Fighting environmental degradation and climate change: a comparison between China's Thirteenth and Fourteenth Five-Year Plans

Abstract

Nowadays, climate change is one of the most discussed issues globally. If on one hand the rapid economic growth of recent decades has led many countries to widespread prosperity and the development of industries, technologies, and services, on the other its contribution to global warming is undeniable. China's economy has been one of those with the fastest growth rate, with increasing industrialization and urbanization transforming the country from the 1990s to the present into a major world power. This transition, however, has had significant costs in environmental terms. In recent years, the Chinese government has begun to pay more attention to the climate issue: significant in this respect are the goals of peaking carbon emissions by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060, reaffirming the commitment to tackle climate change made in 2015 with the Paris Agreements. My thesis will therefore focus on analyzing the last two Five-Year Plans (FYPs), the comprehensive policy blueprints released by China every five years to guide its overall economic and social development and how they address climate issues and environmental protection. Specifically, the elements of continuity and rupture in the sections related to environmental protection and energy between the 13th FYP, which covers the years 2016 to 2020, and the 14th FYP, enacted last year and valid until 2025, will be highlighted and deepened. Lastly, an attempt will be made to chart a future trajectory on what the Chinese government's next steps will be.