Saving Energy and the Environment (CO2 Emissions) While Growing China’s Energy Intensive Industries: Lessons for Indonesia

Presenter
Micahel T. Rock, RFF

Abstract
What can Indonesia learn from China’s effort to reduce the energy and CO2 intensity of production in its energy intensive industries? Given the significant difference in the source of CO2 emissions in each country—emissions in China are dominated by industry while those in Indonesia are dominated by deforestation—this may appear as a foolhardy question. But it is only a matter of time before emissions from fossil fuels overtake those from deforestation. Given the long technological lock-in effects of energy systems and industries, it behooves Indonesia to begin thinking now about how it will tackle this problem. There are other reasons for thinking that Indonesia might learn something from China—both the CO2 intensity of GDP and industry have been rising in Indonesia while they are falling in China. While some of the declines in China are, no doubt, a legacy of its energy intensive socialist development strategy, China’s better intensity performance also appears to be a result of a better technological catch-up industrial development strategy, its willingness to raise energy prices, its willingness to liberalize domestic markets and open the economy to trade and investment, and its ability to mount and successfully implement a massive energy saving program.

Date
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
2:30 - 4 p.m.

Location
7th Floor Conference Center
1616 P St. NW
Washington, D.C. 20036

All seminars will be in the 7th Floor Conference Room at RFF, 1616 P Street NW.  Attendance is open, but involves pre-registration no later than two days prior to the event. For questions and to register to an event, please contact Daniel McDermott at [email protected] (tel. 202-328-5174). Updates to our academic seminars schedule will be posted at www.rff.org/academicseminarseries.