Carbon Brief's analysis of China's 15th five-year plan cycle finds that climate and energy policy is woven through most central-government plans published so far. Of 72 documents tracked, 54 include climate-related policies or targets, from the overarching economic and social development plan to sectoral plans for coal, renewables, electric vehicles, and even tourism.
The five-year plans set priorities for 2026-2030, a period leading up to China's pledge to peak CO2 emissions before 2030. The top-level plan includes numerical primary targets such as cutting carbon intensity by 17% and raising non-fossil energy to 25% of total energy consumption. Other primary goals include making "significant new progress" on building a "Beautiful China" and establishing green production and lifestyles.
Sectoral plans add more specific direction. For example, the coal plan includes detailed directives in later sections, while the meteorological plan calls for significantly enhancing extreme-weather monitoring, forecasting, and warning capabilities. Carbon Brief's interactive tracker lists primary goals and notable policies for each plan, with search options covering topics such as carbon markets, hydrogen, and climate diplomacy. Not all plans for the period have been published yet, but the key climate and energy plans have likely now been released.