Climate Corps China Celebrates 10th Anniversary

(SHANGHAI -- 22 September, 2023) Today, Climate Corps China marks 10 years since its inception.  

Over the past decade, Climate Corps China has recruited over 200 fellows, worked with over 40 esteemed multinational and domestic companies, including Apple, McDonald’s, IKEA, and Walmart, and established a robust alumni network that will support fellows throughout their careers. 

In China alone, Climate Corps fellows have identified over $130 million in cost-saving opportunities, equivalent to about half a million metric tons of greenhouse gas emission reductions in China. 

• Qian Li, from the 2021 Climate Corps class, was tasked with managing a project involving factory carbon inventory and enhancing energy efficiency for PMI suppliers during the summer of 2021. Now, she is actively involved in spearheading carbon-neutral project investments at a Fortune 500 company. 
• Qihui Gao, from the class of 2019, spent her summer as a Climate Corps fellow at LONGi Solar, where she developed a greenhouse gas emission accounting model and formulated ESG recommendations. Now, she serves as a negotiator and researcher at the National Center for Climate Strategy and International Cooperation (NCSC), Ministry of Ecology and Environment.  
• Xuancheng Zhou dedicated his summer to working at Colgate, where he focused on enhancing energy efficiency and conducting carbon accounting for the factory plant. Now, he holds the position of Business Manager at Carbonstop. 

In 2008, EDF launched Climate Corps, its innovative fellowship program that trains passionate graduate students and pairs them with companies and public institutions dedicated to meeting their climate and energy goals. 

Since then, 1 in 3 Fortune 100 companies have worked with Climate Corps. 

The program became so popular that in 2014 Climate Corps extended to China, harmonizing EDF’s global mission with the strategic vision of a nation dedicated to combatting climate change. 

Moreover, as these fellows continue to ascend in their careers, their influence will invariably permeate many sectors, bolstering the culture of sustainability and environmental responsibility.