Over the past few years the Chinese government has been accelerating its efforts to cut the country’s CO₂ emissions with coal consumption caps, electricity sector reforms, and expanded monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) systems for carbon—all crucial ingredients to meet the country’s Paris climate commitments by the 2030 target date. 

At this CEF meeting, speakers will discuss how the Paris Climate Agreement and China’s climate actions may be helping to put the brakes on carbon in China. Duncan Marsh (The Nature Conservancy) will examine the structure and nature of the Paris agreement and the role of the United States and China to help move it forward. Michael Davidson (MIT) will draw on his recent fieldwork examining grid operations in north China to discuss some of the obstacles in decarbonizing the country’s power sector. Joanna Lewis (Georgetown University) will discuss some options for China to improve its greenhouse gas MRV system to meet the country’s climate commitments.

Photo Credit: Alternative power in use in Dali, Yunnan Province, China. 2013, courtesy of flickr user Mark Heath.