We're starting today's event with @NRDC's @bfinamore and @water_futures on China and climate change. Follow this thread for live updates, or stream the discussion on our YouTube channel:

In @bfinamore's recent book, 'Will China Save The Planet?', she talks about China's initial moves into global climate talks back in 1991. Was this a false dawn of sorts, asks @water_futures? https://www.nrdc.org/stories/will-china-save-planet

"Chinese scientists started looking at climate change at the same time as the rest of the world," says @bfinamore. "That meeting in 1991 of developing countries started the principle of differentiated climate change responses for different economies."

She talks about China's "real sense of vulnerability" to climate change, with historic flooding affecting 240m people in China since July this year, and its agricultural sector being impacted by severe storms. "This is only going to worsen, in China as in the rest of the world."

What strategies helped environmental NGOs like @NRDC influence Chinese policy on climate change? "We were the only int'l NGO at the time focused on environmental issues. Our approach has evolved over the years - we started by bringing in best practices & expertise from the West."

"Now, China sharing is its own expertise as it pioneers clean tech like electric vehicles - it has 98% of the world's electric buses. We're also partnering with research orgs and academic institutions to map out detailed roadmaps for how China can wean itself off coal and oil."

"But there's still a lag in accepting that other countries can learn from China, too. The issue of competition on clean energy is heightened at a time of great tension between the US and China - but it's important to look at ways we can cooperate to benefit both sides."

"There are three big factors shaping China's response to climate change - public policy, markets, and technology," says @water_futures. He asks @bfinamore to weigh the impact of those different factors.

"In China, these areas are so interlocked. For example, with solar energy, China began by producing solar panels for sale in the West. Then when the market dropped out in 2008, China had nowhere to sell them - and decided to develop its own domestic market with new policies."

Is competition between US and China on energy - on especially cutting edge like hydrogen - a race to the top? "The US needs to step up its R&D and innovation. That's where we excel. We can create the next-generation batteries and panels that are more environmentally friendly."

Where is China on carbon capture technologies? "Cooperation on this tech was going strong for a while, but trailed off, because there was no market driver for capturing carbon - it's really expensive, whereas solar is the cheapest electricity source in history."

"But China's new carbon zero target means it has to emit as little carbon as possible, while also finding ways to capture any excess carbon as well. This could be a new incentive for China and for other countries that have announced carbon neutrality targets."

Can the Belt and Road Initiative be a green one? "China has been financing at least a quarter of all the coal plants constructed overseas - and this will hugely impact Paris climate commitments. China has taken steps to make the initiative green, but its targets aren't binding."

'But with the global pandemic, China's investments in Belt and Road countries have dropped, and that will most likely continue. Probably, we'll see more soft infrastructure investments by China, like the Digital Silk Road and Health Silk Road."

"What China can really do is work with Belt and Road recipient countries to build their capacity to integrate renewable energy into their grids. Hopefully market forces, plus what countries really need, will nudge the Belt and Road Initiative into greener policies."

"China has done a lot on renewable energy and air pollution control policies in recent years - it's really remarkable. But what really has to happen now is a drastic restructuring of China's economy in order to meet its new carbon neutrality commitments."