The program was outlined in an agreement signed on April 30 last year and will cover 5 main areas: pollution control, co-processing of hazardous waste in cement kilns, biodiversity, water management and mercury. Specific tasks will be to choose environmental management plans, to provide training, to exchange knowledge on environmental technology and to tackle problems like air-pollution and climate change.
In his opening speech the Norwegian ambassador to China, Mr S. O. Sæther, described the purpose of the project as an effort to “establish a training- and exchange platform”, This would be based on experiences already gained through previous Sino-Norwegian cooperation in each of the five related fields. The upcoming seminars on persistent organic pollutants in April and the environmental seminar during EXPO in June were cited as important examples for how the platform could be used.
The launch was held on behalf of the Foreign Economic Cooperation Office (FECO) under the Chinese Ministry of Environmental Protection, and the Norwegian Climate and Pollution Agency under the Norwegian Ministry of the Environment.
The Norwegian Climate and Pollution Agency has previously worked with environmental authorities in Zunyi, Guizhou Province, between 2005 and 2009. It was the first environmental pilot project launched by both governments. The goal of the project in Zunyi was to improve local authorities' ability to enforce the industry standards which set limits on emissions and discharges. Ellen Hambro, director general of the Climate and Pollution Agency said that the agency’s aim was “to spread the good results and share its experiences with other municipalities and provinces in China",
The Norwegian ambassador added that “China and Norway have cooperated on environmental issues for more than a decade” with dialogue and project cooperation having proven useful for both countries. He continued by saying that “through our collaboration we have developed a common understanding and strengthened capacity in dealing with important environmental challenges.” Tackling these challenges he concluded were vital not only for the two countries, but constituted a global concern.