A Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE) report shows how the Chinese provinces of Jiangsu and Fujian are making inroads to greener development.
As China emerges from the coronavirus crisis, the government is assessing the opportunities and challenges as it looking to further invest in ICT and other digital technologies as part of the country’s recovery efforts.
The integration of ESG issues into investment practice and decision making is an increasingly standard part of the regulatory and legal requirements for institutional investors around the world. In China, two key drivers have recently prompted interest in responsible investment: a government effort to promote green finance, and the increasing globalisation of China’s investment market. New research by the PRI shows there is a third driver for responsible investment in China: that ESG integration is a source of investment value.
In many areas in China, urban centres are swallowing up the thousands-year-old Linpan – a unique rural agricultural landscape, consisting of small villages surrounded by forests, rivers and farmland. In an attempt to boost local rural economies and pay homage to the social and environmental values of a traditional way of life, Song Jianming returned to his hometown in Liujie, near the Sichuan city of Dujiangyan, to open the Pigpen Café.
For the past 40 years the Chinese city of Shenzhen has been working to find the balance between economic growth and environmental protection. Through a number of green initiatives, the city has leapfrogged from the bottom of the "Made in Shenzhen" manufacturing value chain to a more innovation-driven "Created in Shenzhen" model.
The global electric vehicle (EV) market continues to power up, with potential global sales of 11 million in 2025. The two case studies described in this blog illustrate examples of policy stickiness and policy ambition.
Research
Dr. Christina Wong, Fulbright Senior Scholar at the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, presented her paper The Social and Environmental Dimensions of China’s Spatial Planning System at the GGKP's Sixth Annual Conference, held in conjunction with the OECD's 2018 Green Growth and Sustainable Development Forum (GGSD) on the theme of "Inclusive solutions for the green transition: Competitiveness, jobs/skills and social dimensions" on 27-28 November 2018 in Paris, France.
Research
World Resource Institute (WRI) experts used the Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas to map and analyse water stress in China. The Aqueduct methodology, alongside policies that cap annual water usage, increase irrigation efficiency and protect water quality, are helping the country manage its water supply.
"It is necessary to ensure that the economic, social and environmental implications of potential infrastructure projects are considered holistically from the earliest stages of planning and development. It is also essential for ensuring coordination between different infrastructure sectors such as transport, energy and water," says Fulai Sheng, Senior Economist at UN Environment.
"Making sure the Belt and Road Initiative is sustainable requires a myriad of tailored guidance, tools, best practices, and strategic thinking. It requires the active involvement of those with the knowledge and expertise to build green," says Sheng Fulai, Senior Economist at the UN Environment.