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Making the Transition to a Low-Carbon Economy: The Key Challenges for China

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  • ZhongXiang Zhang

Abstract

China has realised that for its own sake and from the international community's perspective, it cannot afford to continue on the conventional path of encouraging economic growth at the expense of the environment. Accordingly, the country has placed ecological goals at the same level of priority as policies on economic, political, cultural and social development. Specifically, meeting the grand goal involves not only capping China's nationwide coal consumption to let it peak before 2020 and carbon emissions peak around 2030, but also putting in place a variety of flagship programs and policies. This article argues that the 2030 carbon emissions peak goal is ambitious but achievable and concludes by arguing why there is reason to be optimistic about China's ‘green push’.

Suggested Citation

  • ZhongXiang Zhang, 2016. "Making the Transition to a Low-Carbon Economy: The Key Challenges for China," Asia and the Pacific Policy Studies 201617, Crawford School of Public Policy, The Australian National University.
  • Handle: RePEc:een:appswp:201617
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Zhang, Zhong-Xiang, 2007. "China is moving away the pattern of "develop first and then treat the pollution"," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(7), pages 3547-3549, July.
    2. ZhongXiang Zhang, 2012. "Effective environmental protection in the context of government decentralization," International Economics and Economic Policy, Springer, vol. 9(1), pages 53-82, March.
    3. ZhongXiang Zhang, 2014. "Energy Prices, Subsidies and Resource Tax Reform in China," Asia and the Pacific Policy Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 1(3), pages 439-454, September.
    4. Can Wang & Jie Lin & Wenjia Cai & ZhongXiang Zhang, 2013. "Policies and Practices of Low Carbon City Development in China," Energy & Environment, , vol. 24(7-8), pages 1347-1372, December.
    5. Zhang, ZhongXiang, 2010. "China in the transition to a low-carbon economy," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(11), pages 6638-6653, November.
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    7. G. Klaassen & J. Nill & T. Van Ierland & B. Saveyn & S. Vergote, 2012. "Costs and Benefits of Reducing the EU’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 30% in 2020," Review of Business and Economic Literature, Intersentia, vol. 57(2), pages 157-179, June.
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    9. Zhang, ZhongXiang, 2000. "Can China afford to commit itself an emissions cap? An economic and political analysis," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 22(6), pages 587-614, December.
    10. G. Klaassen & J. Nill & T. Van Ierland & B. Saveyn & S. Vergote, 2012. "Costs and Benefits of Reducing the EU’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 30% in 2020," Review of Business and Economic Literature, Intersentia, vol. 57(2), pages 157-179, June.
    11. Mingye Gao & Zhen Wang & Qianyu Wu & Yang Yang, 2013. "Natural Gas Pricing Mechanism Reform and its Impacts on Future Energy Options in China," Energy & Environment, , vol. 24(7-8), pages 1209-1227, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Wei Wu & Boqiang Lin, 2020. "Reducing Overcapacity in China’s Coal Industry: A Real Option Approach," Computational Economics, Springer;Society for Computational Economics, vol. 55(4), pages 1073-1093, April.
    2. Garfield Wayne Hunter & Gideon Sagoe & Daniele Vettorato & Ding Jiayu, 2019. "Sustainability of Low Carbon City Initiatives in China: A Comprehensive Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-37, August.
    3. Wen, Fenghua & Wu, Nan & Gong, Xu, 2020. "China's carbon emissions trading and stock returns," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    4. Diosey Ramon Lugo-Morin, 2021. "Global Future: Low-Carbon Economy or High-Carbon Economy?," World, MDPI, vol. 2(2), pages 1-19, April.
    5. Yinpeng Zhang & Zhixin Liu & Yingying Xu, 2018. "Carbon price volatility: The case of China," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(10), pages 1-15, October.
    6. Qianqian Guo & Zhifang Su & Chaoshin Chiao, 2022. "Carbon emissions trading policy, carbon finance, and carbon emissions reduction: evidence from a quasi-natural experiment in China," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 55(3), pages 1445-1480, August.
    7. Peng Tong & Chao Zhao & Huaqing Wang, 2019. "Research on the Survival and Sustainable Development of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in China under the Background of Low-Carbon Economy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-17, February.
    8. Cong, Ren & Lo, Alex Y., 2017. "Emission trading and carbon market performance in Shenzhen, China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 193(C), pages 414-425.
    9. Kejia Yang & Ralitsa Hiteva & Johan Schot, 2020. "Niche Acceleration driven by Expectation Dynamics among Niche and Regime Actors: China’s Wind and Solar Power Development," SPRU Working Paper Series 2020-03, SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex Business School.

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    Keywords

    low-carbon economy; carbon emissions peaks; carbon pricing; energy prices; resource tax reform;
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