Sustainable Cities

Since 2010, a total of eighty-one cities and six provinces have been designated as low-carbon pilots in China. Five years later, the Alliance of Peaking Pioneer Cities was established at the US-China Climate-Smart/Low-Carbon Cities Summit, bringing together 15 low-carbon pilots committed to achieving a carbon peak by or before 2020. These low-carbon pilots have produced a large amount of data and will continue to be important laboratories for China’s low-carbon actions at the subnational level. iGDP evaluates the low-carbon performance of China’s cities, tracks and maintains a database of low-carbon case studies, and performs research on China’s peaking and net-zero efforts at the subnational level. We organize workshops and training programs on low-carbon city planning and have partnered with the World Bank, GIZ, World Wildlife Fund, C40, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and UNESCAP’s North East Asia Low Carbon City Platform on a variety of projects.

Publications and Events

Compendium of Best Practices on Low-carbon Cities in North-East Asia

2024-03-06

Case Studies

As urbanization continues to rise in the NE Asia subregion, cities are playing a crucial role in implementing projects and policies to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and meet emissions reduction targets. The case studies presented in this compendium demonstrate how reducing emissions can positively impact various interconnected SDGs goals, such as poverty reduction, improved food and energy security, and enhanced ecosystems for wildlife and humans alike. The compendium aims to facilitate knowledge-sharing among cities and expedite the adoption of effective emissions reduction measures tailored to their specific local contexts.

Comparative Study on Low Carbon City Development in China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea

2021-05-21

Report

This joint paper by iGDP, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) and Korea Environment Institute (KEI) analyses and compares the low carbon city policies and practices of China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea, with the goal of identifying sector-specific and city-specific good practices that may be instructive to researchers and policymakers in the wider NEA region. It examines key national-level carbon mitigation policies and sector-specific actions, reviews both top-down and bottom-up low carbon city policy-design and implementation mechanisms and describes fifteen case studies on greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions.

The study is part of UNESCAP‘s North-East Asia Low Carbon City Platform (NEA-LCCP) programme under the North-East Asian Subregional Programme for Environmental Cooperation (NEASPEC) and will be used in NEA-LCCP information-sharing activities and to promote regional cooperation on low carbon development and climate action.

Beyond 2°C - The Long-Term Emission Reduction Actions of Global Cities in Response to Climate Change

2020-10-30

Report

This report reviews and summarizes the actions taken by non-Chinese cities to achieve medium- and long-term emission reduction targets or “zero-carbon” emissions, with a specific focus on climate change-related target setting, plan development, and policy measures. It focuses on policies and actions that have significant reference-value for China’s cities with regard to long-term actions, and serves as a practical reference for policymakers and researchers interested in medium- and long-term deep emission reductions in cities around the world.

LOGIC: Low-carbon & Green Index for Cities

2018-09-13

Report

Low Carbon Cities

LOGIC provides a system to track progress, a database to evaluate performance, and an analytical tool to help cities identify improved solutions for low carbon and clean energy development, and early carbon peaking.

China’s Low Carbon Cities: Carbon Peak Pledges and Progress on Green Transition

2018-06-27

Factsheet

Low Carbon Cities

This factsheet provides an overview of the policies and other actions that China’s low carbon pilot cities have taken to date.

China’s Low Carbon Cities' Participation in Other Pilot Programs

2018-06-27

Factsheet

This fact sheet provides an overview of additional pilot programs in which China’s low carbon city pilot cities.

Wuhan's Green Transformation Path

2018-06-22

Infographic

This Chinese language infographic provides an overview of the key sectoral low carbon policies in the city of Wuhan.

Wuhan's Green and Low Carbon Development Milestones

2018-06-22

Infographic

This Chinese language infographic highlights the milestones in Wuhan’s low carbon policymaking.

Wuhan Low Carbon Development Strategy and Policy Practices Background Report

2018-06-22

Report

This background report details the low carbon policy efforts of the city of Wuhan.

An Integrated Strategy to Assist China's Cities in Achieving an Early Carbon Emissions Peak

2018-01-08

Working Paper

This paper offers a set of enhanced policies and practices to help China’s cities transition toward a deep de-carbonization development path, sustaining economic growth with lower emissions, better air quality, and more livable communities.

Recommedations on Principles and Objective-Setting for Low-Carbon Pilots

2017-09-06

Working Paper

This paper offers a set of recommendations to China’s policymakers on how to think about and set objectives in low-carbon pilots.

Alliance of Peaking Pioneer Cities Action Fact Sheet

2016-07-15

Working Paper

This factsheet provides key information about China’s Alliance of Peaking Pioneer Cities – a collection of cities that is striving to achieve peak carbon emissions earlier than the national target year.

Low Carbon Cities in China National Policies and City Action Factsheet

2015-09-01

Factsheet

This factsheet provides an analytical review of the actions taken in 10 of the 42 pilots in China’s first batch of low low carbon pilots.