Stories of Coal Phase-Out: Lessons learned for China

The report utilizes the "window of opportunity" framework—examining context, champions, concerns, and complementary policies—to analyze coal phase-outs in California, Denmark, France, and Beijing. It highlights how resource endowment, international climate commitments, and public health concerns drive reform. For Beijing, the report details the closure of coal mines and power plants, the role of central and local government coordination, and the impact of high-profile events like the Olympics and APEC summit in accelerating the transition. It concludes that successful nationwide phase-out in China requires viable energy alternatives, social protection for workers, and high-level political leadership supported by grassroots demand.

• California's coal phase-out was facilitated by a lack of recoverable coal reserves and legislative mandates, specifically the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB 32) and Senate Bill 1368, which effectively banned new coal generation without carbon-capture technology.
• Denmark significantly reduced coal's role in electricity generation from 83 per cent in 1994 to 34 per cent in 2014, with a commitment to a complete phase-out by 2030, driven by energy security and EU emission reduction targets.
• France's transition involved the complete closure of domestic coal mines by 1994 due to the high cost of domestic coal compared to imports and heavy investment in nuclear energy, alongside a 60 per cent reduction in coal-fired electricity generation between 2010 and 2015.
• Beijing achieved a rapid coal phase-out by closing major power plants and eliminating small coal mines; by 2014, coal consumption dropped below 20 per cent of the total energy mix, down from 47 per cent in 2000.
• Major international events served as catalysts for Beijing's environmental reforms, with the 2008 Olympics improving environmental governance and the 2014 APEC summit demonstrating the feasibility of drastic pollution reduction through integrated measures.
• The Beijing phase-out was driven by a dual-level governance structure where the central government provided policy frameworks (such as the Air Pollution Prevention Action Plan) and the local government implemented specific targets and financial subsidies.
• Successful coal phase-out in China is likely to follow a three-stage transition: moving from a coal-dominated system to a diversified energy system, and finally to a renewables-dominated clean energy system.

APA

Gass, P., Duan, H., & Gerasimchuk, I. (2016). Stories of Coal Phase-Out: Lessons learned for China. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/stories-coal-phase-out-lessons-learned-for-china.pdf

Chicago

Gass, Philip, Hongxia Duan, and Ivetta Gerasimchuk. Stories of Coal Phase-Out: Lessons learned for China. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2016. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/stories-coal-phase-out-lessons-learned-for-china.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Gass |first1=Philip |last2=Duan |first2=Hongxia |last3=Gerasimchuk |first3=Ivetta |title=Stories of Coal Phase-Out: Lessons learned for China |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=August 2016 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/stories-coal-phase-out-lessons-learned-for-china.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{gass2016stories, author = {Gass, Philip and Duan, Hongxia and Gerasimchuk, Ivetta}, title = {{Stories of Coal Phase-Out: Lessons learned for China}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2016}, month = aug, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/stories-coal-phase-out-lessons-learned-for-china.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }