05-02-07

Media Release

Chief Economist to Address Environmental Policy Issues in China

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Hu Tao, chief economist of the State Environmental Protection Administration of China, will discuss environmental policy issues in China during a talk at Oregon State University on Monday, May 7, from 4 to 5:30 p.m.

The lecture is sponsored by the OSU College of Business’s Sustainable Business Initiative. It will be held in Bexell Hall Room 326 and is free and open to the public.

Hu is an exchange scholar at the University of Oregon. His talk will cover environmental governance in China, supply chain and trade-related environmental issues, as well as provide insights into the country’s development and its impact on the environment.

As chief economist of the State Environmental Protection Administration, Hu recently played a key role in China’s negotiations with the European Union on new laws on electronics and e-waste management. He was involved with this negotiation and will talk about it during his visit to OSU.

In addition to his role with SEPA, Hu is an adjunct professor at Beijing Normal University. He also serves as an environmental economic consultant for several international and foreign aid organizations, including Asian Development Bank and the World Bank.

Hu’s lecture is part of the OSU’s College of Business focus on sustainability. It provides educational and research programs focused on sustainability, college officials say, so that students entering the business world understand that a sustainable business meets economic, social and environmental needs without compromising the future of any of them.