To explore a sustainable development pathway compatible with China’s low carbon targets, Energy Foundation China established its flagship Long-Term Strategy for Decarbonization Task Force in 2018 and jointly initiated a research project with the Institute of Climate Change and Sustainable Development at Tsinghua University on China’s low carbon development strategy and transition pathway for the next decades. Started in January 2019, this was China’s first comprehensive decarbonization research targeting net-zero emissions. With total funding of $2.5 million, a multi-disciplinary team of 24 leading research institutions conducted 18 sub-projects, covering various aspects of China’s deep decarbonization strategy.

Among the 18 sub-projects, the last one was focused on a comprehensive report that summarizes and elaborates the key insights of the whole project. Against the backdrop of China’s aspirations to become a green, “beautiful” modern nation by 2050, as well as global ambitions in the Paris Agreement on climate change and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, this report combines socio-economic, policy, and energy development trajectories to present a strategic deep decarbonization pathway for China by 2050.

This flagship research has provided scientific evidence that supports strategic decision-making on China’s updated 2030 Nationally Determined Contribution and 2050 Mid-Century Strategy, and can also be useful for central and local governments, key sectors, and enterprises in China when they form their plans for early carbon emissions peaking and early neutrality.