A man standing at a viewing area of Jingshan Park takes photos of the Forbidden City as a thick haze engulfs Beijing on December 9, 2019. China is hoping to establish itself as the new global leader in the fight against climate change, following the United States’ withdrawal from the Paris Agreement signed in 2015. Photo: EPA-EFE A man standing at a viewing area of Jingshan Park takes photos of the Forbidden City as a thick haze engulfs Beijing on December 9, 2019. China is hoping to establish itself as the new global leader in the fight against climate change, following the United States’ withdrawal from the Paris Agreement signed in 2015. Photo: EPA-EFE
A man standing at a viewing area of Jingshan Park takes photos of the Forbidden City as a thick haze engulfs Beijing on December 9, 2019. China is hoping to establish itself as the new global leader in the fight against climate change, following the United States’ withdrawal from the Paris Agreement signed in 2015. Photo: EPA-EFE
Alistair Ritchie
Opinion

Opinion

Eye on Asia by Alistair Ritchie and Jackson Ewing

How China, Japan and South Korea can make their carbon neutral goals a reality – and drive change worldwide

  • China, Japan and South Korea can be leaders in the fight against climate change if they ensure policies align with their ambitious goals
  • Emissions trading systems with progressively tightening emissions caps are likely to play a central role

Alistair RitchieJackson Ewing
Alistair Ritchie and Jackson Ewing

Updated: 9:07am, 30 Nov, 2020

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A man standing at a viewing area of Jingshan Park takes photos of the Forbidden City as a thick haze engulfs Beijing on December 9, 2019. China is hoping to establish itself as the new global leader in the fight against climate change, following the United States’ withdrawal from the Paris Agreement signed in 2015. Photo: EPA-EFE A man standing at a viewing area of Jingshan Park takes photos of the Forbidden City as a thick haze engulfs Beijing on December 9, 2019. China is hoping to establish itself as the new global leader in the fight against climate change, following the United States’ withdrawal from the Paris Agreement signed in 2015. Photo: EPA-EFE
A man standing at a viewing area of Jingshan Park takes photos of the Forbidden City as a thick haze engulfs Beijing on December 9, 2019. China is hoping to establish itself as the new global leader in the fight against climate change, following the United States’ withdrawal from the Paris Agreement signed in 2015. Photo: EPA-EFE
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Alistair Ritchie

Alistair Ritchie

Alistair Ritchie is director of Asia-Pacific Sustainability at the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI). He has led major projects in Korea and China on implementation of emissions trading systems, and was formerly an adviser for the European Commission in developing the EU emissions trading system.

Jackson Ewing

Jackson Ewing

Jackson Ewing is senior fellow at the Duke University Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions and an adjunct associate professor at the Duke Sanford School. He founded and led the Asia Society Policy Institute initiative "Roadmap to a Northeast Asian Carbon Market" from 2015-2018 and serves as ASPI senior adviser for sustainability.