China has announced a set of new climate and energy transition goals as part of its latest five-year plan. These include targets to reduce CO₂ emissions intensity per unit of GDP by 3.8% in 2026 and by 17% by 2030. The plan also sets a GDP growth target of 4.5%–5% for 2026, which could still result in rising absolute emissions despite improvements in emissions intensity.
China remains the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitter, responsible for nearly 30% of global emissions in 2024, more than twice that of the United States, the second-largest emitter. Compared with earlier climate commitments, the new intensity targets appear relatively cautious. Last year, China introduced plans to cut absolute GHG emissions by 7%–10% from peak levels by 2035, marking the country’s first absolute emissions reduction target.
Alongside the five-year plan, a government work report reaffirmed China’s broader climate commitments to peak carbon emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.
The plan also includes energy transition targets, aiming for non-fossil energy to account for about 25% of total energy consumption by 2030, up from around 15% currently, and to exceed 30% by 2035.
Coal, however, still dominates China’s energy mix, making up more than half of total energy consumption. The new plan aims to peak coal consumption during the five-year period, which is more cautious than a 2021 pledge to begin phasing down coal use between 2026 and 2030.
