GPPi research associate presents on China’s climate change policy at the Brussels Institute of Contemporary China Studies

GPPi Research Associate Björn Conrad presented a paper on ​“China’s climate change policy in transition” at a public discussion on China’s environmental policies held at the Brussels Institute of Contemporary China Studies (BICCS) on November 5. Other speakers on the panel included Dr. Wu Fuzuo, climate change specialist at Fudan University (Shanghai), as well as Dr. Duncan Freeman, senior researcher at BICCS. The event was chaired by BICCS Director Prof. Gustaaf Geeraerts. 

Based on the ongoing GPPi research project ​“Global Climate Governance and the Making of China’s Climate Change Policy”, Conrad presented the evolution of China’s climate change policy illustrating the changing motives and interests behind Beijing’s emissions-related policies over the last four decades. Tracing back the roots of recent climate change measures to the energy efficiency policies of the late 1970s and the emergence of China’s broader environmental agenda in the 1990s, he argued that while climate change as a political priority in its own right is a rather new phenomenon in China, current climate policies are based on a long process of political adaptation in the areas of energy and environmental policies. 

Following the historical overview, Conrad presented the current situation of China’s climate change policy and commented on the involved actors at the national and local level, the policy-making process and the legislative initiatives of recent years. He argued that a fundamental change in the perception of climate change, namely an increasing understanding the move towards a low-carbon economy as a unique opportunity rather than a costly burden, has created a significant dynamic around the issue in Beijing. However, in view of the weak implementation capacity of China’s central government vis-à-vis provincial actors, the ultimate success of Beijing’s climate change revolution remains unclear.