(EnergyAsia, May 14, Wednesday) — Zhou Dadi, former director general of the Energy and Research Institute of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) in China, has joined the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace to run the Beijing arm of its Energy and Climate Program.

Making the announcement, the president of the Carnegie Endowment, Jessica T. Mathews, said:

“We are incredibly lucky and extremely proud to add Zhou Dadi, one of China’s preeminent experts in the crucial fields of energy and climate, to our joint program in Washington and Beijing.

“Zhou’s vast experience, expertise, and deep knowledge of China will add enormous value to our efforts to improve mutual understanding between the United States and China of what each side needs to do to achieve energy security and a livable global climate, and how they can cooperate in doing so.”

Mr Zhou said: “I am delighted to join Carnegie to work on improving cooperation between the United States and China on energy and climate change issues. Further cooperation can only be incredibly beneficial for both countries.”
William Chandler, director of the Carnegie Energy and Climate Program, said:

“Dadi has devoted his career to technical excellence and international cooperation. His skills will help our nations reach practical climate solutions.”

Zhou Dadi is director general (emeritus) of the Energy Research Institute (ERI) of the National Development and Reform Commission, where he served as director general for eight years.

Earlier, he served in ERI for 22 years as research professor and vice director, focusing on energy economics and energy system analysis.

Mr Zhou has been a prominent intellectual leader in China’s energy import and export reform policies, energy price reform, energy efficiency policy, and climate change. He now serves as a member of the Expert Committee of the Energy Field of the 863 Program of China (which reports to the State Council). Zhou Dadi was educated in Beijing, earning his B.S. in 1970 in the Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, and his M.S. in 1976 in the Department of Environmental Engineering, also at Tsinghua University.

He is a member of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel (STAP) of Global Environment Facility; deputy director, Executive Office of the China Green Lights Program; chief scientist for the Expert Team of China for Working Group III of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC); lead author of the Third Assessment Report, IPCC WG III (Mitigation); chairman of the Board of Directors of the Chinese Energy Economics Society; executive member of the Board of Directors of the Chinese Society of Energy Research; board member of the Chinese Society of Sustainable Development; and board member of the Chinese Society of Input/Output Research.

Mr Zhou has served as a consultant to the World Bank, Global Environmental Facility, and many other organizations around the world, and has been a visiting fellow at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and visiting scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) in the US.

Mr Zhou co-founded the Energy Efficiency Center in Beijing in 1992 in cooperation with PNNL and LBNL. Zhou Dadi received the OECD Climate Technology Initiative (CTI) Global Climate Leadership Award in 2000. He has participated in more than 30 key research projects and published more than 50 papers and books. He speaks native Mandarin and is fluent in English.

The Carnegie Energy and Climate Program aims to provide leadership in global energy and climate policy. The program integrates thinking on energy technology, environmental science, and political economy to reduce risks stemming from global change and competition for scarce resources. It will create new products and collaborate with Carnegie experts around the world to provide information and change the way policy makers think about energy policy.

The Carnegie China Program in Beijing and Washington provides policy makers in both countries with a better understanding of the dynamics within China and between the US and China.

The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace is a private, nonprofit organisation dedicated to advancing cooperation between nations and promoting active international engagement by the US.