China's 14^th Five-Year Plan will include carbon intensity cut targets

China will set a national goal on carbon intensity (i.e. CO₂ emissions per unit of GDP) reduction to reach its CO₂ emissions peak before 2030 and achieve net zero carbon emissions before 2060. The national target will be included in the 14^th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development (2021-2025). In addition, the country will come up with mandatory targets for regions to reduce carbon intensity and to ramp up inspections. Moreover, the Chinese government plans to strictly control the intensity of energy consumption, especially fossil fuels, to build a new power system with a higher proportion of renewable energy, and to promote low carbon actions in transportation and construction.

China ratified the Paris Climate Agreement in 2016. Its current NDC set the objective of achieving a peak CO₂ reduction around 2030, or earlier if possible; lowering CO₂ per unit of GDP by 60% to 65% from 2005 levels; increasing the share of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption to around 20%; and increasing the forest stock volume by around 4.5 bcm above the 2005 level. In September 2020, China pledged to scale up its updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the Paris Agreement, targeting a peak in CO₂ emissions before 2030 and carbon neutrality before 2060. The country is currently working on a new five-year plan that will determine its near-term decarbonisation plans. The country’s CO₂ emissions from energy combustion have almost quadrupled since 1990, reaching 9.7 GtCO₂ in 2019.