China’s 14th Five-Year Plan Sets Foundation for Climate Action, But Important Details Are Still Needed

The World Resources Institute notes that China's 14th Five-Year Plan confirms pledges to peak CO2 emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060, while setting specific 2025 targets for carbon intensity and non-fossil energy consumption. However, the statement argues that the plan lacks critical details on how these goals will be achieved and suggests that additional actions beyond the plan are necessary to reach net zero by 2060.

• China's 14th Five-Year Plan confirms the national pledges to peak CO2 emissions before 2030 and reach carbon neutrality before 2060.
• The plan establishes a target to reduce carbon dioxide intensity by 18% by the end of 2025, though it utilizes a lower baseline than the previous 13th Five-Year Plan.
• China aims to increase the share of non-fossil energy in total energy consumption to approximately 20% by 2025, representing progress over its 2015 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).
• The plan encourages early emissions peaking for specific enterprises, key sectors, and economically advanced regions, and emphasizes climate adaptation and the assessment of impacts on vulnerable regions.
• The document identifies gaps in the plan, specifically the absence of a GDP growth target, a clear reduction target for non-CO2 emissions, and an ambitious CO2 emissions cap.

APA

Bapna, M. (2021). China’s 14th Five-Year Plan Sets Foundation for Climate Action, But Important Details Are Still Needed. World Resources Institute. https://www.wri.org/news/statement-chinas-14th-five-year-plan-sets-foundation-climate-action-important-details-are

Chicago

Bapna, Manish. China’s 14th Five-Year Plan Sets Foundation for Climate Action, But Important Details Are Still Needed. World Resources Institute, 2021. https://www.wri.org/news/statement-chinas-14th-five-year-plan-sets-foundation-climate-action-important-details-are.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Bapna |first1=Manish |title=China’s 14th Five-Year Plan Sets Foundation for Climate Action, But Important Details Are Still Needed |publisher=World Resources Institute |date=12 March 2021 |url=https://www.wri.org/news/statement-chinas-14th-five-year-plan-sets-foundation-climate-action-important-details-are |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{bapna2021chinas, author = {Bapna, Manish}, title = {{China’s 14th Five-Year Plan Sets Foundation for Climate Action, But Important Details Are Still Needed}}, publisher = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2021}, month = mar, url = {https://www.wri.org/news/statement-chinas-14th-five-year-plan-sets-foundation-climate-action-important-details-are}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }