, China, and Peru develop sustainable enterprises that built on American entrepreneurial values and rewarded the conservation of rural ecosystems rich in biological diversity while leveraging economic transformations that open pathways for improvements in livelihoods for rural communities local to these regions.

Publications

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Union for Conservation of Nature</span> International organization

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it. It is involved in data gathering and analysis, research, field projects, advocacy, and education. IUCN's mission is to "influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Global Environment Facility</span> A multilateral environmental Foundation that protects the climate

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is a multilateral environmental fund that provides grants and blended finance for projects related to biodiversity, climate change, international waters, land degradation, persistent organic pollutants (POPs), mercury, sustainable forest management, food security, and sustainable cities in developing countries. It is the largest source of multilateral funding for biodiversity globally, and distributes more than $1 billion a year on average to address inter-related environmental challenges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Environmental protection</span> Practice of protecting the natural environment

Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment by individuals, groups and governments. Its objectives are to conserve natural resources and the existing natural environment and, where it is possible, to repair damage and reverse trends.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sustainable urban infrastructure</span>

Sustainable urban infrastructure expands on the concept of urban infrastructure by adding the sustainability element with the expectation of improved and more resilient urban development. In the construction and physical and organizational structures that enable cities to function, sustainability also aims to meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the capabilities of the future generations.

The Earth Institute is a research institute at Columbia University created in 1995 for addressing complex issues facing the planet and its inhabitants, with a focus on sustainable development. With an interdisciplinary approach, this includes research in climate change, geology, global health, economics, management, agriculture, ecosystems, urbanization, energy, hazards, and water. The Earth Institute's activities are guided by the idea that science and technological tools that already exist could be applied to greatly improve conditions for the world's poor, while preserving the natural systems that support life on Earth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alliance to Save Energy</span> A How to Save Energy

The Alliance to Save Energy is a bipartisan, nonprofit coalition of business, government, environmental, and consumer groups based in Washington, D.C. The Alliance states that it advocates for "energy-efficiency policies that minimize costs to society and individual consumers, and that lessen greenhouse gas emissions and their impact on the global climate." The Alliance's chief activities include public relations, research, and lobbying to change U.S. energy policy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Water efficiency</span>

Water efficiency is the practice of reducing water consumption by measuring the amount of water required for a particular purpose and is proportionate to the amount of essential water used. Water efficiency differs from water conservation in that it focuses on reducing waste, not restricting use. Solutions for water efficiency not only focus on reducing the amount of potable water used but also on reducing the use of non-potable water where appropriate. It also emphasizes the influence consumers can have on water efficiency by making small behavioral changes to reduce water wastage, and by choosing more water-efficient products.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green-collar worker</span> Environmental-sector worker

A green-collar worker is a worker who is employed in an environmental sector of the economy. Environmental green-collar workers satisfy the demand for green development. Generally, they implement environmentally conscious design, policy, and technology to improve conservation and sustainability. Formal environmental regulations as well as informal social expectations are pushing many firms to seek professionals with expertise with environmental, energy efficiency, and clean renewable energy issues. They often seek to make their output more sustainable, and thus more favorable to public opinion, governmental regulation, and the Earth's ecology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deforestation in Cambodia</span>

Deforestation in Cambodia has increased in recent years. Cambodia is one of the world's most forest endowed countries, that was not historically widely deforested. However, massive deforestation for economic development threatens its forests and ecosystems. As of 2015, the country has one of the highest rates of deforestation in the world.

The Korea Federation for Environmental Movements (KFEM) is a non-profit organization in South Korea that focuses on environmentalism.

Conservation finance is the practice of raising and managing capital to support land, water, and resource conservation. Conservation financing options vary by source from public, private, and nonprofit funders; by type from loans, to grants, to tax incentives, to market mechanisms; and by scale ranging from federal to state, national to local.

This page is an index of sustainability articles.

According to an important University's master program, Environmental governance (EG) consist of a system of laws, norms, rules, policies and practices that dictate how the board members of an environment related regulatory body should manage and oversee the affairs of any environment related regulatory body which is responsible for ensuring sustainability (sustainable development) and manage all human activities—political, social and economic. Environmental governance includes government, business and civil society, and emphasizes whole system management. To capture this diverse range of elements, environmental governance often employs alternative systems of governance, for example watershed-based management. Obviously, in fact the EG arrangements are very diversed and not at all as inclusive as we could wish them to be.

A sustainability organization is (1) an organized group of people that aims to advance sustainability and/or (2) those actions of organizing something sustainably. Unlike many business organizations, sustainability organizations are not limited to implementing sustainability strategies which provide them with economic and cultural benefits attained through environmental responsibility. For sustainability organizations, sustainability can also be an end in itself without further justifications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asia Network for Sustainable Agriculture and Bioresources</span>

The Asia Network for Sustainable Agriculture and Bioresources (ANSAB) is a non-governmental organization, headquartered in Kathmandu, Nepal. It was established in 1992. ANSAB is committed to enterprise oriented solutions to biodiversity conservation and sustainable community development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forest Trends</span> American non-profit organization

Forest Trends is a non-profit organization founded in 1998 and based in Washington, DC, that connects with economic tools and incentives for maintaining ecosystems. Its mission is four-fold: to expand the value of forests to society, to promote sustainable forest management and conservation by creating and capturing market values for ecosystem services, to support innovative projects and companies that are developing these markets and to enhance the livelihoods of local communities living in and around those forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Collaborative Labeling and Appliance Standards Program</span> International nonprofit organization

CLASP is an international nonprofit organization which provides technical and policy support to governments worldwide and works to implement energy efficiency standards and labels (S&L) for appliances, lighting, and equipment. It specializes in publishing studies and analyses with relevance to S&L practitioners.

Environmentalism of the poor is a set of social movements that arise from environmental conflicts when impoverished people struggle against powerful state or private interests that threaten their livelihood, health, sovereignty, and culture. Part of the global environmental justice movement, it differs from mainstream environmentalism by emphasizing social justice issues instead of emphasizing conservation and eco-efficiency. It is becoming an increasingly important force for global sustainability.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Environment and Ecology Bureau</span> Hong Kong policy bureau

Environment and Ecology Bureau is one of the fifteen policy bureau of the Government of Hong Kong. The agency was established on 1 July 2022. The current Secretary for Environment and Ecology is Tse Chin-wan.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "北京市朝阳区永续全球环境研究所 – GEI".
  2. Fallows, James (June 1, 2008). "China's Silver Lining". The Atlantic.
  3. Broder, John M.; Ansfield, Jonathan (June 7, 2009). "China and U.S. Seek a Truce on Greenhouse Gases". The New York Times via NYTimes.com.
  4. "加州州长全球气候峰会". lvse.sohu.com.
  5. "Little thaw over warming". Los Angeles Times. July 29, 2009.
  6. "Conservation incentive agreements: An approach to linking conservation and economic development on Indigenous lands in Ecuador" (PDF). Retrieved 2001-06-17.
  7. "Training". Archived from the original on 2011-06-29. Retrieved 2011-02-23.
  8. Madame Jiaman JIN, Executive Director of China's Global Environmental Institute on YouTube
  9. "Encouraging communities in China to protect local ecologies". 2013-03-06. Archived from the original on 2014-09-21. Retrieved 2011-02-23.
  10. "China Watch". Worldwatch Institute. Archived from the original on 2019-05-31. Retrieved 2019-05-31.