Reflecting on the Past, Shaping the Future
— A Journey Through EF China’s Development
In 1999, the Energy Foundation marked its entry into China by signing a lease for its first office in the CITIC Building along Beijing’s bustling Chang’an Avenue. At the time, few could have predicted what this California-based charitable organization would experience over the following 25 years: joining forces with a diverse network of partners, witnessing and advancing historic energy transformations in China and the world.
Today, around 150 countries—including China—have pledged to achieve carbon neutrality, with nearly 200 nations at COP28 forging a commitment to phase out fossil fuels. Energy Foundation China (EF China) takes deep pride in being part of this movement. With great optimism, we look forward to a future of zero-carbon development, prosperity, and sustainability. As we reflect on our journey, EF China’s deep-rooted philanthropic legacy and strong sense of mission continue to inspire us to build new partnerships and contribute to prosperity and a safe climate through the advancement of sustainable energy development.
The Origins of a Philanthropic Journey (Early 20th Century – 1999)
In 1926, Ray Lyman Wilbur, a trustee of the Rockefeller Foundation, traveled across the ocean to China to dedicate funds to establish the Biology Building at Tsinghua University. This notable act of generosity gained widespread attention, marking the beginning of a nearly century-long connection between his family and China and planting the seeds of philanthropy deep within U.S.-China exchange and cooperation.
Ray Lyman Wilbur’s grandson, Cole Wilbur, was also inspired to embrace philanthropy as his lifelong mission. In 1976, he accepted an invitation from David Packard, co-founder of Hewlett-Packard, to serve as the CEO of the Packard Foundation. At the time, Cole did not know that he and the Packard Foundation, under his leadership, would carry forward his grandfather’s philanthropic legacy in China, ultimately making significant contributions to advancing U.S.-China exchange and collaboration in the energy sector.
In the 1980s, the United States and China began fostering exchanges and collaboration across various fields, including the energy sector. During this time, David and Cole engaged in in-depth discussions with Dr. Mark Levine of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, a prominent expert in U.S.-China energy cooperation. Together, they explored China’s evolving energy and environmental landscape—the progress, challenges, and needs—while recognizing the growing global momentum for climate action. These discussions inspired the two Packard Foundation leaders to extend their philanthropic support for China’s energy transition.
At that time, China faced a series of challenges, including limited per capita energy resources and low energy efficiency. Without changes to its energy production and consumption patterns, the demands of a growing population and expanding economy threatened to create a substantial imbalance between energy supply and demand. Furthermore, China’s heavy reliance on coal and oil as its primary energy sources led to severe air pollution and high carbon emissions, placing enormous pressure on environmental and social sustainability. Consequently, ensuring an economic, secure, efficient, clean, and sustainable energy supply became a priority for China’s sustainable development agenda.
Globally, the First IPCC Assessment Report in 1990 underlined the importance of climate change as a challenge with global consequences, one that required international cooperation. This pivotal report directly contributed to the signing of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), laying the groundwork for international climate cooperation. In 1997, just before the signing of the Kyoto Protocol, China and the United States—the world’s major energy consumers and carbon emitters at the time—issued a joint statement pledging to strengthen collaboration in energy and environment.
Against this backdrop, David Packard traveled again to China in 1995, where he met with then-President Jiang Zemin and discussed the challenges facing the country’s energy and environmental sectors. This visit further strengthened the commitment of David Packard and Cole Wilbur to philanthropic work in these areas. In 1998, Cole Wilbur, Mark Levine, and David Packard’s daughter, Susan Packard, traveled to China for in-depth discussions with government officials, industry experts, and other stakeholders on issues such as energy efficiency and environment pollution. These conversations cumulated in the decision to establish a philanthropic program focused on providing financial and technical support for China’s sustainable energy transition. The following year, Cole joined forces with Eric Heitz and Hal Harvey, founders of the U.S.-based Energy Foundation, to launch the “China Sustainable Energy Program” (CSEP) in 1999. CSEP, which marked the inception of Energy Foundation China’s journey, was the first international philanthropic initiative dedicated to supporting sustainable energy development in the country.
Since then, EF China has embarked on a philanthropic journey to promote sustainable energy in China. This legacy, rooted in a century of philanthropic history, has continued to guide EF China’s evolution as it fosters international dialogue and cooperation to inform China’s energy transition, air quality improvement, and climate change mitigation efforts.
Early Development Phase (1999–2009)
Entering the 21st century, China’s accession to the WTO marked a pivotal shift toward deeper integration into the global market, ushering in an era of robust economic growth. This period saw rapid industrialization, modernization, and urbanization, resulting in a surge of residential complexes and industrial parks, alongside the construction of highways, ports, airports, power plants, and power grids. Once a rarity, automobiles became commonplace in households across the nation. However, this explosive growth brought with it soaring energy demand and intensified issues like urban congestion and air pollution. In addition, to comply with WTO rules, China’s industrial exports, including home appliances and automobiles, were mandated to meet international standards for energy efficiency, fuel economy, and pollutant emissions to gain access to the global market. During this time, climate change emerged as a critical concern on the global stage, positioning China—the world’s largest developing nation—as an increasingly important player in the collective response to this pressing issue.
To support China in addressing its energy, air quality, and climate challenges while facilitating its integration into the global community, EF China, over its first decade, focused on key areas including industry, buildings, power, low-carbon development, transportation, sustainable cities, and environmental protection, promoting in-depth cooperation and progress across these diverse fields.
| Key Initiatives of EF China (then called CSEP) During Its Early Development Phase | |
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Renewable Energy:
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Low-Carbon Development:
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Transportation:
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Buildings:
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Industry:
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Sustainable Urban Development:
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—Over this decade, EF China laid the groundwork for key focus areas and built mutual trust and cooperation with China in environment, energy, and climate. As global cooperation on clean energy and climate action strengthened, EF China leveraged its strengths as an international NGO to facilitate exchange and collaboration between China and the global community, bringing in valuable expertise in energy transition. By the end of 2009, EF China had provided a total of over USD80 million in funding for nearly 1000 projects implemented by over 300 institutions across China, with its team expanding to 31 members. —
Development Phase (2010–2017)
In 2010, after over three decades of economic reform, China emerged as the world’s second-largest economy. However, with the global economy in recession, the resulting slowdown in international trade began to take a toll on China’s export-driven growth model. In response, China gradually shifted its economic focus to expanding domestic demand. At the same time, issues such as air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and the unsustainable reliance on fossil fuels became increasingly relevant. Rapid industrialization was accompanied by swift urbanization, which unlocked domestic demand but also led to problems like traffic congestion and urban pollution. Alongside rising labor costs and an aging population, China faced an urgent need to move away from fossil fuels and labor-intensive economic models, striving for a more sustainable future.
By this time, EF China had been in China for over ten years. To provide more structured and comprehensive support for China in coping with the increasingly complex environmental, energy, and climate challenges, EF China renewed its vision: to support China’s path toward a sustainable energy future by improving energy efficiency and promoting renewable energy. With a refined understanding of its long-term priorities, EF China reorganized its programs into seven core areas: Clean Power, Industry, Transportation, Low Carbon Cities, Low Carbon Economic Growth, Environmental Management, and Strategic Communications. This new structure strengthened expertise within each domain, empowering EF China and its partners to drive further progress across these specialized fields.
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Key Initiatives of EF China During Its Development Phase |
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Clean Power:
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Industry:
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Transportation:
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Low Carbon Cities:
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Low Carbon Economic Growth:
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Environmental Management:
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Strategic Communications:
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—Over the period 2010-2017, the adoption of global sustainable development goals and more ambitious temperature targets under the Paris Agreement underscored the international consensus on addressing climate change. The world made remarkable strides in energy transition and climate action. EF China evolved alongside both China and the global community, achieving a series of impactful project outcomes. In 2014, Mr. Eric Heitz, then CEO and co-founder of the Energy Foundation, was awarded the Friendship Award by China, a significant recognition of EF China’s achievements during that period. By the end of 2017, EF China had provided a total of nearly USD300 million in funding, supporting over 2,500 projects across nearly 700 institutions, with the team growing to 42 members.—
Transformation and Innovation Phase (2018–Present)
In recent years, the world entered an era of significant transformation. A wave of innovation spurred technological and industrial advancements, increasing competition among major powers in the technology sector. The resurgence of trade protectionism created challenges for the global economy, geopolitical conflicts escalated, and the world experienced a global pandemic. At the same time, challenges to energy security and the frequent occurrence of climate crises—such as extreme heat, floods, droughts, and wildfires—further threatened the global economy and human livelihoods. Countries around the world began seeking new development pathways that could deliver “win-win” outcomes, balancing low-carbon transition with environmental protection and sustainable development.
In 2014, the New Climate Economy Initiative, led by the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate, delivered a compelling message: “Economic growth and action on climate change can be achieved together.” This approach emphasizes the importance of advancing the clean energy transition while promoting synergies between climate action and economic development. By systematically addressing the interconnected challenges across social, economic, energy, environmental, and climate domains, it has gained recognition worldwide as a key pathway for future development.
In response to a trend first initiated by the New Climate Economy Initiative to promote synergies between climate action and economic development, EF China made key adjustments to its organizational structure to enhance the effectiveness of its work. Since 2018, its operations have been led by a new independent Board of Directors, with a new CEO and COO based locally in China to work closely with frontline program staff. EF China has also expanded its vision from “promoting renewable energy” to “achieving prosperity and a safe climate through sustainable energy,” positioning itself as a re-granter, facilitator, and strategic advisor. EF China is committed to adopting an integrated, systematic perspective that connects macro and micro, global and local, to address complex issues at the intersection of energy, environment, climate, and economic growth. To explore pathways for “win-win” sustainable development, EF China has actively expanded its international collaborations, establishing itself as a bridge between China and the global community. It now actively supports climate initiatives in China, the United States, Europe, and Southeast Asia.
Guided by this approach, EF China launched a Strategy & Planning Program in 2019, to provide systematic and integrated analysis and recommendations for its partners, the philanthropic community, and the organization itself, aiming to enhance the effectiveness of its work across the field. Building on its original seven programs, EF China introduced six additional cross-cutting task forces: Long-Term Strategy for Decarbonization, Urbanization, Coal Transition, Electrification, Air Quality, and International Cooperation. These task forces pool specialized resources across programs to deliver multifaceted, collaborative solutions.
With this vision, EF China joined forces with numerous partners to launch a series of innovative initiatives, advancing China and the global community toward a new era of low-carbon transition, environmental protection, and sustainable development. Together, they are crafting a “new growth story” centered on collaborative progress.
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Key Initiatives of EF China During Its Transformation and Innovation Phase |
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Exploring Pathways for China’s Medium- to Long-Term Low-Carbon Development: |
Conducting research on China’s long-term low-carbon development strategies and pathways:
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Providing Systematic Solutions for the Synergistic Development of a Safe Climate, World-Class Air Quality, and a Sustainable Economy: |
Exploring high-level methodologies for climate and sustainable economic synergies:
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Identifying new pathways and approaches for low-carbon transition:
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Advancing the transition to carbon neutrality through economic development strategy, investment, trade, and finance; driving market mechanism innovations to accelerate the green and low-carbon transition:
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Providing integrated solutions for the development of low-carbon cities:
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Driving carbon reduction and sustainable development with world-class air quality:
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Telling a compelling story of energy transition and its “win-win” outcomes to enhance public engagement in carbon neutrality:
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Building Bridges for Climate Collaboration between China and the World |
Participating and contributing to CCICED’s high-level climate dialogue platform:
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Advancing China-Southeast Asia cooperation on climate and low-carbon transition:
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Expanding cooperation with multilateral banks:
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—Since 2018, facing global changes, both China and the world have actively pursued integrated solutions to the interconnected challenges of economy, energy, and climate, seeking to forge a new narrative of sustainable, low-carbon growth. During this period of transformation, EF China has embraced an innovative approach to identify and implement new strategic priorities and directions, and developed a more comprehensive framework in support of China’s energy transition. As a result, EF China’s grant funding has increased substantially, with new funding from 2018 to 2023 alone matching the total amount over the previous two decades.—
In 2023, during EF China’s “China Week,” Cole Wilbur, together with colleagues from EF China and partner philanthropies, gathered at Tsinghua University’s historic Biology Building—supported over a century ago with a gift brought by Ray Lyman Wilbur. Engaging in discussions with Tsinghua’s faculty, they explored future directions for U.S.-China dialogue and cooperation on climate and low-carbon initiatives. In that moment, history and the present converged, creating a profound sense of continuity and accomplishment: rooted in its century-long philanthropic legacy and nurtured by the support of its donors and partners, EF China has grown from a seed into a thriving tree that continues to help drive China and the world toward a low-carbon future. By the end of 2024, EF China anticipates its cumulative funding to reach nearly USD600 million, and its team is expected to grow to nearly 100 members.
“At this pivotal moment in history, we see an urgent need for stronger collaboration and action among nations to mitigate climate change,” stated Ji Zou, CEO and President of EF China. “As the world’s two largest economies and emitters, the United States and China share a profound responsibility to safeguard climate security and enhance the well-being of our peoples. Our collaboration must be grounded in scientific evidence, market principles, and shared values that promote harmony between humanity and nature.”
“Today’s geopolitical landscape is rapidly evolving with increasing complexities. However, the scientific evidence and observable impacts of climate change, alongside evolving technological, industrial and market dynamics, remain undeniable. It is also an indisputable fact that climate change and environmental degradation affect not only the people of the U.S. and China but humanity as a whole. In confronting these challenges, EF China recognizes its critical mission and responsibility. We will continue to explore pathways of collaboration with our partners in China, the United States, and beyond, while remaining supportive and resilient. By innovating our approach and embracing an optimistic vision for the future, we remain dedicated to fostering friendship and cooperation between China, the United States, and the global community. Together, we will ensure climate security and sustainable development as we navigate this crucial transition to carbon neutrality. We firmly believe that the future will be shaped by the actions we take today.” Ji Zou further noted.
