On 21 August 2009, the EU-China CDM Facilitation Project implemented the 8th Regional Workshop at Urumqi, Xinjiang. The Policy Research Center for Environment and Economy (PRCEE) of Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP), one of EU-China CDM Facilitation Project consortium members, led the organization of the workshop, with the support from Xinjiang Environmental Protection Department and the Xinjiang Policy and Technology Development Center for Environmental Protection. Officials from MEP, NDRC, and local administrations of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, including Xinjiang Environmental Protection Department, Xinjiang Development and Reform Commission, Xinjiang Technology and Science Department, Foreign Affairs Department, etc. attended the workshop and gave the speeches. Over 100 participants, including local officials, representatives from local research institutes, and industrial representatives attended the workshop. The Project team leader and the deputy project manager from IVL also attended the workshop.

The key issues presented and discussed during the workshop cover the international and national climate change policies, climate change and the domestic energy conservation and emission reduction programme, the impact of climate change on ecosystem, the status and trend of the international carbon market, CDM rules and practices, etc. The workshop was highly evaluated by the attendees as informative and valuable. With the comprehensive introduction and analysis of experts on climate change, the participants had a better understanding on the scientific knowledge of climate change, relevant policies, regulations and the current and future development status. It is believed that the workshop will provide valuable contribution to the local actions to address climate change, including CDM development and implementation.