The politics of assembling pilots: Policy networks and selection strategies in top-down climate experimentation

Climate experimentation is an influential governance strategy for enacting socio-technical and policy innovations. In this study, we investigated how upper-level governments in China establish policy networks to conduct climate experiments. Using the Near-Zero Carbon Pilot program in Guangdong as a case study, we identified a selection strategy that exhibited a strong preference for pilots with a proven track record in decarbonization. We argue that this strategy was driven by political objectives, including meeting central government agenda and showcasing local successes. However, it concentrated resources into pilots with histories of decarbonization, ignoring sites with the greatest need, willingness, and capability to decarbonize. Consequently, the pilot cases mainly repackaged pre-pilot achievements for political purposes and offered little substantive innovation. This selection mechanism can be improved by setting short-term political value aside and prioritizing pilots that can generate significant carbon emission reductions and offer a diverse range of lessons.