China is the world’s largest emitter
China set to relaunch voluntary carbon market
Government publishes new methodologies and regulation for offsets programme that was shelved in 2017
China has signalled its readiness to relaunch its voluntary offsets programme more than six years after shelving the scheme, as it looks to backstop its national emissions trading system (ETS). The voluntary China Certified Emission Reduction (CCER) scheme was launched in 2012 and saw 1,047 projects registered over 2013–17, nearly three-quarters of which were solar, wind, hydropower and rural biogas utilisation developments. Of the total, 287 projects were issued CCER credits. But the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), China’s top economic planner, paused registration of new projects in March 2017 due to thin trading and lack of standards in carbon audits. There were more tha
Also in this section
11 November 2025
Transition policies must recognise that significant industrial demand for carbon will continue even as economies hit net zero
6 November 2025
After years of pursuing ideologically driven climate leadership, Western powers are now stepping back under mounting political pressure and rising populist opposition—prompting concern essential climate action could be sidelined
17 October 2025
The business case for CCS is strengthening as costs decline, but deployment must accelerate to align with credible net-zero scenarios
17 October 2025
The black-tie gala recognised the energy industry’s leading innovations and thought leaders from across the value chain
