The NDC Implementation project hosted a study tour on climate change adaptation to Germany and the Netherlands for Chinese experts and officials from national and provincial government as well as advisory bodies. The visit provided participants with insights into key adaptation policies and practices.
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas and the second biggest contributor to global warming after carbon dioxide. In recent years, global efforts to control methane emissions have intensified, driven by initiatives like the Global Methane Pledge from COP26, and national strategies from the U.S. and the EU. China has also taken significant steps with its Methane Emissions Control Action Plan, positioning itself alongside international efforts in global methane reduction. The Sino-German Cooperation on Climate Change – NDC Implementation project, implemented by GIZ on behalf of BMWK, plays a critical role in supporting these national efforts by advancing methane reduction strategies in key provinces such as Shandong and Guangd
The “Sino-German Climate Change Cooperation – NDC Implementation” program serves as the knowledge hub for the IKI in China, promoting networking and exchange among IKI projects and facilitating exchange with political partners. In this role, it invited to this year’s IKI China Interface and Networking Workshop which took place from 28 to 29 August 2024. China is a priority country of the International Climate Initiative (IKI) in which bilateral and regional projects focusing on combatting climate change as well as protecting the environment and biodiversity are being implemented.
On August 11, 2024, the State Council published the “Opinion on Accelerating the Comprehensive Green Transition in Social and Economic Development”. This is the first time for the Chinese government to provide a systematic roadmap for the green transition, aiming to accelerate China’s shift towards a green economy.
As the impacts of climate change are now being experienced across the globe, so the scale of the adaptation challenge is becoming
increasingly apparent. Over the last decade, almost every nation has begun the process of adaptation planning in some form. At a national
level, many countries now have National Adaptation Strategies or National Adaptation Plans. These often inform, and are informed by,
sub-national adaptation planning processes which are usually tailored to the governance structure of the country and the different tiers
of government which may exist. The number of sectoral adaptation plans has also grown considerably, as countries better understand the
distinct challenges of adapting to climate change.
The growing demand for adaptation planning has generated a burgeoning academic literature, but also an exponential growth in practical
guidance, tools and resources aimed at those tasked with developing adaptation plans. While climate adaptation is inherently context
specific, it is clear that a number of key principles for good adaptation planning can be identified which can be of considerable value
to those beginning this process. More specifically, the framing of adaptation as a cycle is extremely valuable for those trying to interpret
national level approaches in a sub-national context. This approach emphasises adaptation planning as a continual process, rather than an
end goal, which is especially important as we continue to experience worsening climate change impacts, including multiple interacting
impacts in increasingly dynamic social and economic contexts.
The purpose of this briefing note is to consider and compare the more practical literature on adaptation in order to reflect on how the
process of adaptation planning has been conceptualised, and to identify lessons from this continually evolving field which can be used as
China begins to strengthen adaptation at the sub-national level. We focus particularly on experiences from Europe and Germany, however
it should be noted that many of the key concepts are consistently used globally, and have proven to be useful in a multitude of contexts.
Phasing out fossil fuels in Inner Mongolia’s heating sector is a requirement to meet the central government’s climate objectives. Achieving
the Chinese national goals of peaking emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060 (“30/60 goals”) will require the energy systems of
all provinces and sectors to transform away from fossil fuels to the wide penetration of renewables. Such transformation will require careful
and timely planning to allow for the development and commercialisation of appropriate technology and to avoid locking in fossil fuel
reliant technologies and infrastructure. As one of the coldest Chinese provinces and endowed with rich coal resources, the heating sector
of Inner Mongolia is energy intensive and a large CO2 emitter, Following population growth, urbanisation and increasing living standards,
residential heat demand in Inner Mongolia is growing more rapidly compared to any other Chinese province. Yet, Inner Mongolia is
among the provinces with the highest renewables potential. Using that potential with already available and emerging heating technologies
could be an opportunity for the province to avoid carbon lock-in of long-life fossil fuel-based heating infrastructure while delivering
additional sustainable development benefits.
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and Hunan Research Academy of Environmental Sciences (HRAES) jointly kicked-off a collaboration aiming to speed up decarbonization of the transportation sector in Hunan province in Changsha on 25th July 2024. The cooperation with HRAES will contribute to the development of carbon reduction pathways for the transport sector at the provincial level as reference for decision makers to formulate and refine relevant strategies, policies and action plans.
One focus of the NDC Implementation project is the cooperation on climate change adaptation at the subnational level in China, such as supporting provinces with the local implementation of national adaptation strategies. After the selection of partner provinces in consultation with the political partners Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) and Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE), the first half of 2024 was characterised by an intensive scoping phase during which the provinces put forward their focus areas that would benefit from international cooperation.
Deutschland soll bis zum Jahr 2045 treibhausgasneutral werden. 2021 emittierte der deutsche
Industriesektor etwa 181 Millionen Tonnen CO2-Äquivalente. Damit trägt er mit 24 Prozent zu
den nationalen Treibhausgasemissionen bei und ist nach der Energiewirtschaft die zweitgrößte
Emissionsquelle in Deutschland. Die Dekarbonisierung der energieintensiven Industrie erfordert innovative technologische
Konzepte und passende, langfristig angelegte politische Rahmenbedingungen, die den
Industrieakteuren frühzeitig Transformationspfade eröffnen und größtmögliche
Planungssicherheit für die erforderlichen Investitionen bieten. Im Projekt entwickelten die
Forschenden Eckpunkte für Roadmaps zur Dekarbonisierung der Stahlindustrie (Federführung
Fraunhofer ISI) und Zementindustrie (Federführung Wuppertal Institut).
Das Vorhaben hat in einem zweieinhalb-jährigem Partizipationsprozess über eine Reihe von
Workshops und Interviews mit Expertinnen und Experten sowie weiterer Veranstaltungen
zahlreiche Stakeholder und Stakeholderinnen aus Industrie, Verbänden, gesellschaftlichen
Interessengruppen sowie Politik, Behörden und Wissenschaft eingebunden. Diese Einbindung
ermöglichte Transparenz, Mitwirkung sowie Praxisnähe der Resultate. Im Ergebnis liegt eine
Gesamt-Roadmap für die Dekarbonisierung der deutschen Zement- und Betonindustrie vor, die
alle technologischen Hebel und assoziierte Treiber, Hemmnisse und Handlungsfelder im
Überblick darstellt. Ergänzt wird diese durch drei Detail-Roadmaps für die vertieft betrachteten
Teilbereiche „Thermische Energie“, „Neue Zemente und Betonbautechniken“ sowie „CarbonCapture and Usage/Storage (CCUS)”.
Most major emitting countries around the world have ratified the Paris Agreement and communicated emissions reduction targets in
their nationally determined contributions (NDC). While the international climate policy discourse mainly relates to national level targets,
implementation of climate action largely takes place at the sectoral and subnational levels. Countries take different approaches to translate
national targets to the sectoral and/or subnational level to ensure climate policy implementation.
Different methods and principles can be applied when disaggregating national targets to ensure fairness and effectiveness. Approaches to
determine shares of emission targets or carbon budgets can be based on criteria such as economic capacity (GDP), population, or historic
responsibility or be derived from greenhouse gas emissions pathways. In China, the national government sets overarching emissions
reductions targets for the country and distributes it to its 31 provinces. In contrast, in Germany the national target is distributed to the
sector level, with monitoring, compliance and flexibility mechanism in place to ensure targets are met, even in extraordinary, unforeseen
circumstances such as the current energy crisis.
The objective of this policy brief is to outline how Germany distributes its national target to the sector level, including the monitoring,
compliance and flexibility mechanisms that underpin the process. The overarching aim is to derive key lessons to inform the Chinese
climate policy governance approach as insights from Germany’s target setting system are considered to be useful for both the national
and subnational governments in China. Provincial governments in particular could benefit from Germany’s experience with distributing
economy-wide targets to its sectors.
