Carbon Peaking and Carbon Neutrality China's Plans and Solutions

Contents

Preface

I. Staying Firmly Committed to Advancing Peak Carbon and Carbon Neutrality

II. Notable Progress in Green and Low-Carbon Energy Transition

III. In-Depth Low-Carbon Development in Key Areas

IV. Effective Implementation of Major Pathways to Carbon Emission Reduction

V. Continuous Consolidation of Support and Safeguard Systems

VI. Strong Impetus to Global Climate Governance

Conclusion

Preface

Earth is the only home of all humanity, and tackling climate change and promoting sustainable development are vital to our survival and future. Since the Industrial Revolution, great material wealth has come at the cost of faster depletion of natural resources and disruption to the ecological balance, intensifying the tensions between humanity and nature. In recent years, the harmful effects of climate change have grown more prominent, making a coordinated global response ever more urgent.

The major decision to achieve peak carbon dioxide emissions and carbon neutrality was made by China out of a strong sense of responsibility for human civilization and the intrinsic demands of China's sustainable development. President Xi Jinping has affirmed many times China's resolve to meet the goals of peak carbon and carbon neutrality on major multilateral and bilateral occasions. On September 22, 2020, at the general debate of the 75th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, President Xi announced that China would strive to reach peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and carbon neutrality before 2060. On December 12, 2020, he presented China's 2030 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) at the Climate Ambition Summit. On September 24, 2025, at the UN Climate Summit, President Xi further clarified China's 2035 NDCs, injecting greater impetus and more certainty into the global climate governance and demonstrating China's stance as a responsible major country that champions integrity.

China always honors its commitments. Five years after the announcement of its ambitious peak carbon and carbon neutrality goals, the country has achieved historic results in advancing the green and low-carbon transition through concrete action and painstaking efforts, adhering to the principle that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets.

China has established the most systematic and comprehensive carbon reduction policy framework in the world, built the largest and the fastest-growing renewable energy system, the largest and most complete new energy industrial chain, and achieved the world's largest and fastest promotion and adoption of new energy vehicles. It has contributed about one-fourth of the newly added green areas worldwide, and ranks among the countries with the fastest decline in energy consumption intensity. China has blazed a viable trail for developing countries to pursue green and low-carbon development, thereby making significant contributions to global climate action and the sustainable development of humanity.

The year 2025 marks the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement. Over the past decade, despite ups and downs in global climate governance, green and low-carbon development has become an unstoppable trend. Currently, global transformation on a scale unseen in a century is accelerating, and global climate governance has entered a new and critical phase. Concrete efforts are better than empty rhetoric and inaction. Only through concrete measures and solid actions can we turn the goals of tackling climate change into reality, and only then can we better protect Earth, the shared home of humanity.

The Chinese government is publishing this white paper to present a comprehensive overview of China's major achievements in pursuing peak carbon and carbon neutrality over the past five years, and to share China's approaches, actions, and experience.

I. Staying Firmly Committed to Advancing Peak Carbon and Carbon Neutrality

China has made peak carbon and carbon neutrality a national strategy, launching extensive and in-depth peak carbon initiatives and accelerating a full-scale green transition of its economy and society. In doing so, China has forged a development path that puts eco-environmental conservation first and pursues green and low-carbon growth.

1. Peak Carbon and Carbon Neutrality Is the Only Way Forward

Achieving these goals is essential for China to ease pressure on resource and environmental constraints and secure sustainable development. Humanity and nature are a community of life, and harmony between the two is the corner stone of lasting progress. By promoting peak carbon and carbon neutrality and steering economic and social development to become green and low-carbon, China can safeguard the security of food and energy, industrial and supply chains, providing solid environmental and resource guarantees for higher-quality and more sustainable growth.

Achieving peak carbon and carbon neutrality is essential in enabling China to sustain technological progress and promote the transformation and upgrading of the economic structure. As the new revolution in science, technology and industry accelerates, promoting peak carbon and carbon neutrality can make the green transition a growth engine to facilitate the upgrading of the economic, energy, and industrial structures, to incentivize collaborative innovation and integrated development between traditional and emerging industries, and to foster new drivers and strengths for high-quality development.

Achieving peak carbon and carbon neutrality is an urgent requirement to meet the people's growing desire for a beautiful eco-environment and to promote harmony between humanity and nature. A good eco-environment is the most fundamental public good and the most inclusive contributor to public wellbeing. Advancing peak carbon and carbon neutrality entails a green and low-carbon transition in our work and life: It will help address environmental problems at source, meet the people's growing demand for a beautiful eco-environment, and strengthen the people's sense of gain, fulfillment and security.

Achieving peak carbon and carbon neutrality is a proactive commitment to fulfilling China's responsibilities as a major country and building a community with a shared future for humanity. In the face of climate change challenges, we all share a common future. Advancing peak carbon and carbon neutrality means that China, as the world's largest developing country, will achieve the highest reduction in carbon emission intensity and complete the transition from peak carbon to carbon neutrality quicker than any other country. This requires an arduous effort. It is a testament to China's commitment to upholding multilateralism and demonstrates China's firm resolve to play its part in building a clean and beautiful world.

2. Promoting Peak Carbon and Carbon Neutrality Systematically

As the largest developing country with a population of over 1.4 billion, China's task of generating economic growth and improving the wellbeing of the people remains onerous. Achieving peak carbon and carbon neutrality is therefore a multidimensional, multifaceted and systematic undertaking. It requires that China strike a balance between growth and emissions reduction, between a holistic approach and targeted measures, between long-term vision and short-term delivery, and between the government and the market. The following principles guide every step:

Pooling strengths nationwide. China ensures a coordinated national response through stronger top-level design, steering every sector and every link of the economy onto a green, low-carbon path. The National Development and Reform Commission fully leverages its role in coordinating provincial authorities and central departments to drive progress towards peak carbon and carbon neutrality in an active and prudent manner.

Prioritizing conservation. China regards the conservation of energy and other resources as a top priority and operates a comprehensive conservation strategy. Consumption of energy and other resources and carbon emissions per unit of GDP are falling, and simple, moderate, green, and low-carbon lifestyles are being encouraged to rein in carbon emissions at source.

Leveraging the roles of the government and the market. China is mobilizing both the government and the market, intensifying technological and institutional innovation, and accelerating the green and low-carbon technological revolution. Meanwhile, it furthers reforms in the energy sector and relevant fields to exert the role of the market mechanism and form an effective incentive and constraint mechanism.

Coordinating domestic and international efforts. China prioritizes international exchanges and cooperation, aligns domestic and overseas energy and other resources, and promotes world-leading green and low-carbon technologies and experience, while advancing a global climate governance system that is fair, equitable and cooperative and delivers win-win results.

Guarding against risks. In line with China's national conditions and the principle of establishing the new before discarding the old, China is ensuring security for food and energy, industrial and supply chains, and guaranteeing quality of life while pursuing green and low-carbon transition. China strives to defuse all types of risk and avert hidden dangers to ensure the safe reduction of carbon emissions.

3. A Policy Framework for Peak Carbon and Carbon Neutrality

To achieve the carbon goals, China has formulated the "1+N" policy framework — the most systematic and comprehensive carbon reduction policy framework in the world, with its clearly defined timetable, road map, and action plan.

Within this framework, the "1" stands for the guiding principles and top-level design for achieving peak carbon and carbon neutrality. At the national level, the country has issued the Working Guidance for Carbon Dioxide Peaking and Carbon Neutrality in Full and Faithful Implementation of the New Development Philosophy, and the Action Plan for Carbon Dioxide Peaking Before 2030, which map out and coordinate relevant work in a systematic way. The two documents outline ten key actions for reaching peak carbon emissions. These measures comprise:

・ accelerating the transition to green and low-carbon energy;

・ improving energy saving, carbon reduction, and efficiency;

・ ensuring peak carbon emissions are achieved in the industrial sector;

・ advancing efforts to reach peak carbon in urban and rural development;

・ promoting green and low-carbon transport;

・ facilitating the reduction of carbon emissions through the circular economy;

・ fostering innovation in green and low-carbon technology;

・ consolidating and improving carbon sink capacity;

・ advocating a green and low-carbon lifestyle nationwide;

・ orchestrating region-specific pathways to achieve peak carbon across the country.

"N" encompasses action plans for peak carbon and carbon neutrality in key sectors, industries, and administrative districts. Relevant departments have released action plans for key sectors such as energy, industry, transport, urban-rural development, agriculture and the countryside, and for key industries including coal, oil, natural gas, iron and steel, non-ferrous metals, petrochemical and chemical, and building materials. These are backed by supporting plans encompassing areas such as scientific and technological support, fiscal policy, green finance, green consumption, the carbon sink capacity of the eco-environment, pollution reduction and carbon reduction, statistical accounting, standards and measurements, cultivation of professionals, and the training of officials. Furthermore, 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the central government in China have formulated their own regional peak carbon action plans.