Climate Governance in China

This book explores how and why innovative climate policies spread across subnational regions and between governance levels in China. Despite the significance of emerging economies in a pathway to a zero-carbon future, research to date on China's transformation governance remains limited. Drawing on a theoretical framework for policy diffusion and based on extensive data from expert interviews with Chinese decisionmakers and policy practitioners, Lina Li and Maia Haru Hall focus on the policy of emissions trading systems (ETS) and two key case studies: Shanghai and Hubei. The authors examine the role of the national government and how much freedom the subnational regions have in developing ETS policy, as well as pinpointing key actors and the role of policy and knowledge diffusion mechanisms. Overall, this book sheds light on the competition between China and the West in the transition to climate-friendly societies and economies, highlighting opportunities for cooperation between them. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of environmental politics and policy, climate change, urban studies, and Chinese studies more broadly.

Lina Li is the Asia Strategy Director at the International Energy Program (PIE), a platform hosted by the European Climate Foundation dedicated to securing a global clean power sector compatible with 1.5°C. With 15 years of experience in energy and climate policy, Lina has previously worked for various think tanks, consultancies, and NGOs, including Adelphi, Ecofys, and Greenovation Hub. Maia Haru Hall is a consultant at Adelphi, a leading independent think tank for climate, environment, and development. She is also part of the Secretariat of the International Carbon Action Partnership, specializing in the Asia-Pacific region and working in carbon pricing and broader climate policy.

Acknowledgements List of acronyms and abbreviations 1 Introduction China's role in the global transformation Lack of transformation governance research on China The fundamentals of policy diffusion About this book's approach 2 Climate governance and policymaking in China The Tiao-Kuai system Climate policy and ETS in China: from piloting to national policy The ETS pilots Institutional arrangements for climate policy in China 3 Shanghai's ETS and diffusion experience ETS policy developments Shanghai's institutional setup Policy diffusion mechanisms Policy entrepreneurs 4 Hubei's ETS and diffusion experience ETS policy developments Hubei's institutional setup Policy diffusion mechanisms Policy entrepreneurs 5 Conclusion: The role of policy diffusion in China's climate transformation Shanghai and Hubei: A comparison of diffusion patterns Diffusion mechanisms Institutions and actors Conceptual implications Practical implications 6 Recent developments and a view ahead The influence of national policies and politics Progressive regions continue to expand their carbon markets and interact with others External influences on new dynamics in China's ETS policy diffusion The dawn of a new era Appendix Index