China hosts over half of global coal-fired power generation capacity and has the world’s largest coal reserves. Its 2060 carbon neutrality goal will require coal-fired electricity generation to shrink dramatically, with or without carbon capture and storage technology. A new journal article published in Energies by Alex Clark and Weirong Zhang focuses on the employment […]
China exceeds all other countries in annual energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. The carbon intensity of China’s economy (i.e., the carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP) is also relatively high due to the use of abundant and low-cost domestic coal resources. Given massive domestic coal reserves, China uses more than half and produces […]
While continued fossil fuel development puts existing assets at risk of exceeding the capacity compatible with limiting global warming below 2°C, plant conversions and new abatement technologies may allow for a smoother transition. In a new journal article published in Nature Communications, Yangsiyu Lu, Francois Cohen, Stephen M. Smith and Alexander Pfeiffer quantify the impact […]
By Yangsiyu Lu Industrial policy has been applied as a tool of state intervention in governing economic development in many East Asian countries after World War II. However, the basic argument that it is difficult for the government to “pick winners” makes adopting industrial policy a very disputable issue among policymakers and academics. Despite its […]
China has played a significant role in enabling overseas coal-fired power plant development through the provision of capital and construction services. Following Xi Jinping’s announcement in September 2021 that China would no longer build new coal-fired power projects abroad, the potential scope of affected capacity remains unclear. In a new World Development Perspectives article, Cecilia […]
By Ying Qian and Yan Wang Zhou Chengjun, Director of the Financial Research Institute of the People’s Bank of China, delivered a speech entitled “Building the Shanghai Model of Sovereign Debt Restructuring” at the fourth China International Finance 30 Forum held in Shanghai on May 29-30, 2021. His discussion centered on ideas for sovereign debt […]
As countries committed to keep warming well below 2° Celsius, with efforts to limit warming to 1.5° Celsius in the Paris Agreement, investments in the construction of coal-fired power plants have come into the spotlight. China’s policies and actions in financing coal-fired power plants overseas have received much attention in recent years after major international […]
By Blake Alexander Simmons Rapid development has become a global priority as countries strive to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a multi-trillion-dollar push to increase international investment, finance and trade, offers a potential pathway for countries to reach their national development goals. Indeed, Chinese financing is […]
The next decade will be a critical period for global sustainable development. China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) promises to help countries reach their national goals for economic growth, trade and development, but widespread concerns remain over how this boom in Chinese foreign direct investment (FDI) will impact social-ecological systems. A new journal article co-authored […]
While carbon emissions are showing signs of stabilizing in some advanced economies, emissions from most developing countries continue to rise as nations strive to raise their standards of living. The energy sector is pivotal from both a climate and development perspective, especially in the case of China, which is now one of the world’s largest […]