California is one of the most environmentally minded states in the U.S.; China is one of the most polluted countries in the world. Now, the two have teamed up to clean up: California scientists and entrepreneurs are working with the Chinese government to combat environmental degradation in its myriad forms. The effort is being led by the Energy Foundation of San Francisco, which has spent $5 million per year for the past three years on environmental causes in China. California isn’t acting out of pure altruism; “It’s in our interest to give the Chinese the benefit of our experience,” said Alan Lloyd, chair of the state’s Air Resources Board, which is using U.S. federal funds to help China set up an emissions-monitoring system. Wind-blown pollutants such as ozone, pesticides, and dust blow from China to California and the Pacific Northwest, and China’s greenhouse gases are expected to rival those of the U.S. by 2020, significantly worsening the global climate problem.
