Chinese Climate Policy Institutions and Intent - Gouvernance Europeenne Et Geopolitique De L'Energie

Until the late 1990s, the balance of Chinese energy production and consumption was treated by the rest of the world as a net figure. No one knew what was going on inside the Chinese economy"it was a black box. As far as anyone was concerned, the Chinese would not soon be a major factor in world energy markets. Energy policymakers realized how totally blind they were in 2004 when Chinese electricity production could not keep up with internal demand. No country has confronted the need to collect data and formulate coherent policy for nearly 1.5 billion consumers. National Development and Reform Commission vice-chairman Zhang Guobao has maintained a steady hand on Chinese energy-policy evolution for several years, but the tension with powerful state enterprises and other vested interests still effectively defies efforts to truly centralize Chinese national energy policy and program authority. This study identifies the nature of the forces that drive or constrain change within China's energy sector, and explores the Chinese approach to climate change.