Low carbon city development in China

This chapter critically examines the successes and limitations of low carbon city development in China. It examines how the national low carbon policies and programs are implemented on the ground and examines the diversity of local actions directed toward climate change mitigation. To place Chinese low carbon city development in the wider context of low carbon urban initiatives, this chapter begins with a brief history of low carbon cities from an international perspective. Next, it presents a review of the current state of low carbon city development in China from five perspectives: decarbonizing industrial cities, transportation and urban sprawl, building energy efficiency and renewable energy, building new eco-cities, and the Low Carbon City Pilot Program. It investigates the development of low carbon cities in China. The process is influenced by both national low carbon policies and programs and local low carbon development initiatives. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the limitations of low carbon city development in China.