China's climate change policies: actors and drivers

China, the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitter, has a poor reputation on environmental issues and was seen to be obstructive at the Copenhagen climate change talks in 2009. Yet paradoxically, China has invested significant resources into policies which reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These policies have been driven primarily by domestic considerations – energy demand, smog, and economic restructuring – but international image has also been a factor. The public outcry in recent years against air pollution has given urgency to the need for a cleaner growth path. There are a growing number of actors within China who seek to influence climate change policy, although not always in a positive way. In particular, provincial governments and experts are gaining more influence over policy. As the range of players broadens, this opens up new opportunities for better international engagement with China on climate change. Foreign governments would do well to develop long-term relationships with the right policy actors if they wish to have influence on China’s green growth trajectory.   China is the world’s largest greenhouse emitter. It has a poor reputation on environmental issues, and it was seen to play a negative role at the Copenhagen climate change negotiations in 2009. Yet there is no question that China will be central to any serious global effort to tackle climate change. In the same way that China’s economy has immense influence on the health of the global economy, China’s attitude to climate change and its environmental policies will have major implications for the health of the world’s environment. As the world approaches a new round of global climate change negotiations in 2015 in Paris, it is critically important to understand the key actors and drivers that shape these policies. The global force of international climate change negotiations will touch even those countries which, like Australia, rank relatively low in terms of total greenhouse gas emissions. This Analysis is based on some 25 interviews with some of China’s key climate change policy-makers, experts and observers in early 2014. Its goal is to provide a deeper understanding of the distinctive characteristics, constraints and opportunities of the Chinese climate change policy-making environment.