Sino-Swiss Low Carbon Cities (SSLCC)

Bilateral Cooperation to reduce CO2 Emissions

Initial Situation

Swiss know-how for China’s climate targets

In 2016, Federal Councilor Schneider-Ammann and President Xi Jinping signed a declaration on innovation cooperation between Switzerland and China. The first project was the Sino-Swiss Low Carbon Cities (SSLCC) initiative launched by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

The aim of bilateral cooperation was to support China in achieving its climate targets by contributing Swiss know-how and technology. The major cities of Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Kunming and Yantai participated in the project. Generis was selected as the implementing organisation in an international tender.

Project Profile

Pilot projects

Carbon Emission Reduction

Approach

Low Carbon in Chinese Megacities

Generis coordinated a team of Swiss emissions reduction experts under the project ownership of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). In close collaboration with the staff and the local governments in Chinese partner cities 11 Low Carbon pilot projects have been identified and exectued.

The methodology, developed by Generis, identified six low carbon fields. Following a multi-level approach (city-district-locality), Swiss Best Practices were adapted to the local context and implemented in collaboration with Chinese project partners.

SSLCC Sino-Swiss Low Carbon Cities Project

Achievements

Wide Range of Projects and Great Impact

The SSLCC collaboration presented a number of project management challenges, from the range and diversity of issues to be tackled to the linguistic, cultural and political differences between Switzerland and China.

Among the most striking pilot projects were: bilateral creation of Low Carbon Master Plans in Chengdu & Guangzhou; design of a Green Building (Chengdu), public transport concepts (Kunming); support for the further development of national Zero-Energy Building software.