Carnegie Mellon Electricity Industry Center

Achieving net zero carbon dioxide emissions in China by 2060 will require the transformation of the country’s energy system. A national rate-based emissions trading system (ETS) for carbon dioxide kicked off in July of 2021, with the start of trading in the power sector. The system is currently the largest carbon market in the world and is expected to expand to other major energy-intensive sectors. The seminar will consider the role of the ETS alongside technology trends and other current and proposed policies in achieving the country’s net zero goal.

Valerie J. Karplus is an Associate Professor in the department of Engineering and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University. Karplus studies resource and environmental management in organizations operating in diverse national and industry contexts, with a focus on the role of institutions and management practices in explaining performance. Areas of expertise include decarbonization of global corporate and industrial supply chains, regional approaches to low carbon transition, and the integrated design and evaluation of energy, air quality, and climate policies. At CMU, she runs the Laboratory for Energy and Organizations at the Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation, where she is a faculty affiliate. From 2011 to 2016, she co-founded and directed the MIT-Tsinghua China Energy and Climate Project, a five-year research effort focused on analyzing the design of energy and climate change policy in China, and its domestic and global impacts. She continues to participate in international collaborative research on energy and climate change. Karplus holds a BS in biochemistry and political science from Yale University and a Ph.D. in engineering systems from MIT.