Art Hanson O.C. is a Distinguished Fellow and Former President & CEO of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD). He is International Chief Advisor of the China Council for International Cooperation on the Environment and Development (CCICED), an advisory body to the Premier of China chaired by the Executive Vice Premier.

The coming decade will be a pivotal time for a green global transition benefitting all nations while safeguarding planetary ecological boundaries. Global sustainable development accords are in place, green technology is progressing, and new partnerships are active including green investment. If ever there was a moment for enhanced international cooperation on environment and development, it is now.
China can share its hard-earned experience, and to expand its international cooperation on environment and development. Indeed, it is hard to imagine sufficient green global development progress without full commitment and leadership from China—even as it struggles with its own massive domestic environmental protection issues.
The signals are strong that China will press for an encompassing ‘Ecological Civilization’ strategy both nationally and globally. This will lead to an expanded role for China in global environment and development governance, with implications for other major shifts in global power balances.