Prospects and challenges for land-based climate change mitigation in support of carbon dioxide removal in China

The report finds that while China has significant potential for land-based climate mitigation, efforts have historically focused on energy and industry, with forestry being the only land sector with comprehensive targets. Agriculture, grasslands, and wetlands remain underexploited, hampered by a lack of standardized methodologies and a prioritization of food security over carbon sequestration. The relaunch of the China Certified Emission Reduction (CCER) scheme in 2023 offers a potential funding mechanism, though it is currently limited to forestry.

• Forestry is the most developed land-based mitigation sector in China, with explicit targets for forest cover and stock volume. The National Forest Management Plan aims for a forest carbon stock exceeding "13 billion tons" by 2050, and the national forest cover rate is targeted to be "stable at more than 26%" by 2050.
• Agricultural emissions are projected to rise and become a primary greenhouse gas source in the future because the sector has not been prioritized for decarbonization. While the 2022 Agriculture and Rural Areas Emission Reduction and Carbon Sequestration Implementation Plan signals intent, "detailed indicators and targets on carbon sequestration are yet to be devised".
• Black soil protection in Northeast China is a key agricultural LMT, with the Northeast Black Soil Conservation Cultivation Action Plan aiming to implement conservation tillage on "70% of total arable land" (approximately 9.3 million ha) by 2025.
• Grasslands and wetlands are currently underexploited for carbon sequestration. Grassland vegetation cover targets are set at "57%" by 2025 and "60%" by 2035, while wetland protection rates are targeted at "55%" by 2025 and "60%" by 2035, though these focus on ecological function rather than specific carbon stocks.
• The China Certified Emission Reduction (CCER) scheme, relaunched in 2023, provides a market mechanism for financing LMTs, but it is "currently largely limited to the forestry sector". Experts note that stringent methodologies and high monitoring costs make it less accessible for smallholder farmers.
• A critical barrier across most LMTs is the "absence of knowledge, technical readiness, and standardized procedures for implementation", particularly regarding the calculation of sequestered carbon in agriculture and grasslands.
• China's land-based carbon stocks are estimated at "79.24 Petagrams of carbon (Pg C)", with the distribution being 39% in forests, 32% in grasslands, 21% in croplands, and 8% in shrublands.

APA

Mal, M., Zhu, H., & Johnson, F. X. (2024). Prospects and challenges for land-based climate change mitigation in support of carbon dioxide removal in China. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/land-climate-mitigation-china-sei2024.003.pdf

Chicago

Mal, Mathieu, Huiling Zhu, and Francis X. Johnson. Prospects and challenges for land-based climate change mitigation in support of carbon dioxide removal in China. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2024. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/land-climate-mitigation-china-sei2024.003.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Mal |first1=Mathieu |last2=Zhu |first2=Huiling |last3=Johnson |first3=Francis X. |title=Prospects and challenges for land-based climate change mitigation in support of carbon dioxide removal in China |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=February 2024 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/land-climate-mitigation-china-sei2024.003.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{mal2024prospects, author = {Mal, Mathieu and Zhu, Huiling and Johnson, Francis X.}, title = {{Prospects and challenges for land-based climate change mitigation in support of carbon dioxide removal in China}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2024}, month = feb, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/land-climate-mitigation-china-sei2024.003.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }