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This report analyzes China's position as the world's largest methane emitter and explores how sustainable finance can accelerate abatement in the energy, agriculture, and waste sectors. It highlights a significant investment gap, estimating China's annual methane abatement needs at USD 7.7 billion. While policy frameworks like the Methane Emissions Control Action Plan and updated NDCs are emerging, the report argues that a lack of quantitative targets, technical standards, and integrated MRV systems hinders private investment. It recommends incorporating methane into the national ETS, refining green taxonomies, and encouraging financial institutions to set science-based methane targets.

The China Energy Transition Review 2025 by Ember analyzes China's rapid shift toward clean energy and electrification, detailing how its domestic policies and manufacturing scale are driving down global costs and pushing global fossil fuel demand toward a structural decline.

The report 'Boom and Bust Coal 2025' tracks global coal-fired power plant developments in 2024, highlighting a stark contrast between the decline of coal in the EU and UK and a surge in new construction in China and India.

This report by Global Energy Monitor and the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) examines the conflicting dynamics of China's energy transition in 2024, where record-breaking clean energy expansion is occurring simultaneously with a significant increase in coal power construction and approvals.

The report "Boom and Bust 2024," published by Global Energy Monitor and several partner organizations, tracks the global development of coal-fired power plants. It highlights a contradictory trend where, despite global efforts to phase out coal, total operational capacity reached a historic high in 2023, driven largely by significant expansions in China.

A briefing by Global Energy Monitor and the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) reports that China is at risk of missing multiple 2025 climate commitments due to an acceleration in coal power permitting and construction. Despite official pledges to strictly control new coal power, an estimated 114 GW of capacity was approved and 70 GW started construction in 2023. The report argues that this expansion is driven by rigid grid management and a perceived 'policy window' before 2025, leading to significant risks of future overcapacity and stranded assets.

This briefing by Global Energy Monitor and the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) analyzes a surge in coal power permitting and construction in China during the first half of 2023. The report finds that new projects are being approved at a pace of more than one plant per week, often ignoring central government policies that restrict new coal to a 'supporting' role for clean energy. The authors argue that this 'coal rush' is driven by a desire to maximize carbon-intensive capacity before the 2030 emissions peak, outdated grid management, and a shift away from fossil gas, potentially undermining China's long-term climate commitments.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative examines the landscape of green and climate finance in China, highlighting the gap between current investment levels and the funding required to meet climate targets. It analyzes the dominance of the public sector, regional investment patterns, and the barriers preventing private capital from scaling, while offering recommendations for policy improvements and the greening of outbound investments.

This report by the Climate Bonds Initiative and SynTao Green Finance analyzes the potential for green bond issuance in China to support its transition to a low-carbon economy. It details the investment needs under the 13th Five-Year Plan, the role of green finance pilot zones, and the regulatory framework governing green bonds. The document emphasizes the need for private sector capital to fill a significant funding gap and advocates for the harmonization of green definitions to attract international investors.

This report, co-authored by the Climate Bonds Initiative and Syntao Green Finance and sponsored by UK PACT, analyzes the potential for green investment and the issuance of green bonds in China. It identifies significant funding gaps for the transition to a low-carbon economy, evaluates the impact of national and local green finance policies, and highlights opportunities within green finance reform and innovation pilot zones. The document emphasizes the need for standardized green definitions, increased transparency in disclosure, and the potential for 'new infrastructure' and 'brown' industry transitions to drive future green bond issuance.

The Bank of Lanzhou issued a CNY 2bn (USD 29m) green bond on April 4, 2019, to fund 13 projects in waste treatment, water supply, urban transit, energy efficiency, and solar energy. The bond is rated G3 (Medium Green) by China Bond Rating and is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by 20,600 tons annually while recycling significant amounts of scrap metal, plastic, and cardboard.

The report 'State of the Market 2018: Corporate Renewable Procurement in China' analyzes the transition of China's renewable energy market from a feed-in-tariff (FiT) system to a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS). It examines the available mechanisms for corporations to procure green electricity, noting that while on-site solar and direct investments are currently viable, large-scale transaction mechanisms remain limited and dependent on evolving provincial and national policies.

This report analyzes the financing challenges and models for soil remediation in China, where 16.1% of soil is contaminated. It highlights a critical funding gap, noting that while the government has allocated billions, the total need may reach trillions of yuan. The report discusses the failure of the 'polluter pays' principle due to historical land ownership ambiguities and suggests diversifying investment through green bonds, PPPs, and international loans to attract social capital.

This report evaluates China's 2010 reform of residential electricity pricing, which transitioned from a flat-rate system to a tiered electricity pricing (TEP) mechanism. The reform aimed to improve energy efficiency, reduce environmental pollution, and address the regressive nature of flat subsidies that disproportionately benefited high-income households. While the central government set general principles, provincial governments designed specific price ladders and volume blocks. The report analyzes the impacts on different income groups, the role of grid companies, and the challenges of public communication and operational feasibility.

This issue brief analyzes China's clean power sector, detailing its massive growth in electricity capacity, its continued heavy reliance on coal, and the government's strategic shift toward renewable energy and emissions controls under the 12th Five Year Plan.

This report analyzes the structure, production, and sustainability of the Chinese copper supply chain as of 2010. It details China's position as the world's largest producer and consumer of refined copper, examines the environmental and social impacts of the industry, and outlines the regulatory framework governing smeltingS smelting, imports, and exports.

This briefing by Global Energy Monitor analyzes China's utility-scale wind and solar expansion as of June 2026, focusing on the 'megabases' strategy in northwestern and northern regions. While China leads the world in prospective capacity, the report highlights critical bottlenecks in power transmission and the persistent role of coal in the energy system, which risks curtailing renewable output and entrenching fossil fuel use.

This briefing paper compares the development of Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) and Direct Air Capture (DAC) in the United States and China. The U.S. is leading in infrastructure and policy incentives, notably through the Inflation Reduction Act's 45Q tax credits. China is rapidly expanding its project portfolio but faces significant regulatory gaps and a lack of structured financial support. The document outlines a bilateral commitment under the Sunnylands Statement to develop five large-scale cooperative projects each by 2030, with a 2024 focus on hard-to-abate industries, market environments, infrastructure, and carbon removal.