Navigating a Just and Feasible Coal Transition: Policy Mix and Local Responses in China

Coal has long dominated China’s energy production and consumption. Since 2007, the central government has introduced policies urging resource-based regions and cities, including coal- dependent ones, to transition. These policies incorporate key elements of the international just transition agenda while adopting a distinctive approach: promoting transition through development and cultivating diversified alternative industries to address employment and fiscal challenges. For resource-exhausted cities, a comprehensive policy package with fiscal support has produced notable results. For growing and mature resource cities, however, policies rely mainly on planning guidance, and local responses vary considerably. This speech introduces China’s resource-based city transition policies, local government responses, and preliminary findings on the mechanisms triggering transition.

Biography