China recently issued comprehensive assessment measures for carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. For the first time, carbon emission control indicators have been incorporated into the evaluation of local governments and officials through binding regulations. This institutional innovation signals a new stage in China's dual carbon work, shifting from target guidance to rigorous assessment, to ensure the realization of carbon peaking before 2030 and carbon neutrality before 2060 as scheduled. 

According to its plans, China must not only peak its carbon emissions before 2030 but also achieve several other key targets: peaking coal and oil consumption, reducing carbon emission intensity by more than 65 percent from 2005 levels and raising the share of non-fossil energy consumption to 25 percent by 2030.

To this end, the recently issued assessment measures establish a framework of five control indicators and nine supporting indicators. The five control indicators examine total carbon emissions, carbon intensity reduction, total coal consumption, total oil consumption and the share of non-fossil energy consumption. The measures fill an institutional gap by clarifying assessment procedures, specifying objectives and tasks and setting evaluation standards. This in turn promotes the pivot of dual carbon work from macro-level planning to targeted implementation.

As part of these measures, provincial-level regions first conduct self-assessments on a yearly basis. The National Development and Reform Commission then follows up with verification through means such as random spot checks and third-party audits. Regions that fail to meet assessment requirements must submit a rectification report to the central authorities detailing measures to be taken and the timeframe, whereas outstanding regions will receive official commendation with their good practices promoted nationwide. The assessment results also bear on provincial-level leaders' performance evaluations, affecting their promotion.

China addresses global climate change by upholding a proactive approach and steadily advancing green, low-carbon and high-quality development. Against the backdrop of a complex international landscape and challenging domestic growth transformation, these measures ensure unified direction across the country on dual carbon work, coping with external uncertainties through the certainty of comprehensive green development.

The Chinese economy is currently at a stage of restructuring and transitioning growth drivers. These measures use binding carbon-related assessments to force a deep transformation of the country's economic growth model. Local governments will be compelled to control unreasonable consumption of high-carbon fossil fuels such as coal and oil, promote clean energy including wind and solar power, and strengthen emerging growth drivers such as green industries, low-carbon innovative technologies and resource recycling.

They will rely on green and low-carbon development to overcome resource and environmental bottlenecks, promote comprehensive green upgrading across the energy, urban-rural development and transportation sectors, and achieve coordinated progress in emission reduction, energy conservation and economic growth. In doing so, local authorities will effectively empower the real economy to achieve efficient development.

This policy will also have positive implications for energy security both in China and globally. By optimizing its energy supply and demand structure, China will reduce reliance on energy imports and accelerate the establishment of a new power system along with a self-reliant, controllable modern energy framework, thus strengthening national energy and ecological security. Meanwhile, China's achievements in low-cost clean energy and low-carbon technologies can be shared with other countries, helping them reduce emission reduction costs, promoting global renewable energy adoption, accelerating the green transformation of the world's energy mix and injecting strong momentum into global low-carbon transition.

China's innovative assessment mechanism, using strict internal evaluation to ensure the fulfillment of emission reduction commitments, demonstrates the country's strategic determination to pursue green and low-carbon development, steadily reduce carbon emission intensity and continuously enhance ecological carbon sink capacity.

Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon 

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