China’s new growth story: linking the 14th Five-Year Plan with the 2060 carbon neutrality pledge

Abstract

China has announced its commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2060, and for this challenging goal to be reached within just four decades, there is a real urgency of shaping the low-carbon agenda in its 14th Five-Year Plan and to ratchet up ambition on climate policy in the near term to peak emissions early. This paper argues that China will have to change the way of development by take a sustainable pathway to growth. And this new approach does not mean sacrificing economic growth; quite the opposite, it can boost growth by providing great opportunities in terms of jobs, efficiency, demand, and many other aspects, while reducing carbon emissions and enabling great benefits with regards to pollution, ecological restoration, biodiversity and well-beings. The COVID-19 pandemic has provided a window of opportunity for China and other countries to cooperate to link the post-pandemic economic recovery with the fight against climate change.