United Nations Development Programme China Office has announced plans to help the Shanghai International Film Festival to hold a series of environment activities, including launching the first carbon neutral film festival in China in June 2008.
Under the framework of China Environmental Awareness Program, a joint project launched between UNDP and China's Ministry of Environmental Protection, an expert team made up of experts on climate change will measure the dioxide carbon emissions created by the film festival and offset them by purchasing carbon credits through Clean Development Mechanism projects in an effort to reduce the effect of the event to the environment to the minimum level.
As a part of its continuing efforts to catalyze global action in response to climate change, UNDP will use its local knowledge, extensive network, experience and expertise on climate change to design a carbon neutral scheme for the film festival to estimate the carbon emissions from participants both home and abroad, and encourage movie stars and other participants to voluntarily purchase their emission reduction credits-and offset them by supporting eco-friendly initiatives such as wind farms, solar installations or forest planting.
In addition, UNDP will also help SIFF launch a series of green activities during the film festival, such as screening of green films and presenting best green films award.
China Environmental Awareness Programme is a joint initiative between UNDP and the MEP seeking to elevate public green consciousness through media campaigns built around high-profile international events such as the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Shanghai Film Festival and the Shanghai Expo in 2010.
