China's changing image in climate debate

At a reception for a dialogue on climate change in Paris on Tuesday, a woman from Guangdong province, South China, handed me her name card. It stated she was a carbon trader by profession. This is probably among the newest type of jobs in China, and this was my first meeting with this kind of professional.

She told me that she graduated from Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangdong at the end of 2013, and was among the first group of 300 carbon traders in China.

I know that many people are now working in "green jobs" in China, whether for NGOs, in climate change research or even engaged in drawing up sustainability policies amid the country's efforts to improve its energy efficiency and control pollution.