Top 3 Takeaways from the Deputy Energy Secretary’s Beijing Speech

Cross-blog post by Pat Adams, Digital Content Specialist, Office of Public Affairs, U.S. Department of Energy

The Department of Energy and Department of Commerce are teaming up for a joint Presidential Trade Mission to China. We’re bringing you the latest from the trip on Energy.gov and Commerce.gov.

As part of this week’s joint trade mission to China, Deputy Secretary of Energy Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall spoke at Microsoft’s Beijing campus. Delivering remarks to Chinese and American business leaders and government officials, the Deputy Secretary emphasized how innovation in the clean energy space can help create jobs, drive economic growth and address climate change -- both in China and in the United States.

The Deputy Secretary made three main points:

1) This trade mission is about working with China to combat climate change.

The United States and China are the world’s largest economies and also the world’s largest carbon producers. That means we have a leading role to play in addressing climate change. This trade mission builds on last year’s ambitious climate change announcement by President Obama and President Xi as we look forward to a successful global climate summit in Paris later this year.

2) Technology is the best solution to climate change.

Low-cost, low-carbon technology has the potential to change the worldwide picture on climate. Driving down the cost of green technologies enables aggressive policy changes, ultimately making clean energy goals much easier to achieve. The Department of Energy is aggressively supporting the research, development and deployment of game-changing technologies including wind, solar, LEDs and electric vehicles.

3) Businesses will lead the way.

As Secretary Moniz said in a recent speech, “Ultimately our focus is on the solutions to the climate-change challenge through technology…American business will be called upon here to do the heavy lifting.”

For more on the tremendous business opportunities for U.S. companies to help to grow low-carbon economies in the U.S. and China, stay tuned for coverage of Secretary Pritzker’s speech tomorrow in Shanghai.