In 2019, the illegal wildlife trade reached staggering levels. Pangolin scales and ivory were being trafficked in massive quantities from Africa to Asia, exposing a network of crime syndicates operating at an industrial scale. The sheer volume of these shipments marked a disturbing milestone, one that revealed the global reach …
This publication updates the 2015 carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) road map for the People's Republic of China (PRC). Reflecting changes in CCUS and low-carbon development targets in the PRC since 2015, the publication highlights the role of CCUS in decarbonizing hydrogen production from fossil fuels; CCUS-readiness of the …
Air pollution is a global challenge to people’s health and has severe economic consequences. The region of Northeast Asia is no exception. Across most regions in Japan, and in the entire territories of Korea and China, annual average concentrations of fine particulate matter are above the guideline levels indicated by …
This Report of the Standing Committee on Water Resources (2021-22) deals with the action taken by the Government on the Observations/Recommendations contained in their Twelfth Report (Seventeenth Lok Sabha) on ‘Flood Management in the Country including International Water Treaties in the field of Water Resource Management with particular Reference to …
China holds a critical and outsized role in helping the global community achieve the targets of the Paris Agreement and preserving the planet’s biosphere. At the same time, China’s available financing mechanisms and its financial system remain somewhat distinct. A nuanced understanding of prioritized net-zero technologies and potential pathways to …
The report, China’s Role in Promoting Global Forest Governance and Combating Deforestation, provides insights into the many ways China can step up on global leadership in combating commodity-driven deforestation, also challenges some of the traditionally held myths among experts and professional networks in China. As the presidency of UN CBD …
This report examines the possible financial implications of phasing out fossil fuels in six emerging economies based on scenarios published by the International Energy Agency in its 2021 World Energy Outlook and suggests strategies for managing the transition. To comply with the Paris Agreement, the world will have to phase …
In September 2020, China announced that it would aim to reach a peak in its carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. Over the past decade, China has remained the world’s biggest producer and consumer of energy, while its energy-related CO2 emissions had grown to …
This paper presents ways for China to achieve its climate goals while also attain high-quality growth—growth that is balanced, inclusive, and green. Using a dynamic computable general equilibrium model that is calibrated to China, multiple scenarios are considered that incorporate a sequence of layered policies: (i) frontloading mitigation with an …
This report takes a first look at China’s domestic coastal shipping sector and provides recommendations for actionable long-term decarbonization pathways designed to avoid exceeding its current share of transportation-sector CO2. It uses the sector’s 2019 activities, energy consumption, and CO2 emissions as a baseline and projects those out to 2060 …
The pace of emissions reductions of the People’s Republic of China (hereinafter, “China”) over the coming decades will be an important factor in global efforts to limit global warming to 1.5°C. The power sector is central to achieving China’s stated climate ambition of peaking CO2 emissions before 2030 and achieving …
The global wind industry had its second-best year in 2021, with almost 94 GW of capacity added globally, trailing behind the 2020’s record growth by only 1.8%. Europe, Latin America and Africa & Middle East had record years for new onshore installations, but total onshore wind installations in 2021 was …
In the last 20 years, the People’s Republic of China (hereafter, “China”) has strengthened its position on the global stage as an energy innovator, as illustrated by the stories of solar power and, more recently, electric mobility. This is the result of several decades of increasing policy focus on technology …
Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) used in mobile air conditioning (MAC) and refrigeration equipment are an important contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from motor vehicles. Estimates of emissions in China from the MAC refrigerant HFC-134a, conducted by Peking University, shows that they exceed 20 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year . …
International and domestic efforts to respond to the severe global challenge of climate change are on the rise and evolving. Despite the importance of action from multiple levels of government, public sector reforms to address climate change and to promote decentralization and or intergovernmental relations tend to be designed and …
This book introduces a multi-disciplinary and comprehensive research on China's long-term low-carbon emission strategies and pathways. After comprehensively considering China’s own socioeconomic conditions, policy design, energy mix, and other macro-development trends and needs, the research team has proposed suggestions on China’s low-carbon development strategies and pathways until 2050, with required …
To achieve quality growth over the medium-term, China will need to rebalance its economy across several dimensions, according to Rebalancing Act, From Recovery to High-Quality Growth, the latest China Economic Update released by the World Bank. Following a strong rebound in the first half of 2021, economic activity in China …
The report present a brief overview of emerging climate action by cities, regions, and companies in the two largest greenhouse gas emitters in the Global South. The Paris climate agreement adopted in 2015 recognised “non-Party stakeholders” mainly comprised of non-state actors (e.g. businesses, investors and civil society organisations) and subnational …
This report critically examines the nature of the distinction between traditional inter-state diplomacy and sustainable development diplomacy. It then sets out the institutional changes which are necessary for the achievement of sustainable development diplomacy. Multi-stakeholder partnerships have been identified as a key means of implementation for the Sustainable Development Goals …
This report traces the rise of eco-compensation, explores its current use, quantifies trends, and provides recommendations to strengthen impacts. Eco-compensation is poorly understood outside of China; even within China, the disparate nature of data and the diversity of programs means that key trends and lessons are easily overlooked. Drawing on …
This briefing provides an update on electric vehicle market and policy developments globally through 2020, with a focus on changes since previous update in 2019. It includes information on how several governments in major markets have revised their vehicle electrification targets and developed related policies, as well as summarizes global …