In The Picture: China’s New Energy Pioneers with Toby Smith

Flora Carmichael — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 19:00:00 +0000

Photographer Toby Smith recently spent two months in China producing his latest project, China’s New Energy Pioneers. He will be presenting his photography and discussing China’s environmental record in an event moderated by Jim Footner of Greenpeace.

Covering 11 provinces, Toby Smith‘s work took him to coal mines, wind farms and hydro-electric plants while capturing the landscapes and people implementing the Communist Party’s latest Five Year Plan.

Announced in March 2011, the new Plan is significant in its attempts to address escalating energy and environmental problems. A cap on coal dependency, ambitious targets for non-fossil fuel energy sources and a drive towards more renewable sources of energy reflect the Communist Party’s intentions to aim for a cleaner, greener kind of growth.

With new power stations connecting to the grid in the People’s Republic of China at a rate of one per day, how China chooses to fuel its booming economy is one of the most important questions for the world of today, and of the future.

Toby Smith is a contemporary reportage photographer and director of Roof Unit, a collective of photographers based in East London. He specialises in environment and energy matters.

Smith’s feature stills and video work has been published by National Geographic, the Guardian, TIME, the New York Times and the BBC among others.

Moderator Jim Footner manages the Climate Change Team of Greenpeace UK. Over the past nine years, he has worked on climate and energy issues for Greenpeace in various parts of the world including Asia. He led the Greenpeace campaign against new coal fired power stations in the UK, and co-ordinated the use of the Rainbow Warrior as part of an oil spill response team in Lebanon after the most recent conflict.

Footner is also a trustee on the UK board of the French charity Development Workshop France, which specialises in resilient architecture and design in some of the world’s most hostile environments.

The week ahead at the Frontline Club: From Syria to China’s energy pioneers

Julie Tomlin — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 11:58:45 +0000

Tickets for tonight’s First Wednesday have sold out but you can watch the discussion live here. Chaired by the broadcaster Paddy O’Connell, the debate will focus on Syria as the crackdown continues, the death toll rises and the UN Security Council comes under increasing pressure to reach a resolution condemning the violence.

Monday’s screening Children of the Revolution tells the story of two militants, Ulrike Meinhof of the German Red Army Faction (pictured) and Fusako Shigenobu of the Japanese Red Army, through the unique perspective of their daughters.

Also next week photographer Toby Smith will be presenting his latest project, China’s New Energy Pioneers, for which he spent two months documenting China’s attempts to address escalating energy and environmental problems.

toby smith – Frontline Club

In The Picture: China’s New Energy Pioneers with Toby Smith

The week ahead at the Frontline Club: From Syria to China’s energy pioneers