Search Climate Insights Directory

This case study examines how China leveraged the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) under the Kyoto Protocol to build expertise in carbon markets and prepare for a domestic emissions trading system. It highlights the role of powerful government ministries, coordinated capacity building, and specific regulatory controls used to ensure local sustainable development benefits and protect national economic interests.

This policy brief examines how China successfully leveraged the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) to promote sustainable development. It highlights the role of powerful government ministries, coordinated capacity building, and the implementation of specific market restrictions to protect national interests and ensure local benefits.

This policy briefing examines the rapid expansion of economic and political ties between Chad and China since 2006, centered primarily on oil investment and the Rônier project. It analyzes how President Idriss Déby has integrated Chinese assistance into his domestic political strategy and the resulting tensions over oil pricing and regional security.

This briefing by Energy Innovation argues that while fuel quality standards are a critical first step in reducing air pollution in China, long-term success depends on developing sustainable, dense, and walkable cities to avoid the car-reliant model of the 20th-century United States.

This policy brief evaluates China's efforts to establish a domestic carbon trading system during its 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015). It describes the transition from top-down command-and-control measures to market-based instruments, highlighting the role of regional pilots and the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) while identifying significant structural and administrative challenges to achieving a functional national system by 2016.

The report details the activities and outcomes of the China Node for Sustainable Sanitation (CNSS) from November 2008 to May 2011. Established as the first node of the EcoSanRes-2 program and hosted by the University of Science and Technology Beijing (USTB), CNSS aimed to promote ecological sanitation (ecosan) through public awareness, urban planning integration, and international knowledge exchange. The initiative focused on overcoming traditional taboos regarding sanitation in China and creating a platform for experts, NGOs, and government decision-makers to collaborate on sustainable wastewater and excreta management.

The World Resources Institute's (WRI) 2011 Greenhouse Gas Inventory and Sustainability Report details an 18 percent increase in GHG emissions for fiscal year 2011 (October 2010 to September 2011) compared to 2010, driven by organizational growth. To address this, WRI has established absolute reduction targets for 2020 and a three-part plan focusing on reducing existing emissions, avoiding future emissions during growth, and improving data collection through primary sources and sub-metering.

This report by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and its EMBARQ network analyzes the modernization of public transport in 13 cities across Latin America and Asia. It focuses on the implementation of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems, comparing their performance, costs, and operational challenges to provide a synthesis of lessons learned for urban planners in developing nations.

This research paper examines the relationship between greenhouse gas emissions and human well-being, using China as a primary case study. It analyzes how income per capita, energy production mixes, and geography correlate with CO2 emissions across 174 countries and 30 Chinese provinces, arguing that current high-consumption lifestyles in rich countries are incompatible with low-emission stabilization targets.

The document contains the minutes of the 23rd Meeting of the Executive Council (EC) of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI), held on December 9-10, 2006, in Panama City, Panama. The meeting focused on strategic institutional expansion, the transition between the Collaborative Research Network (CRN) I and II programs, financial status, and the scientific reorientation of the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) to better integrate human dimensions and policy relevance.

A research paper discussing China's economic growth and poverty alleviation efforts, specifically highlighting the disparity between the developed eastern seaboard and the lagging western regions, with a case study on Ningxia province.

This 1996 report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development analyzes the development and implications of China's national ecolabelling program. It details the program's structure, its role in reducing domestic environmental stress, and the potential for environmental labels to act as trade barriers for developing countries. The document evaluates the impact of foreign ecolabelling on Chinese exports—specifically in the textile and refrigerator sectors—and provides recommendations for strengthening China's program through increased transparency, the adoption of life-cycle analysis, and international cooperation to achieve mutual recognition of standards.

This 1995 report by the Stockholm Environment Institute, conducted as a UNEP project with the National Environmental Protection Agency of China, analyzes the environmental impacts of energy planning in the People's Republic of China. Using the LEAP/EDB model, the study compares a Business-As-Usual (BAU) scenario against two enhanced environmental scenarios to forecast pollutant emissions (SO2, CO2, NOx, PM, and CO) through 2020. The report identifies coal as the primary driver of pollution and recommends a shift toward a cleaner energy mix, improved energy efficiency, and the implementation of integrated energy-environment planning and economic instruments to achieve sustainable development.

The research paper "The Negawatt Revolution: Electric Efficiency and Asian Development" argues that Asian development is hindered by the adoption of inefficient electrical equipment and a utility business model focused on increasing sales rather than customer satisfaction. The authors contrast this with a shift in the U.S. utility sector toward "negawatts"—saving electricity through efficiency and renewables—which is presented as a significantly cheaper and more sustainable alternative to building new power plants.

This guide by Energy Innovation outlines eight quantifiable urban planning principles designed to help China develop prosperous, low-carbon cities. It argues that high-density cities cannot be designed around the car and must instead prioritize public transport, walking, and bicycling to avoid gridlock, pollution, and economic stagnation.

The report evaluates the AU Peace and Security Council's efforts in conflict resolution and regional stability, highlighting failures in Sudan's mediation due to biased mediator selection and a lack of political focus. It examines the limitations of PSC field missions, the rising death toll of humanitarian workers in Africa, and the role of illegal natural resource exploitation in funding armed groups. Finally, it discusses the need for greater African agency and strategic coordination in infrastructure and security partnerships with China through FOCAC.

This report chapter argues that the solution to global freshwater scarcity is not increasing supply through costly and environmentally damaging infrastructure, but radically increasing water productivity through efficiency and demand-side management across agriculture, landscaping, buildings, and industry.

This briefing, provided as testimony by Rob Bradley of the World Resources Institute to the U.S.-China Economic Security & Review Commission, analyzes China's green energy policies and commitments following the Copenhagen climate conference. It argues that China's pledges to reduce carbon intensity and improve emissions reporting are significant and achievable, though they require policies beyond current efforts. The document emphasizes that technical and economic collaboration between the United States and China is essential for global energy security and the reduction of low-carbon technology costs.

This testimony by Sarah Forbes of the World Resources Institute (WRI) to the U.S. House of Representatives emphasizes the urgent need for a global network of carbon capture and storage (CCS) demonstrations to mitigate climate change, specifically highlighting the necessity of collaboration with China and the establishment of international funding and regulatory frameworks.

This research paper by the World Resources Institute and the Beijing Transportation Institute examines Low Emission Zone (LEZ) and Congestion Charging (CC) practices in London, Singapore, and Stockholm to provide recommendations for Chinese cities seeking to reduce traffic congestion and air pollution.