Climate policy of China

The climate policy of the People's Republic of China has a massive impact on global climate change, as China is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world. Chinese plans to abide by carbon emission reduction goals involves peaking greenhouse gas emissions before 2030, and achieving carbon neutrality before 2060. Due to the buildup of solar power and the burning of coal, Chinese energy policy is closely related to its climate policy. There is also policy to adapt to climate change. Ding Xuexiang represented China at the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference in 2023, and may be influential in setting climate policy.

Chinese domestic policy is largely decided at a local or provincial level, with some guidance being provided by the national government. As such, policies meant to regulate businesses are usually enforced by city or provincial governments. Business has a clear relation to China's policy as well, as the country's focus on economic growth has shaped its energy needs and population demographics towards urban consumption, and has opened the country up to international markets since the 1970s. Since then, China has had to find balance between economic growth and counteracting climate change, which some claim that they lean towards the former.

There is a debate surrounding China's economic responsibilities in terms of climate change mitigation and efforts to mitigate climate change within China. In 2006, China surpassed the United States as the country with the highest total carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions rate. As climate change is a crisis that affects the world at large, China has made international collaborations through the Paris Agreement and the Kyoto Protocol. Additionally, China's status as a world superpower has created unique relationships with other world superpowers, such as the United States. This, naturally, extends to their roles in action against the climate crisis, and thus developments in American climate policies stand to shape China's as well.