China’s State Council has unveiled a new work plan, in which the country will incorporate carbon emission targets into its national economic and social development agenda under a “dual-control” system for the 2026-2030 five-year plan (FYP) period.
By 2025, the State Council's plan aims to accelerate the construction of mechanisms for controlling the total amount and intensity of carbon emissions and to improve China's capacities in statistics and accounting, and monitoring and measurement of carbon emissions. China will then establish mechanisms focusing on curbing the intensity of carbon emissions during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030). Intensity will remain the main measure, but total emissions controls will supplement it, and the focus will shift to emission controls thereafter. After peaking carbon emissions (in 2030), the focus of the mechanisms will be shifted towards controlling the total amount of emissions.