By Kara Saltness

There’s a new topic that is creeping up in the media – from personal blogs all the way up to national dailies – and it’s only going to get bigger.  What is it that has hard working Americans across the country worked up?  China.

The fear that China is going to “beat” America is a growing concern that seems to cross all industries.  Green technology is no exception.  So it’s no surprise that when President Obama and President Hu Jintao announced the launch of the U.S.-China Electric Vehicles Initiative, those engaging in China fear mongering didn’t report about this collaborative partnership that aims to “reduce oil dependence, cut greenhouse gas emissions and promote economic growth” through various joint activities including:  standards development, demonstrations, a technical roadmap, and public education.

The reality is that we’re addicted to oil, blue skies are hidden behind a film of gray-brown smog, and health issues caused by air pollution are soaring.  We shouldn’t fear that China will “win,” we should fear that we all will lose because we’ve created an environment that is unlivable for future generations.  Consider:

- Together, the U.S. and China posses ~37 billion barrels of oil, less than 3% of the world’s total proven oil reserves, but guzzle nearly 28,000,000 barrels of oil per day, ~33% of the total barrels of oil consumed globally per day.

- Together, the U.S. and China are the two largest producers of carbon emissions, contributing nearly half of the world’s total CO₂ emissions.

As one of the two countries that have played the largest role in accelerating global climate change and environmental degradation, it is our responsibility to find ways to work with China to reverse the collision course we’re on.  The U.S.-China Electric Vehicle Initiative is a momentous step in the right direction for both countries and shows a willingness on both sides to cooperate.

David Sandalow, Assistant Secretary of Energy for Policy and International Affairs, put the issue of U.S.-China collaboration into perspective in Thomas Friedman’s “The New Sputnik” opinion piece when he said, “If they [China] invest in 21st-century technologies and we invest in 20th-century technologies, they’ll win … If we both invest in 21st-century technologies, challenging each other, we all win.”

U.S.-based companies need to partner in mutually beneficial ways with China to develop and bring to market green technologies.  We’re already doing this.  Our focus is on building jobs and an industrial base in both the U.S. and China to speed up the adoption of electric cars.  We think that’s the real win-win.

So, we’re embracing the idea of global collaboration, not competition, at the very core of our business model.  In fact, Kevin Czinger, President and CEO of CODA, participated as one of the U.S. delegates in the U.S.-China Electric Vehicles Forum in September to discuss CODA’s “Invented in America, Built Globally” model.  CODA is existing proof that the U.S. and China are both serious about cutting carbon emissions, and can work together to do it.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 9th, 2009 at 5:34 pm and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.