Daniel Dudek. [Photo provided to China Daily]

During the Shanghai Expo 2010, his team introduced a number of subway tickets carrying 20-yuan-worth of carbon credits sold by farmers, who had changed their farming methods with the help of EDF to reduce the use of fuels.

"It's a way to help spread the idea of emissions trading to ordinary people," says Dudek.

He has met with three premiers－Li Peng, Wen Jiabao and Li Keqiang, sharing his view that "there doesn't have to be a trade-off between environment and economic development". With smart policies, Dudek said then and now, you can have more economic development and more environmental protection.

Dudek is delighted that China is going to launch a national emission-trading system of carbon dioxide in 2017.

"My sense is that Chinese people have been always interested in new ideas. The real challenge for us is to bridge the idea and the reality in China, to make it practical."

Contact the writer at xingyi@chinadaily.com.cn