China is the world’s most populous nation and largest current emitter of greenhouse gases.
How – and, crucially, when – this vast, complex nation fully decarbonises its surging economy is one of the great questions of our age. No matter where you live on the planet, China’s efforts to tackle climate change affect us all.
This is why Carbon Brief is now sending, on Thursdays, afree fortnightly email newsletter, which rounds up all the need-to-know information about climate and energy in China from the past fourteen days.
Sign upto Carbon Brief's free "China Briefing" email newsletter. All you need to know about the latest developments relating to China and climate change. Sent to your inbox every Thursday.
Every day, our China team trawls the media – both inside China and out – looking for the latest developments relating to climate change. This already feeds into our亚慱彩票media digest, but now also helps to shape our fortnightly China Briefing, too.
The fortnightly China Briefing email provides the context behind the headlines, something that is essential when trying to assess the true significance of, say, a turn of phrase by a Chinese politician.
And the email also includes the most interesting new studies we find in our daily search of peer-reviewed science journals.
Finally, the China Briefing email highlights some “extra reading” – links to articles about China that we’ve enjoyed.
Past issues
You can find all of the previous issues of the China Briefing below…
2023
July
- 27 July 2023: Kerry in Beijing; ‘Collapsing’ hydro; ‘Soaring’ solar
- 13 July 2023: China Briefing 13 July 2023: Emissions cap; Heat and floods; New climate talks; Gallium and germanium restrictions; Shipping carbon levy
June
- 29 June 2023: China-German climate deal; Coal vs clean; Record-breaking heatwave; Revving EVs
- 15 June 2023: CBAM fight; New energy milestone; Extreme heat
2022
June
May
- 19 May 2022: China to ‘significantly overachieve’ 2030 targets; Sea levels ‘highest on record’; Power cuts ‘must not occur’
- 5 May 2022: ‘Gigantic’ wind and solar bases; Coal capacity ‘surge’; Loans for ‘clean’ coal
April
- 21 April 2022: ‘Unified national energy market’; Guidelines for petrochemical; Energy storage analysis
- 7 April 2022: Carbon peaking ‘around 2027’; EU-China summit; Food systems for cutting CO2
March
- 31 March 2022: Impact of coal push; ‘No new overseas coal power projects’; Analysis on energy plans
- 24 March 2022: 14FYP energy plan; More plans on energy storage and hydrogen; China’s emissions analysis
- 17 March 2022: Beijing ‘doubling down on fossil fuels’; China’s CO2 emissions increase; Coal production growth
- 10 March 2022: Changes to energy targets; Xi’s coal directives; Analysis on ‘record high’ coal consumption
- 3 March 2022: Impacts of Ukraine invasion; Annual statistical report; Bitcoin ‘getting even dirtier’
February
- 24 February 2022: New economics measures; Assessing China’s climate pledges; Coal plant research
- 17 February 2022: New energy transition guidance; Five coal plants approved; Energy-efficiency targets raised
- 10 February 2022: ‘Green’ Olympics; Steel industry instructions; Beijing-Moscow energy deal
- 3 February 2022: Power market reform; ‘Energy-conserving’ 14FYP scheme; Xi’s trip to coal province
January
- 27 January 2022: Surge in offshore wind; Xi’s new speech; IEA’s report
- 20 January 2022: ‘Record-high’ coal output; Winter Olympics 2022; Xi’s new directives
- 6 January 2022: New ‘giant’ coal power plant; Hottest year on record; HFC policy
2021
December
- 23 December 2021: Analysis of Beijing’s new pledge; Interview with senior advisers; Economic planning meeting
- 2 December 2021: Quarterly emissions fall; Power shortages’ impact; China-Russia energy cooperation
November
- 18 November 2021: Xi-Biden meeting; Methane emissions; ‘Historic new high’ for coal
- 11 November 2021: US-China Glasgow declaration; Calls for ‘concrete actions’; Xi’s absence at COP26
October
- 28 October 2021: ‘1+N’; Xi’s energy instruction; Climate ‘white paper’
- 21 October 2021: ‘Power woes may worsen’; Xi ‘not expected to join’ COP26; UK-China climate ties
- 14 October 2021: Instructions to tackle power shortages; COP15 opens; Carbon-neutrality standards
- 7 October 2021: ‘All out’ to beat power shortages; 2050 ‘net-zero’ for airlines; ‘Critical decade” for global warming
September
- 30 September 2021: Widespread power cuts; New orders on ‘dual control’; Emissions peak likely ‘before 2028’
- 23 September 2021: Xi’s ‘no overseas coal’ pledge; More orders on domestic coal; ‘Ball in China’s court’
- 16 September 2021: Xi and Biden discuss climate; Johnson’s ‘last-ditch’ talks with Xi; Advice for China’s carbon goals
- 9 September 2021: Sharma’s Tianjin trip; Steel production ‘could increase’; ‘Most stringent control’ for ‘dual high’
- 2 September 2021: Kerry meeting Xie in Tianjin; Sharma ‘heading to China’; Lockdown’s impact on climate
August
- 26 August 2021: Closed coal mines reopened; Rapid warming for Tibet; ‘Record low’ carbon prices
- 19 August 2021: Kerry ‘to visit China’ again; Explanation of ‘campaign-style carbon reduction’; Emissions ‘administrators’
- 12 August 2021: Beijing’s response to IPCC report; Climate ‘blue paper’; Coal price rises
- 5 August 2021: New climate instructions; Xie’s latest speech; Flooding death toll surges
July
- 29 July 2021: Lessons from deadly flooding; Definition of ‘carbon neutrality’; UK-China nuclear tensions
- 15 July 2021: Cross-border coal funders; Megacities’ GHG emissions; ETS to launch ‘tomorrow’
- “最大”coal-chemical project suspended; New authority for climate roadmap
- 1 July 2021: ETS launch delayed; Massive hydropower station; Coal prices to fall
June
- 24 June 2021: Hydrogen-fuelled vehicles; ETS launch date; Xinjiang solar ban
- 17 June 2021: Overseas coal projects; Nuclear ‘leak’ report; Sustainable food production
- 10 June 2021: Energy ‘pre-warning’ system; Chinese banks ‘fund’ deforestation; Coal price cap
- 3 June 2021: New climate ‘leaders group’; ‘Record-breaking’ electricity consumption; ‘Artificial sun’
May
- 27 May 2021: Crypto crackdown; ETS launch nears; Energy-saving data centres
- 20 May 2021: Emissions growth fastest in a decade; Xinjiang plant rejects ‘forced labour’ claims; Regions urged to cut energy use
- 13 May 2021: Greta Thunberg criticised; Former energy official arrested; EV boom makes ‘richest man’