China
Buildings in the central business district of Beijing
Credit:
iStock
China has made a serious commitment to turning its cities into healthier places to live and currently leads the world in renewable energy installation and electric vehicle penetration. But the planet’s most populous country still faces severe pollution, impacts from climate change, and other environmental challenges. The more the country uses its enormous reach to push for sustainable options, the more its residents—and the entire planet—will benefit.
See Our Work in Other Regions
NRDC has been supporting China’s sustainable development by providing technical and legal expertise for more than 20 years. Since the mid 1990s, we have been collaborating with a wide range of Chinese and international partners to facilitate exchanges and learning, develop innovative policy tools, and introduce and demonstrate best practices in energy efficiency, clean energy, pollution controls, wildlife conservation, and low-carbon urbanization.
- As the first international nonprofit to launch a clean energy program in China, NRDC helped develop many of the nation’s firsts, among them energy codes for residential and commercial buildings, a research and development program for clean vehicles, and a utility-based initiative for energy conservation.
- Our pilot efficiency programs in Jiangsu province were so successful that they inspired the central government to issue a national requirement that all grid companies invest in similar measures.
- China’s 13th Five-Year Plan (2016–2020) established, for the first time, a mandatory target for decreasing the share of coal in total energy consumption. This was a direct reflection of the strategy we promoted—and NRDC energy experts are now designing policies to help the country meet this goal. We’re promoting ways to add more wind and solar to the grid and bring efficiency measures to more of the country’s industries.
- After we studied China’s supply of and demand for mercury—a neurotoxin linked to cognitive delays in children and fertility problems—we helped to shape a plan for reducing mercury in the country.
- We are working to help clean up China’s ports, which allow ships to use the dirtiest diesel fuel, by applying the lessons of some of our successful cleanup efforts, including those at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
- NRDC helped draft and pass many of America’s most important environmental laws, and now we are helping China fortify its environmental regulations while training legal professionals in environmental litigation and advocacy.
- NRDC has doggedly pursued wildlife conservation and bans on the ivory trade globally. In China, we supported studies of the legal barriers to an ivory ban. In a major victory for the conservation of elephants, the Chinese government shut down its legal commercial ivory trade on December 31, 2017.
Meet Our Experts
Latest News & Commentary
Skip carousel items
A Wake-Up Call to Political and Financial Enablers of Global LNG Expansion
Expert BlogInternational, United States, ChinaJamie Lee, Mima Holt
Instead of enabling the dirty fuels of the past through fossil LNG expansion, it is time to enable a just energy transition through renewable energy.
China’s Climate Progress Ahead of COP27
Expert BlogChinaAlvin Lin
China’s efforts to shift to a new energy system and meet its 2030 climate goals can boost both energy security and climate security.
Court Finds Port of L.A. in Violation of California Environmental Law
Expert BlogLos Angeles, ChinaDavid Pettit
A judge has decided that the port put the profits of its tenant, China Shipping, above of the health of harbor workers and local residents.
Promoting Provincial Coal Power Transition Pathways in China
Expert BlogChinaAlvin Lin
New research by NRDC and the Peking University (PKU) Institute of Energy sheds light on the critical role that Chinese provinces can play in phasing out coal power and meeting national targets for carbon peaking and neutrality.
Supporting the Green Transition of China's Financial System
Expert BlogChinaAlfonso Pating
China’s Top Industries Can Peak Collective Emissions in 2025
Expert BlogChinaJake Schmidt
Joint research by NRDC and Chinese Academy of Environmental Planning (CAEP) finds that China’s top coal-consuming sectors—power, steel, cement, and coal-chemicals—can collectively peak both coal consumption and carbon dioxide emissions in 2025.
Sustainable Finance: Key Theme for the US-China Cooperation
Expert BlogChina, United StatesAlfonso Pating, Sarah Dougherty
China Announces It Will Not Build New Coal Plants Abroad
Expert BlogChinaAlvin Lin, Jake Schmidt
China’s new announcement has the potential to help promote a clean energy revolution around the world by sending an important signal that China will immediately shift its support for overseas coal power plant projects to work with developing countries to…
NRDC Sets Region Specific Water Targets for Each Office
Expert BlogUnited States, New York City, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Bozeman, Beijing, San Francisco, Santa MonicaMaria McCain
NRDC has seen a steady decline in total water usage institution-wide and has taken steps to advance water stewardship.
China Can Meet Energy and Climate Goals Capping Coal Power
Expert BlogChinaAlvin Lin
New research by NRDC and the North China Electric Power University finds that by capping installed coal power capacity at 1,100 GW over the coming 14th Five-Year-Plan period, China can both guarantee its energy security and remain on track to…
Latest Policy Resources
Skip carousel items
Mobile Source Emission Assessment from Port Planning to Operation: International Best Practices
ReportInternational, Los Angeles, Long Beach, China
Reduce China’s Coal and Oil Use
Issue BriefChinaAlvin Lin, Barbara Finamore
NRDC is helping the country reduce its fossil fuel consumption, boost energy efficiency, and accelerate the shift to clean, renewable energy.
Strengthen Environmental Laws and Governance in China
Fact SheetChina
When industrial polluters contaminate rivers or pump dangerous emissions into the air, strong environmental laws can help rein them in and hold them accountable.
The Paris Agreement on Climate Change
Issue BriefUnited States, International, Brazil, Canada, China, India, MexicoHan Chen
While the Paris Agreement does not “solve” climate change, it is a critical inflection point that brings us much closer to a safer climate trajectory and creates an ambitious path forward for decades to come.
Enforcement of Fuel Switching Regulations: Practices Adopted in the US, EU and Other Regions, and Lessons Learned for China
ReportChina, International
China enters a new era of green shipping with its commencement of the enforcement of the Domestic Emission Control Area (DECA) regulation at its major port regions. This regulation limits the sulfur level of fuel used on ships in and…
Paris Climate Conference: China
Issue BriefChina
Sustainable Workplace Practices in NRDC Beijing
OverviewBeijing
NRDC's Beijing office is the first of its kind in China. The space was built and operates under the highest green building principles in existence.
The Prevention and Control of Shipping and Port Emissions in China
ReportChinaBarbara Finamore
China is home to seven of the world's ten busiest container ports. About 26 percent of the world's containers pass through the top ten Chinese ports every year. Every ship and truck brings pollution along with its cargo, and China…
Shifting to Low-Carbon Economies Across the Globe
Fact SheetUnited States, International, Canada, China, India, Chile, Mexico, Costa RicaJake Schmidt
Summary of Recent Mercury Emission Limits for Power Plants in the United States and China
Fact SheetUnited States, China