Summary
This briefing by the World Resources Institute provides a detailed status report on the climate policies, energy trends, and international cooperation of China and the United States as of early 2024. It outlines China's progress toward its 2030 and 2060 goals, the United States' implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), and the diplomatic efforts to maintain bilateral climate cooperation despite broader geopolitical tensions.
Key insights
- China's carbon emissions increased by 565 million tons in 2023, reaching 12.6 billion tons, a 4.7% increase. Despite this, non-fossil fuel power generation capacity reached 1.57 billion kilowatts by the end of 2023, exceeding thermal power capacity for the first time and accounting for 53.9% of total capacity.
- China is implementing several new regulatory frameworks to meet its climate goals, including the 'Interim Regulations on the Administration of Carbon Emission Rights Trading' (effective May 1, 2024), the restart of the China Certified Emission Reduction (CCER) market in January 2024, and a transition from 'dual control of energy consumption' to 'dual control of carbon emissions' piloted in Inner Mongolia and Shandong.
- The United States expects to achieve its 2030 NDC goal of reducing emissions by 50-52% compared to 2005 levels, aided by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). In 2023, US power sector emissions fell by 8%, and coal generation hit a record low of 17%, although transportation emissions rose by 1.6% due to aviation fuel.
- US climate policy faces potential volatility due to the 2024 presidential election, though the document notes that IRA and IIJA investments have benefited both 'red' and 'blue' states, creating over 200,000 clean energy jobs. Additionally, several states like Michigan, Minnesota, and New Jersey have set independent 100% carbon-free electricity targets by 2035 or 2040.
- China and the US reaffirmed their climate cooperation in the 'Sunnylands Statement' (November 14, 2023), committing to triple global renewable energy capacity by 2030 and advance five large-scale CCUS projects. However, tensions remain, as China filed a WTO request on March 26, 2024, regarding IRA subsidies that exclude electric vehicles containing Chinese critical minerals.
Cite the original document
- APA
- World Resources Institute (n.d.). 中国和美国的现状. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2024-07/2024-us-china-state-of-play-briefing-CN.pdf
- Chicago
- World Resources Institute. 中国和美国的现状. n.d. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2024-07/2024-us-china-state-of-play-briefing-CN.pdf.
- Wikipedia
- {{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=中国和美国的现状 |url=https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2024-07/2024-us-china-state-of-play-briefing-CN.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}
- BibTeX
- @techreport{worldresourcesinstitutend, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{中国和美国的现状}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2024-07/2024-us-china-state-of-play-briefing-CN.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }
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