China’s carbon neutrality: an extensive and profound systemic reform
Xi Lu1,2,3,4, Dan Tong5, Kebin He1,2,3,4()
1. State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control and School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China 2. Institute for Carbon Neutrality, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China 3. Beijing Laboratory of Environmental Frontier Technologies, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China 4. State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Sources and Control of Air Pollution Complex, Beijing 100084, China 5. Department of Earth System Science, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System Modeling, Institute for Global Change Studies, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China 6.
● China has pledged ambitious carbon peak and neutrality goals for mitigating global climate change.
● Major challenges to achieve carbon neutrality in China are summarized.
● The new opportunities along the pathway of China’s carbon neutrality are discussed from four aspects.
● Five policy suggestions for China are provided.
China is the largest developing economy and carbon dioxide emitter in the world, the carbon neutrality goal of which will have a profound influence on the mitigation pathway of global climate change. The transition towards a carbon-neutral society is integrated into the construction of ecological civilization in China, and brings profound implications for China’s socioeconomic development. Here, we not only summarize the major challenges in achieving carbon neutrality in China, but also identify the four potential new opportunities: namely, the acceleration of technology innovations, narrowing regional disparity by reshaping the value of resources, transforming the industrial structure, and co-benefits of pollution and carbon mitigation. Finally, we provide five policy suggestions and highlight the importance of balancing economic growth and carbon mitigation, and the joint efforts among the government, the enterprises, and the residents.
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