Germany and China collaborate to accelerate NDC Implementation on local level

The IKI supports Chinese provinces in developing strategies for peaking emissions early and decarbonizing local economies.

The "Sino-German Cooperation on Climate Change – NDC Implementation” funded by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) is supporting China to meet its climate goals. Through collaborative development of analyses, scenarios, and roadmaps as well as by fostering expert exchanges and capacity building, the project is advancing the implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) on the ground in Chinese provinces.

China, the world's largest emitter of CO₂, is a critical player in global climate action. Collaborating with China's National Center for Climate Change Strategy and International Cooperation (NCSC), the NewClimate Institute and Climate Analytics, the project aligns closely with China’s national climate goals for 2030 and 2060, as announced by President Xi Jinping at the UN Assembly in 2020, by supporting regional emissions early peaking. 

In its initial phase, for its activities supporting greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation on the subnational level, the project focused on Shandong and Inner Mongolia, two of China’s provinces that are heavily dependent on coal for their energy consumption. With annual carbon emissions about 900 million and 800 million tons respectively, Shandong and Inner Mongolia were the largest and fourth largest provinces in term of GHG emissions in China, accounting for 15% of the country’s emissions. By analysing the socio-economic impacts of the transition away from fossil fuels and providing international experiences, the project contributed to the development of strategies to drive the low carbon transformation of local economies. 

Learning from best practices

"Decarbonisation is a challenging task for high-emitting provinces in China like Shandong and Inner Mongolia," said Ms. Liu Yang, Division Director of Strategic Research and Coordination from the Climate Department of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE). "That’s why China needs to learn from best practices in Germany. Enhanced knowledge sharing can promote more effective climate policymaking and provide a reference point for other cities or provinces in China."

To support this effort, the IKI project conducted in-depth research activities with provincial partners. German experts provided technical input from Germany’s low-carbon transition experiences and utilized various analytical modelling methods. For instance, the Air Pollution Impact Model for Electricity Supply (AIRPOLIM-ES) was used to estimate the health impacts of air pollution from coal and gas-fired power plants. Additionally, German experts supported local experts to use the Low Emissions Analysis Platform (LEAP) to model the emissions pathways of the city of Ordos, which is highly dependent on coal for its electricity and heat supply.

Close collaboration between German, international and Chinese experts ensured that the knowledge transfer was tailored to local needs and context. For instance, NewClimate Institute provided international best practices for low-carbon heating solutions in Inner Mongolia, taking into account local heating conditions and projects. The advice on tailor-made modelling, the importance of high-quality data, and studies on co-benefits related to sustainable development served as a basis for the development of clean heating pathways for the city of Hulunbuir and supporting policy for the reduction of pollution and carbon emissions in local heating systems.

Through trainings provided by the project, Chinese researchers enhanced their capacity to apply rigorous modelling techniques, which are essential for the conception and analysis of scenarios for reducing GHG mitigation on city and provincial level. With their improved capability to apply the LEAP model, the Low Carbon Development Center of Inner Mongolia together with the Inner Mongolia University successfully conducted a study on low-carbon development pathways for Ordos' Bureau of Ecology and Environment (BEE). Based on the study, the team proposed policy recommendations accepted by the city government.

Continuing the successful collaboration

The success of this collaborative approach is evident. The Department of Ecology and Environment (DEE) of Shandong Province and the BEEs of Hulunbuir and Ordos in Inner Mongolia confirmed that the IKI project analyses contributed to their local GHG mitigation strategies through capacity building, methodological and technical advice as well as analytical support for developing early emissions peaking and low carbon development pathways.

Building on this success, the project has expanded its activities supporting GHG mitigation on subnational level from two to seven partner provinces, taking up cooperation with the provinces of Anhui, Guangdong, Hunan, Shaanxi, and Sichuan. Topics of collaboration include the development of robust carbon emission reduction pathways for the transport and cement sector, as well as exchange on the policy and regulatory framework required to mitigate methane emissions. By facilitating exchange between experts and policy makers, providing tailor-made analytical support and conducting trainings customized to local needs the IKI project shows how international exchange and collaboration can drive low carbon development and GHG emissions mitigation on the ground.