A low carbon development guide for local government actions in China

摘要

Local level actions are crucial for achieving energy-saving andgreenhouse gas emission reduction targets. Yet it is challengingto implement new policies and actions due to a lack of information,funding, and capacity. This is particularly the casein developing countries such as China. Even though nationalenergy intensity and carbon intensity targets have been set,most local governments do not have the knowledge regardingactions to achieve the targets, the cost-effectiveness of policies,the possible impact of policies, or how to design and implementa climate action plan.This paper describes a guidebook that was developed tomotivate and provide local governments in China with informationto create an action plan to tackle climate change andincrease energy efficiency. It provides a simple step-by-stepdescription of how action plans can be established and essentialelements to be included—from preparing a GHG emissioninventory to implementation of the plan. The guidebook alsoprovides a comprehensive list of successful policies and bestpractices found internationally and in China to encourage lowcarbon development in industry, buildings, transportation,electric power generation, agriculture and forestry.This paper also presents indicators that can be used to definelow-carbon development, as well as to evaluate the effectivenessof actions taken at an aggregated (city) level, and at a sectoral orend use level. The guidebook can also be used for low carbon developmentby local governments in other developing countries.