Daniel Kammen delivers a lecture focusing on energy transition in Shenzhen on Jan. 23, 2026.
The United States officially exited the Paris climate agreement for the second time on January 27, 2026. Ironically, one day earlier, the International Day of Clean Energy was celebrated "for a just and inclusive transition to clean energy for the benefit of people and the planet."
"My worry is that the damage can last," lamented Daniel Kammen, a coordinating lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which aims to "build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change."
He expressed his concerns about a Trump-led US addressing climate change during the Greater Bay Area Masterclass held by HKU Business School Shenzhen Campus recently, while also entertaining optimism regarding China and the APEC meeting in Shenzhen this year.
Daniel Kammen (C) answers a South reporter's question at Q&A in Shenzhen on Jan. 23, 2026.
"The President is simply ignorant or worse"
In response to Donald Trump's mockery of wind energy aimed at China and Europe at Davos, Kammen, currently the Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Energy and Climate Justice at Johns Hopkins University, noted, "The President is simply ignorant or worse."
He clarified that wind energy, including offshore and onshore wind, is hugely successful not only in China and Europe but also in the United States. In terms of installed capacity, the US ranks second worldwide, following China.
As of the end of 2024, the total wind power capacity installed across the US stood at over 154 gigawatts, compared to over 561 gigawatts of wind energy installed in China.
"President Trump is off on some mental adventure," Kammen stated. Regarding Greenland and Venezuela, which are abundant in energy, he believes that discussions about Greenland and the situation in Venezuela make no sense.
Kammen hopes that despite the damage Trump is causing, countries can collectively respond, not just in the US. "We demonstrate by working together that while the US may have exhibited some temporary insanity, it doesn't last."
Daniel Kammen uses Shenzhen as a case study during his lecture in Shenzhen on Jan. 23, 2026. (South Photo)
The silver lining brought by China and APEC meeting
Contrary to the chaotic status quo of US energy policy, Kammen has high expectations for China and the concerted efforts to be made by countries and firms at the APEC meeting in 2026.
He detailed that the country possesses State Grid—the world's largest utility enterprise—and has the most technically educated ministries of any country on the planet, with technical expertise across various sectors, including energy, environment, and finance.
"The APEC meeting is about bringing together countries, but also companies," he emphasized.
Citing a quote from Wan Gang, former Minister of Science and Technology of China and one of the smartest people involved in energy innovation in Kammen's view, he noted that countries should cooperate so that companies can compete.
"That's exactly right," echoed Kammen.
He provided an example. Imagine a competition between two world leaders, Kenya and Australia, in outlawing plastic bags. As people fly into Kenya, whether on a Kenya Airways flight, Cathay Pacific, or China Airlines, if they have a plastic bag in their luggage, they must leave it on the plane.
They are not allowed to bring them into the country, as plastic bags are harmful to sea turtles and marine life. This is an easy fix.
"Essentially, if two countries adopt this, we could have business students and engineering students working together on biodegradable materials, cloth, etc. That's a simple fix," Kammen added.
Regarding APEC, he proposed that if the US, Canada, or any other country attends the APEC meeting and advocates for every EV company to produce vehicles that are vehicle-to-grid smart, it could happen overnight.
"Because it's a cheap circuit. If these governments were to mandate the acceptance of power coming back in, it would create a whole new business," he noted.
In Kammen's view, the APEC meeting is a venue where these scenarios will unfold. "We want vehicle-to-grid. We want zero plastic bags. We want all these opportunities."
Reporter | Zhang Ruijun
Photo | HKU Business School Shenzhen Campus
Editor | Yuan Zixiang, James Campion, Shen He
