Publications

Publication-filter
Publication-search

China’s Climate Transition Outlook 2025: Expert Survey

As China’s “carbon peaking and carbon neutrality” agenda enters its fifth year, the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) and the International …

Four years on: Assessing China’s overseas coal power ban

More than four years after President Xi Jinping pledged to end China’s financing of overseas coal projects, the annual assessment from the Centre for Research …

China, India, and Indonesia: the world’s top coal growth markets can all peak emissions by 2030

China, India, and Indonesia – the three countries responsible for the largest increases in CO2 emissions and in coal-fired power generation in the decade since …

Coal is losing ground but not letting go: Structural inertia and the struggle to shift coal’s role in China’s power system

The Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) and Global Energy Monitor (GEM) have released their H1 2025 biannual review of China’s coal projects, which …

Closing the loop: from stalled green steel targets to a strategic reset in China

As early as 2022, the Chinese government set a clear target: to raise the share of electric arc furnace (EAF) steel to 15% of total …

Clean energy industry can double in value by 2035 and deliver one fifth of China’s economic modernisation goal

2035 is a critical year for China’s development, and clean energy sectors will play a crucial role in reaching the country’s development objectives. By 2035, …

China’s air pollution shifts west: industrial relocation outpaces clean energy transition

A new review of China’s air quality by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air found that China made notable progress in air …

Urge for reform: blast furnace glut in China erodes profitability and hinders green steel transition

The Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air have released their biannual review of China’s steel sector in 2024. The report examines the gap …

When coal won’t step aside: The challenge of scaling clean energy in China

The Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) and Global Energy Monitor (GEM) have released their H2 2024 biannual review of China’s coal …

China’s Climate Transition: Outlook 2024

In the third annual edition of this report, CREA reassesses China’s progress towards the country’s climate commitments and emissions pathways aligned with the Paris Agreement …

Three years later: Impacts of China’s overseas coal power ban

In September 2021, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) that China would halt the building of new coal fired …

Ensuring an ecological disaster: ‘Shadow’ tanker spill could cost coastal states USD 1.6 bn

In June 2022, as Russia dug in on its brutal full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the EU responded with a sixth sanctions package placing an embargo …

China’s clean energy trends could cut emissions by 30% in 2035 if sustained

A scorecard for China’s new climate targets As the world’s largest greenhouse gas (GHG) emitter, China’s new 2035 climate targets will determine whether global climate …

Case study: Large-scale clean energy bases in Inner Mongolia in China

A follow-up case study on ‘Resolving near-term power shortages in China from an economic perspective’ , CREA, WaterRock, 2023 Between 2007 and 2015, Inner Mongolia …

Air quality improves as China eases reliance on coal and heavy industries: Key trends from H1 2024

In the first half of 2024, China’s air quality improved as fine particulate matter (PM2.5) dropped by 2.9% compared to the same period last year, …

China puts coal on back burner as renewables soar

The Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air and Global Energy Monitor have released their H1 2024 survey of coal power projects in China …

Turning point: China permitted no new coal-based steel projects in H1 2024 as policies drive decarbonisation

China has the largest steel industry in the world, accounting for more than half of global production, making decarbonisation of the steel sector crucial to …

Steel sector decarbonisation in China stalls, with investments in coal-based steel plants since 2021 exceeding USD 100 billion despite overcapacity and climate goals

China continues coal-reliant investments in steel sector, threatening to derail the country’s climate commitments, create a slew of exorbitant stranded assets, produce more steel than …

China risks missing multiple climate commitments as coal power approvals continue

China is badly off track to meet several climate targets the country set for 2025 as a result of an increase in coal use and …

China’s Climate Transition: Outlook 2023

CO2 emissions rise but clean energy surge brings peak closer China’s success in meeting and exceeding its current climate targets is possibly the single most …

China’s Climate Transition Outlook 2023: Expert Survey and Interviews

As part of the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air’s (CREA) annual China Climate Transition Outlook report to measure insiders’ views on whether …

2 years later: China’s ban on overseas coal power projects and its global climate impacts

At the 2021 United Nations General Assembly, China’s President Xi committed to halting financing and construction of new coal-fired power plants overseas. This announcement from …

China’s new coal power spree continues as more provinces jump on the bandwagon

Coal power continues to expand in China, despite the government’s pledges and goals. In the first half of 2023, construction was started on 37 gigawatts …

China’s steel sector invests USD 100 billion in coal-based steel plants, despite low profitability, overcapacity and carbon commitments

China currently produces more than 1 billion tons of crude steel annually, which is more than half of the world’s steel production. The dominance of …

Resolving near-term power shortages in China from an economic perspective

2021 and 2022 saw several provinces in China experience power shortages. As a result, many provincial governments decided to approve and build large amounts of …

Opportunities and challenges of flexibility technologies for achieving a net-zero electricity future in China

China’s impressive growth of renewable energy (RE) generation and rapid increase in summertime electric peak loads has created a need for a more flexible electricity …

123…7 Next
Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), 2025