Insights: WRI's Blog

On the road from coal to renewable energy, China has a complex challenge to face: it must satisfy rising energy demand while reducing carbon emissions and sustainably managing water use without hobbling the power and agriculture sectors or the overall economy. Water stress adds to the challenge, because 66.5% of China's coal-fired power plants are in areas where water is scarce.

As we approach the Year of the Rat and begin a new 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac, three profound challenges face the world: how to build a more stable and efficient trading system, tackle climate change and protect biodiversity. China has a pivotal role to play in all three.

While the world collectively reduced its coal capacity over the past 18 months, China added 43 gigawatts (GW). The move may ultimately increase the economic costs of China’s energy economy over the coming decades.

If China's non-CO2 emissions were a country, they would be the 7th largest emitter of total GHGs in the world. Here's how China can clean them up.

China's central government has turned to regional integration for the country's next stage of economic development, announcing or strengthening mega-region initiatives like the Yangtze River Delta Integration, Greater Bay Area Development and Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Integration. If done right, this strategy can also help shift China onto a low-carbon pathway.

To tackle climate change and sustainable development, innovation and public-private partnership are key. But what’s the best way to do it? P4G partnerships in Indonesia, Latin America and China are among the first to get down to work.

China's set to spend hundreds of billions on infrastructure in other countries through its Belt and Road investments. It's said it wants them to be green—here's how they can live up to that ideal.

As the world leader in solar photo-voltaic energy, China has lessons to share on how to expand access to renewable power. Can its remarkable trajectory continue?

While more than one-third of China still suffers from high water stress, there are signs of improvement: New WRI analysis shows that the rate of increase in the country's water withdrawals has slowed from 5.1 billion cubic meters per year in 2001-2010 to 1.6 billion cubic meters per year from 2010-2015.

China is adding tons of renewables, but it's actually still very expensive to finance projects. A new platform aims to streamline and bundle projects to get capacity online faster.