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The report examines China's green finance landscape, identifying a significant gap between current investment levels and the estimated USD 1.4 trillion annual investment needed over the next decade to meet 2015 climate and environmental targets. While green credit and bonds saw success during the 13th Five-Year Plan, finance remains heavily dominated by the public sector, with at least 51% of total green finance coming from public sources, primarily Central State Owned Enterprises and state-owned banks. The document highlights barriers for private capital, such as high 'search costs' and limited access to financing channels, and notes that half of the USD 292 billion in energy-related investments to Belt and Road Initiative countries between 2013 and 2019 went to fossil fuels. It recommends increasing the ambition of green standards, improving project pipeline visibility for private actors, and introducing mandatory exclusion lists for high-emission sectors.

The report examines the economic advantages of aggressive decarbonization in China, highlighting that solar and wind power have become more cost-competitive than coal. It argues that a faster transition to clean energy will enhance China's global export position in solar PV and electric vehicles, reduce stranded asset risks associated with coal, and provide significant co-benefits in air quality and energy security. The authors advocate for peaking emissions by 2025 and implementing a combination of carbon pricing, performance standards, and green finance to ensure a high-quality economic transition.

The report argues that current green finance in China focuses too narrowly on individual assets and lacks robust monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) to prove additionality. It proposes a 'deep green' finance framework designed to overcome structural barriers to sustainability, such as the economic dependency of Shanxi on coal and the systemic transmission and tariff constraints affecting Sichuan's hydroelectric resources. The author suggests four tests for deep green finance and six recommendations for policymakers to align finance, policy, and market design to accelerate a systemic low-carbon transition.

The report analyzes the dependence of BRICS governments on fossil fuel revenues and the risks posed by the clean energy transition, including asset stranding and revenue loss. It provides 2017 data on revenues and subsidies, highlighting Russia's high fiscal exposure and the potential for 'fossil fuel to clean energy subsidy swaps' to fund a just transition.

The document analyzes China's heavy reliance on fossil fuels, particularly coal, and the fiscal implications of this dependence. It details the structure of government revenues from fossil fuels, the influence of state-owned enterprises, and the prevalence of subsidies. While China has implemented policies to reduce coal overcapacity and peak emissions by 2030, it continues to provide significant subsidies and finance fossil fuel projects internationally through the Belt and Road Initiative.

China's industrial sector, responsible for over 70% of national carbon emissions, is pursuing deep decarbonization through five primary trends: improving energy efficiency via stricter regulations, scaling the recycling of steel and plastics, increasing industrial electrification to reduce coal reliance, piloting carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS), and expanding hydrogen energy utilization.

The document examines the evolving landscape of corporate renewable energy procurement in China, highlighting a shift from government-led feed-in-tariffs (FiT) toward a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) and a national Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) market. While on-site solar and direct investments are currently the most viable paths for corporations, the report notes that large-scale transaction mechanisms remain limited and dependent on provincial-level implementation. It identifies key drivers for corporate adoption, such as supply chain sustainability and market leadership, and details the barriers to interprovincial and intraprovincial direct power purchase agreements.

The report analyzes the challenges facing Shanxi province as it transitions away from coal, highlighting the tension between national environmental goals and provincial economic dependence. It uses international case studies to argue that successful transition requires a comprehensive approach combining economic diversification, infrastructure investment, and social welfare to prevent long-term regional decline.

The report examines the challenges of coal transition in Shanxi, China, where high economic dependence on coal conflicts with national environmental goals. It analyzes international experiences—specifically South Wales (UK), Asturias (Spain), and Kentucky (USA)—to suggest a comprehensive approach that balances economic diversification, infrastructure improvement, and social protection to mitigate unemployment and community decline.

The report analyzes the industrial transformation of South Wales, detailing the collapse of its coal industry and the subsequent efforts by government and civil society to mitigate social and economic decline. It highlights the persistent challenges of outmigration, poor health, and low educational attainment in 'the Valleys'. The document evaluates various regional policies, the role of the Welsh Development Agency (WDA), and European Union funding, concluding that while inward investment generated jobs, it often failed to reach the most deprived mining communities. Key lessons emphasize the need for targeted interventions, long-term strategic planning, and the development of local skills and resilience to foster a sustainable post-mining economy.

The report identifies 14 subsidy schemes for coal-fired power in China, quantifying the total value at CNY 252.4 billion (USD 37.7 billion) in 2014 and CNY 120.8 billion (USD 18 billion) in 2015. Key support mechanisms include power purchase guarantees, premiums for low-emission plants, and infrastructure investments in rail and grids. The authors argue that these subsidies provide coal an advantage over renewables and should be integrated into G20 fossil fuel subsidy review processes.

The report identifies 18 subsidies to coal extraction in China for the 2013–2015 period, quantifying 11 of them. For 2013, quantifiable subsidies (excluding credit support) totaled CNY 35.7 billion (USD 5.8 billion). The most significant quantified measures include temporary tax and fee relief from provincial and local governments (USD 1.65 billion), state budget investment in fixed assets (USD 1.27 billion), and compensations for mine shutdowns under phase-out plans (USD 1.03 billion). Credit support is identified as a potentially massive but uncertain subsidy, estimated between CNY 3.5 billion and 35.7 billion annually depending on the scenario. The report argues that these subsidies, particularly those driving long-term investment, lock in coal use and act as barriers to renewable energy deployment.

China has become a global leader in renewable energy investment and wind capacity, though it remains heavily dependent on coal for electricity and heat. While the 12th Five Year Plan sets targets for increasing non-fossil fuel use and reducing carbon emissions intensity, the country faces challenges such as grid connectivity for wind power and water shortages in arid provinces due to coal base construction. The government is also piloting emissions trading schemes in several cities and provinces as a precursor to a national system by 2015.

The document examines China's energy landscape as of 2012, highlighting its position as a global leader in renewable energy investment and wind capacity despite a heavy reliance on coal for electricity. It details the growth of the solar and wind sectors, the environmental and water-related costs of coal combustion, and the climate goals established under the 12th Five Year Plan, including targets for non-fossil fuel use and the implementation of carbon pricing mechanisms.

Coal mining accounts for 8 percent of global methane emissions. While significant potential exists for abatement through degasification and ventilation air methane (VAM) oxidation, progress is hindered by policy, financial, and technological barriers. In China, legal frameworks and conflicting safety/emission standards create hurdles, while India lacks resource assessments. Russia faces issues with licensing and inefficient degasification systems. In the US, split-estate ownership on federal lands and a lack of federal mandates limit viability. The report suggests that while large-scale investment is available, a lack of small-scale funding for design and demonstration is a primary obstacle, proposing revolving funds and micro-loans as solutions.

The China Node for Sustainable Sanitation (CNSS), a collaboration between the University of Science and Technology Beijing (USTB-CSES) and Clean Water Alliances (CWA), worked from 2008 to 2011 to mainstream ecological sanitation in China. The initiative established pilot projects, including 108 eco-toilets in Sichuan's earthquake area, and leveraged mass media—such as CCTV and Yunnan TV—to reach millions of viewers. CNSS also engaged high-level decision-makers, developed academic curricula, and fostered international partnerships with nodes in Nepal, South Africa, and the Philippines, as well as projects in Mongolia and DPR Korea.

The report argues that traditional economic tools, such as cost-benefit analysis and equilibrium models, are inadequate for the structural changes required by the energy transition. It proposes a shift toward 'Risk-Opportunity Analysis' and dynamic modelling that accounts for induced innovation and learning-by-doing. Based on successes in solar PV, LED lighting, and wind power, the authors outline ten principles for policymaking, emphasizing targeted investment, risk management, and adaptive policy packages. National case studies in Brazil, China, and India suggest that while decarbonisation has a negligible impact on overall system costs and GDP, the transition requires significant up-front investment and careful management of distributional impacts, particularly in coal-dependent regions.

The document analyzes how state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in the G20 and beyond are shifting investments from coal to renewables due to cost competitiveness and climate policies. It highlights specific transitions in China (CEIC), India (Coal India Limited), and Sweden (Vattenfall), while noting that some SOEs, particularly in China, continue to invest in coal-fired power abroad. The text also discusses the role of SOEs in providing social protection during the energy transition and mentions similar shifts in the oil and gas sectors in Saudi Arabia, Norway, and Denmark.