Ecological Environment Code of the PRC — Book IV: Green and Low-Carbon Development — Full English Translation (2026)

Adopted at the Fourth Session of the Fourteenth National People’s Congress on March 12, 2026

Effective: August 15, 2026

Table of Contents

Chapter I — General Provisions

Article 938 — This Book applies to activities related to green and low-carbon development, such as the development of the circular economy, energy conservation and the green and low-carbon transition, and the response to climate change.

Article 939 — The State shall establish and improve the mechanisms for green and low-carbon development, refine the policy system for the green and low-carbon transition, accelerate the comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development, and foster spatial patterns, industrial structures, modes of production, and ways of life that are conducive to conserving resources and protecting the ecological environment.

Article 940 — The State shall adopt effective measures to promote the economical, intensive, and circular utilization of all types of resources, facilitate the reduction of the generation and emission of pollutants and greenhouse gases in the course of production, circulation, and consumption, improve the efficiency of resource utilization, and build a green, low-carbon, and circular economic development system.

Article 941 — The State shall advance energy conservation, carbon reduction, and efficiency improvement, strengthen the clean and efficient utilization of fossil energy and its safe, reliable, and orderly substitution, vigorously develop non-fossil energy, steadily promote the green and low-carbon transformation of energy, accelerate the building of a new type of energy system that is clean, low-carbon, safe, and efficient, and build a strong energy country.

Article 942 — The State shall adopt policies and measures to actively address climate change, control and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, actively and steadily advance carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, strengthen the capacity to adapt to climate change, and raise awareness of climate change response throughout society.

Article 943 — The State shall strengthen the orientation toward green and low-carbon development and the task requirements in the implementation of major regional strategies, and establish a spatial pattern for green, low-carbon, and high-quality development.

Article 944 — The State shall promote the green and low-carbon transformation of industries such as steel, non-ferrous metals, petrochemicals, chemicals, building materials, papermaking, and printing and dyeing; promote energy-saving, low-carbon, and cleaner production technologies and equipment; advance the renewal and upgrading of processes and techniques; improve relevant binding standards for energy efficiency, carbon emissions, and the like; and promote the optimization and upgrading of traditional industries. The State shall promote the development of green and low-carbon industries, foster and strengthen new industries and industries of the future such as new energy and biomanufacturing, build green manufacturing and service systems, and gradually increase the proportion of green and low-carbon industries in the total economy.

Article 945 — The State shall optimize the structure of transportation, improve the transportation network, promote the rational division of labor and effective connection among different modes of transport such as railway, highway, waterway, and aviation, and build a green and efficient transportation system. The State shall build green transport infrastructure, give priority to the development of public transport, promote low-carbon means of transport, promote the use of clean power, and actively guide green travel.

Article 946 — The State shall advocate the philosophy of green and low-carbon planning and design, promote green construction methods, optimize the energy-use structure of buildings, support the large-scale development of ultra-low-energy and low-carbon buildings, and promote the building of green, low-carbon, and climate-resilient cities.

Article 947 — The State shall promote the green and low-carbon development of agriculture and rural areas, accelerate the promotion and application of green technologies, guide agricultural producers and operators to use the means of production in a scientific and rational manner, strengthen the resource-oriented utilization of agricultural wastes, and give priority to the development of ecological agriculture.

Article 948 — The State shall establish and improve the green and low-carbon standards system. The relevant departments of the State Council and local people’s governments at or above the county level shall adopt effective measures to promote the implementation of green and low-carbon product standards and the use and effectiveness evaluation of certification results and labeling information.

Article 949 — State organs and other public institutions using fiscal funds shall take the lead in implementing the philosophy of green and low-carbon development, practice strict economy and oppose waste, promote green office work and green procurement, use green and low-carbon products, and play an exemplary and leading role in the green and low-carbon transition. Enterprises shall intensify the research, development, promotion, and application of green and low-carbon technologies and products, promote the greening of production and business activities, improve the efficiency of resource utilization, reduce the generation and emission of pollutants and greenhouse gases, and conscientiously fulfill their social responsibility for green and low-carbon development. Citizens shall strengthen their awareness of green and low-carbon development, actively participate in green and low-carbon activities such as green consumption, green travel, the “Clean Plate” campaign, and household waste sorting, oppose extravagance and waste, and cultivate a civilized and healthy way of life and pattern of consumption.

Article 950 — The State shall optimize the investment mechanisms for the green transition, increase fiscal input into key projects in fields such as the demonstration of advanced and applicable green and low-carbon technologies, energy conservation and carbon reduction in key industries, and the highly efficient circular utilization of resources, guide and regulate the participation of social capital in the investment, construction, and operation of green and low-carbon projects, and encourage social capital to establish green and low-carbon industry investment funds through market-oriented means.

Article 951 — The State shall strengthen applied basic research in the field of green and low-carbon development, encourage and support the research and development of technologies related to resource conservation and circular utilization, the green and low-carbon transformation of energy, and the mitigation of and adaptation to climate change, and accelerate the demonstration, promotion, and application of advanced and applicable technologies.

Article 952 — The State shall strengthen international cooperation in fields such as green trade and economy, technology, finance, and standards, encourage the import and export of green and low-carbon technologies, products, and services, actively participate in the formulation of international rules and standards, and lead the global green transition.

Chapter II — Development of the Circular Economy

Section 1 — General Provisions

Article 953 — The development of the circular economy shall adhere to reduction, reuse, and resource utilization, and follow the principles of overall planning and rational layout, acting in light of local conditions and emphasizing actual results, government promotion and market guidance, and implementation by enterprises with public participation.

Article 954 — The development and reform department of the State Council shall be responsible for organizing, coordinating, and supervising the development of the circular economy nationwide; the ecology and environment, industry and information technology, housing and urban-rural development, and other relevant departments of the State Council shall, within their respective functions and duties, be responsible for the supervision and administration of matters related to the circular economy. The development and reform departments of local people’s governments at or above the county level shall be responsible for organizing, coordinating, and supervising the development of the circular economy in their respective administrative regions; the ecology and environment, industry and information technology, housing and urban-rural development, and other relevant departments of local people’s governments at or above the county level shall, within their respective functions and duties, be responsible for the supervision and administration of matters related to the circular economy.

Article 955 — The development and reform department of the State Council shall, in conjunction with the ecology and environment and other relevant departments of the State Council, formulate the national plan for the development of the circular economy, and submit it to the State Council for approval before promulgating and implementing it. The development and reform departments of local people’s governments at or above the level of cities divided into districts shall, in conjunction with the ecology and environment and other relevant departments, formulate plans for the development of the circular economy in their respective administrative regions, and submit them to the people’s governments at the corresponding level for approval before promulgating and implementing them. Plans for the development of the circular economy shall include planning objectives, scope of application, main content, key tasks, and safeguard measures.

Article 956 — Industrial policies formulated by the State shall conform to the requirements for developing the circular economy. The State shall support the promotion of resource-recycling modes of production and the intensive and large-scale development of the resource recycling industry, provided that this is technically feasible, economically rational, and conducive to protecting the ecological environment.

Article 957 — The competent standardization department of the State Council shall, in conjunction with the development and reform, ecology and environment, industry and information technology, and other relevant departments of the State Council, formulate standards for the circular economy, including those for green design, green manufacturing, the comprehensive utilization of industrial wastes, and the recycling and utilization of household waste.

Article 958 — The State shall establish and improve the statistical system for the circular economy, strengthen statistical management of resource consumption, comprehensive utilization, waste generation, and the like, and periodically publish the main statistical indicators to the public.

Article 959 — The State shall establish and improve the extended producer responsibility system so as to promote the circular utilization of resources.

Section 2 — Cleaner Production

Article 960 — The State shall encourage the reduction of resource consumption at the source and the reduction of the generation and emission of pollutants and greenhouse gases, and promote cleaner production, through measures such as carrying out green design, using clean energy and raw materials, and adopting advanced and applicable processes, technologies, and equipment.

Article 961 — The development and reform department of the State Council shall, in conjunction with the ecology and environment, industry and information technology, and other relevant departments of the State Council, formulate the national cleaner production promotion program and submit it to the State Council for approval before promulgation. The national cleaner production promotion program shall include the objectives, main tasks, and safeguard measures for promoting cleaner production, and shall identify the key fields, key industries, and key projects for carrying out cleaner production. The relevant industry competent departments of the State Council shall, in accordance with the national cleaner production promotion program, determine the key tasks and key projects for promoting cleaner production in their respective industries and organize their implementation. Local people’s governments at or above the county level shall, in accordance with the national cleaner production promotion program and the requirements of their respective administrative regions for conserving resources, reducing energy consumption, and reducing the emission of pollutants and greenhouse gases, formulate implementation plans for promoting cleaner production and organize their implementation.

Article 962 — The central budget shall increase capital input into the promotion of cleaner production, including special central government funds for cleaner production and other cleaner production funds arranged in the central budget, to support the implementation of cleaner production and the promotion of relevant technologies in the key fields, key industries, and key projects identified in the national cleaner production promotion program, as well as cleaner production projects in ecologically fragile areas. The specific measures for the use of central budget funds supporting the promotion of cleaner production shall be formulated by the finance, development and reform, and other relevant departments of the State Council in conjunction. Local people’s governments at or above the county level shall coordinate the funds for promoting cleaner production arranged from local government budgets and guide social funds to support key cleaner production projects. Appropriate amounts shall, as needed, be allocated from the small and medium-sized enterprise development funds established in accordance with State regulations to support small and medium-sized enterprises in implementing cleaner production.

Article 963 — The development and reform department of the State Council shall, in conjunction with the ecology and environment, industry and information technology, science and technology, housing and urban-rural development, agriculture and rural affairs, forestry and grassland, and other relevant departments of the State Council, periodically publish guidance catalogs of cleaner production technologies, processes, equipment, and products. Local people’s governments at or above the county level shall guide and support the research and development of cleaner production technologies, processes, equipment, and products, as well as the demonstration, promotion, and application of cleaner production technologies.

Article 964 — The development and reform, ecology and environment, and industry and information technology departments of people’s governments at or above the provincial level shall, in conjunction with relevant departments, organize the formulation of guidelines for cleaner production in key industries or regions and provide guidance for the implementation of cleaner production.

Article 965 — In the course of technical renovation, enterprises shall adopt the following cleaner production measures: (1) using non-toxic and harmless or low-toxicity and low-harm raw materials in place of raw materials that are highly toxic and seriously harmful; (2) using processes and equipment with high resource utilization efficiency and low generation of pollutants and greenhouse gases in place of processes and equipment with low resource utilization efficiency and high generation of pollutants and greenhouse gases; (3) comprehensively utilizing the wastes generated in the production process; and (4) adopting pollution prevention and control technologies capable of meeting the pollutant discharge standards and the total pollutant discharge control indicators prescribed by the State or local authorities.

Article 966 — Enterprises shall monitor resource consumption and waste generation in the course of production and services and, as needed, conduct cleaner production audits of their production and services. The State shall strengthen the application of cleaner production audit results and use them as an important basis for formulating and implementing differentiated policies such as water-use quotas. The specific measures for cleaner production audits shall be formulated by the development and reform and ecology and environment departments of the State Council in conjunction with relevant departments.

Article 967 — Enterprises falling under any of the following circumstances shall implement compulsory cleaner production audits: (1) where their pollutant discharges exceed the discharge standards prescribed by the State or local authorities, or, although not exceeding such standards, exceed the total emission control indicators for key pollutants; (2) where they use toxic or harmful raw materials in production or discharge toxic or harmful substances in the course of production; or (3) other circumstances in which the State requires compulsory cleaner production audits to be implemented. Enterprises whose pollutant discharges exceed the discharge standards prescribed by the State or local authorities shall bear legal liability in accordance with this Law. Enterprises implementing compulsory cleaner production audits shall report the audit results to the development and reform and ecology and environment departments of the local people’s government at or above the county level where they are located, make them public in a manner convenient for the public to learn of them, and accept public supervision, except where trade secrets are involved. The relevant departments of local people’s governments at or above the county level shall supervise the implementation of compulsory cleaner production audits by enterprises and may, where necessary, organize the evaluation and acceptance of the results of enterprises’ implementation of cleaner production, with the necessary expenses included in the budget of the government at the corresponding level. The departments or units undertaking the evaluation and acceptance shall not charge fees to the enterprises being evaluated and accepted.

Article 968 — Enterprises other than those specified in paragraph 1 of Article 967 of this Law may, in accordance with State regulations, voluntarily enter into agreements with the development and reform, ecology and environment, and industry and information technology departments on conserving resources and reducing pollutant discharges. The development and reform, ecology and environment, and industry and information technology departments shall publish, in a manner convenient for the public to learn of, the names of the enterprises and their achievements in conserving resources and preventing pollution.

Article 969 — Enterprises producing large mechanical and electrical equipment, motorized means of transport, and other products designated by the industry and information technology competent department of the State Council shall, in accordance with the technical specifications formulated by the competent standardization department of the State Council or its authorized bodies, indicate the standard grade of the material composition on the main components of the products.

Article 970 — The relevant departments of the State Council and of the people’s governments of provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government shall organize and support the establishment of cleaner production information systems and technical consulting service systems. The State shall encourage institutions providing cleaner production consulting, auditing, and other services to carry out publicity of cleaner production knowledge and technical training.

Article 971 — Expenses incurred by enterprises for cleaner production audits and training may be included in their operating costs.

Article 972 — The State shall encourage producers and operators of products to carry out green design and promote the application of green design. In the design of electrical and electronic products, motor vehicles, and other products, the impacts of the products on human health and the ecological environment throughout their life cycles shall be taken into account, and priority shall be given to solutions that are non-toxic and harmless, readily degradable, or convenient to recycle and utilize, while the source reduction and substitution of hazardous substances shall be strengthened in accordance with State regulations.

Article 973 — The State shall encourage producers and operators of products to use green and reduced packaging. The competent standardization department of the State Council shall, in light of the country’s economic and technical conditions, the state of solid waste pollution prevention and control, and the technical requirements of products, organize the formulation of relevant standards to prevent excessive packaging from causing waste of resources and environmental pollution. Producers and operators shall package products in a rational manner, comply with the mandatory standards restricting excessive packaging of goods, reduce the generation of packaging waste, and refrain from excessive packaging. The material, structure, and cost of packaging shall be commensurate with the quality, specifications, and cost of the packaged products. The market regulation and other relevant departments of local people’s governments at or above the county level shall, within their respective functions and duties, strengthen supervision and administration over excessive packaging.

Article 974 — Industries such as e-commerce, express delivery, and food delivery shall reduce the use of packaging materials, give priority to packaging materials that are reusable and readily recyclable, and actively recycle and utilize them. The commerce, postal administration, and other relevant departments of local people’s governments at or above the county level shall strengthen supervision and administration.

Section 3 — Recycling of Wastes

Article 975 — The State shall promote the building of a waste recycling and utilization system, facilitate the refined management, effective recovery, and highly efficient utilization of wastes in all fields of production and daily life, and raise the level of waste recycling and utilization.

Article 976 — Enterprises shall adopt advanced and applicable recovery technologies, processes, and equipment to comprehensively utilize the waste heat, residual pressure, wastewater, waste liquids, and the like generated in the production process. Enterprises shall, in accordance with State regulations, comprehensively utilize industrial wastes generated in the production process, such as fly ash, coal gangue, phosphogypsum, red mud, tailings, waste rock, waste materials, and waste gas.

Article 977 — Enterprises that produce, import, or sell products and packaging materials listed in the catalogue of items subject to compulsory recovery in accordance with the law shall recover such products and packaging materials in accordance with State regulations. Where any of them can be utilized, the enterprise shall be responsible for utilizing them; where any are not suitable for utilization due to the absence of technical and economic conditions, the enterprise shall be responsible for their harmless disposal. Where, with respect to the waste products or packaging materials specified in the preceding paragraph, the producer entrusts the seller or other organizations with recovery, or entrusts waste utilization or disposal enterprises with utilization or disposal, the entrusted party shall be responsible for the recovery or the utilization or disposal in accordance with the provisions of relevant laws and administrative regulations and the terms of the contract. The catalogue of products and packaging materials subject to compulsory recovery and the measures for their administration shall be formulated by the development and reform department of the State Council in conjunction with relevant departments.

Article 978 — Producers of electrical and electronic products, motor vehicles, lead-acid batteries, power batteries, and other products shall, in accordance with State regulations, establish, by means such as building on their own or entrusting others, waste product recovery systems commensurate with their product sales volumes, make such systems public, and fulfill their responsibilities for recovery and utilization.

Article 979 — The State shall establish and improve the responsibility system for the handling of decommissioned wind power and photovoltaic power generation equipment. Enterprises engaged in the construction and operation of wind power and photovoltaic power generation shall, on their own or by entrusting qualified enterprises, carry out circular utilization or harmless disposal of decommissioned wind turbine blades, photovoltaic modules, and the like. The State shall promote the circular utilization of wastes in the field of new infrastructure such as data centers and communication base stations.

Article 980 — The State shall support producers and operators in establishing industrial waste exchange information systems to facilitate the exchange of information on industrial wastes among enterprises. Enterprises that do not have the conditions to comprehensively utilize the wastes generated in their production processes shall provide them to qualified producers and operators for comprehensive utilization.

Article 981 — The State shall encourage and support agricultural producers and operators and relevant enterprises in adopting advanced and applicable technologies to comprehensively utilize crop straw, livestock and poultry manure, by-products of the agricultural product processing industry, waste agricultural film, and the like.

Article 982 — The State shall encourage the adoption of advanced and applicable technologies, processes, equipment, materials, and management measures to promote the source reduction of construction waste and establish and improve the construction waste recycling and utilization system. Local people’s governments at or above the county level shall promote the application of products made from the comprehensive utilization of construction waste.

Article 983 — The State shall strengthen the classified collection, treatment, and resource-oriented utilization of household waste and promote the reduction and resource utilization of household waste. The relevant departments of local people’s governments at or above the county level shall make overall plans and rationally arrange recovery, sorting, and baling sites so as to promote the recycling and utilization of household waste.

Article 984 — The State shall promote the integrated construction of household waste sorting sites and waste material recovery sites and improve the waste material recovery network in urban and rural areas. Local people’s governments shall, in accordance with territorial spatial plans, rationally arrange waste material recovery sites and trading markets, and support waste material recovery enterprises and other organizations in carrying out the collection, storage, and transportation of waste materials and the exchange of related information.

Article 985 — The State shall improve the catalogue of low-value recyclables and promote the recycling and utilization of waste glass, waste plastics, waste textiles, and the like.

Article 986 — The State shall strengthen the highly efficient utilization of scrap steel, scrap non-ferrous metals, and the like, and promote the clustered development of the recycled metal processing and utilization industry. The State shall encourage enterprises to improve their technical level in the utilization of scrap non-ferrous metals and support the research, development, promotion, and application of technologies for extracting rare and precious metals from wastes such as waste electrical and electronic products.

Article 987 — Enterprises utilizing wastes and producing products from raw materials recovered from wastes shall adopt advanced and applicable technologies, processes, and equipment and improve their recovery, utilization, and processing levels. The dismantling, disposal, or reuse of specific products such as waste electrical and electronic products, end-of-life motor vehicles, vessels and aircraft, waste tires, waste lead-acid batteries, and waste power batteries shall conform to the provisions of this Law and the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Promoting the Circular Economy and other relevant laws and regulations, and it is prohibited to use backward dismantling and processing technologies, processes, and equipment that the State has expressly ordered to be eliminated or that do not meet the requirements of ecological environment protection.

Article 988 — The State shall implement a system of multi-channel recovery and centralized treatment of waste electrical and electronic products and the like. The specific measures for the administration of the recovery and treatment of waste electrical and electronic products and the like shall be formulated by the State Council.

Article 989 — The State shall support enterprises in remanufacturing products such as motor vehicle parts and components, engineering machinery, machine tools, and cultural and office equipment and in retreading tires, promote the development of the high-end equipment remanufacturing industry in fields such as wind power, photovoltaic power generation, and aviation, and encourage the promotion and use of remanufactured products. The quality of remanufactured products and retreaded products shall conform to the standards prescribed by the State, and they shall be marked as remanufactured products or retreaded products in a prominent position.

Article 990 — The State shall encourage the promotion and application of recycled materials, establish and improve the standards and certification system for recycled materials, and support producers of motor vehicles, electrical and electronic products, and other products in increasing the proportion of recycled materials used.

Article 991 — Those who utilize wastes and produce products from raw materials recovered from wastes in accordance with the law shall enjoy tax and other preferences in accordance with State regulations.

Section 4 — Green Consumption

Article 992 — The State shall establish and improve incentive mechanisms for green consumption, expand the supply of green and low-carbon products, strengthen publicity and education on green consumption, promote green and low-carbon ways of life, and advance the green transformation of consumption patterns.

Article 993 — The State shall implement pricing, taxation, and other policies conducive to the conservation and rational utilization of resources, and guide units and individuals to conserve and rationally use resource-based products such as water, electricity, and gas. People’s governments at or above the county level shall adopt effective measures to encourage the consumption of green and low-carbon products and, in accordance with State regulations, support trade-in programs for consumer goods.

Article 994 — The State shall establish and improve the government green procurement system, and encourage and support the inclusion of recycled materials and products in the scope of government green procurement.

Article 995 — The State shall encourage and support the circulation and trading of second-hand goods and promote the construction of second-hand goods trading markets and platforms. The measures for the administration of the circulation of second-hand goods shall be formulated by the commerce department of the State Council in conjunction with relevant departments. The market regulation, commerce, and other relevant departments of local people’s governments at or above the county level shall, within their respective functions and duties, strengthen supervision and administration over the trading of second-hand goods.

Article 996 — The State shall encourage and guide consumers to use green and reduced packaging. With respect to products and packaging materials included in the catalogue of items subject to compulsory recovery, consumers shall hand over waste products and packaging materials to the producers or to the sellers or other organizations entrusted by the producers with recovery.

Article 997 — The State shall, on the premise of ensuring product safety and hygiene, restrict the production and sale of disposable items. Industries such as tourism and accommodation shall not proactively provide disposable items in accordance with State regulations. State organs, enterprises, public institutions, social organizations, and the like shall reduce the use of disposable items in their office premises.

Article 998 — The State shall, in accordance with the law, prohibit and restrict the production, sale, and use of non-degradable plastic bags and other disposable plastic products, encourage and guide the reduced use and active recovery of disposable plastic products, and promote the application of recyclable, readily recoverable, degradable, and harmless alternative products. Entities operating commodity retail premises, e-commerce platform enterprises, express delivery enterprises, and food delivery enterprises shall, in accordance with State regulations, report the use and recovery of disposable plastic products to the commerce, postal administration, and other departments.

Article 999 — Citizens shall strengthen their awareness of green consumption, develop green consumption habits, actively purchase and use green and low-carbon products, proactively reduce the use of disposable items and disposable plastic products, and consciously resist excessive packaging.

Article 1000 — Enterprises shall, in accordance with State regulations, implement green procurement, establish green supply chains, give priority to procuring and using raw materials, products, and services that are conducive to protecting the ecological environment, such as those that save energy, water, and materials, and promote the coordinated green transformation of upstream and downstream enterprises.

Article 1001 — Service enterprises such as those in catering, entertainment, and hospitality shall, in accordance with State regulations, adopt technologies, equipment, and facilities conducive to protecting the ecological environment, such as those that save energy, water, and materials, provide green and low-carbon products, and reduce or cease the use of consumer goods that waste resources or pollute the environment.

Chapter III — Energy Conservation and Green and Low-Carbon Transition

Section 1 — General Provisions

Article 1002 — Green and low-carbon energy development shall adhere to the principles of giving priority to conservation, intensive and efficient utilization, innovation-driven development, ensuring security, and orderly transition.

Article 1003 — The State shall improve policies for energy development and utilization, optimize the structure of energy supply and consumption, and actively promote green and low-carbon energy development.

Article 1004 — The State shall promote energy conservation and improve the efficiency of energy utilization, encourage the development of distributed energy and integrated energy services featuring the complementary use and combined supply of multiple energy sources, actively promote market-oriented energy-saving services such as energy management contracting, and, by improving tiered pricing, time-of-use pricing, and other systems, guide energy users to rationally adjust the manner, timing, and volume of their energy use and raise the level of clean, low-carbon, efficient, and intelligent end-use energy consumption.

Article 1005 — The State shall encourage and support the research, development, promotion, application, and industrialization of major basic, key, and cutting-edge technologies, equipment, and related new materials in fields related to green and low-carbon energy development, including the clean and efficient development and utilization of fossil energy, the development and utilization of renewable energy, the safe utilization of nuclear energy, and energy storage and conservation. Scientific and technological innovation in green and low-carbon energy shall be included among the key supported fields in the relevant plans for national scientific and technological development and the development of high-tech industries. The State shall support the application of advanced information technologies in the energy field, promote the digital and intelligent development of energy production and supply, and facilitate the coordinated conversion and integrated complementarity of multiple energy sources.

Article 1006 — People’s governments at or above the county level shall strengthen energy conservation in agriculture and rural areas and increase capital input into the promotion and application of agricultural and rural energy-saving technologies and products. The State shall encourage and support the comprehensive development and utilization of renewable energy in rural areas and, in light of local conditions, promote the application of renewable energy utilization technologies such as biomass energy, solar energy, and wind energy.

Section 2 — Energy Conservation

Article 1007 — The development and reform department of the State Council shall be responsible for energy conservation supervision and administration nationwide. The relevant departments of the State Council shall, within their respective functions and duties, be responsible for energy conservation supervision and administration and shall accept the guidance of the development and reform department of the State Council. The energy conservation competent departments of local people’s governments at or above the county level shall be responsible for energy conservation supervision and administration in their respective administrative regions. The relevant departments of local people’s governments at or above the county level shall, within their respective functions and duties, be responsible for energy conservation supervision and administration and shall accept the guidance of the energy conservation competent departments at the corresponding level.

Article 1008 — The competent standardization department of the State Council and the relevant departments of the State Council shall, in accordance with the law, organize the formulation and timely revision of national standards and industry standards relating to energy conservation.

Article 1009 — The State shall implement an energy conservation review system for fixed asset investment projects and conduct comprehensive evaluation of the energy use and carbon emissions of such projects. The specific measures shall be formulated by the development and reform department of the State Council in conjunction with relevant departments.

Article 1010 — The energy conservation competent departments of people’s governments at or above the county level shall, in conjunction with relevant departments, strengthen energy conservation administration over key energy-using units. Key energy-using units shall submit annual reports on their energy utilization status to the energy conservation competent departments. The energy conservation competent departments shall review the reports on energy utilization status submitted by key energy-using units. The scope of key energy-using units shall be governed by the relevant provisions of the Energy Conservation Law of the People’s Republic of China.

Article 1011 — The State shall implement energy efficiency labeling administration for energy-using products that are widely used and consume large amounts of energy, such as household appliances. The catalogue of products subject to energy efficiency labeling administration and the specific measures for such administration shall be formulated and promulgated by the development and reform department of the State Council in conjunction with the market regulation department of the State Council.

Section 3 — Green and Low-Carbon Energy Transition

Article 1012 — The State shall support the priority development and utilization of renewable energy, the rational development and clean and efficient utilization of fossil energy, and the safe, reliable, and orderly substitution of non-fossil energy for fossil energy, and increase the proportion of non-fossil energy in consumption.

Article 1013 — The energy competent department of the State Council and the relevant departments of the State Council shall, in accordance with the provisions of this Law, the Energy Law of the People’s Republic of China, the Renewable Energy Law of the People’s Republic of China, and other laws, be responsible for work related to the green and low-carbon energy transition.

Article 1014 — The State shall establish and improve mechanisms for the clean and efficient utilization of coal, support the research, development, promotion, and application of clean coal technologies, actively and orderly advance the substitution of scattered coal, promote the clean and efficient combustion and conversion of coal, facilitate the graded and classified utilization of coal, and raise the level of clean and efficient coal utilization. The State shall encourage the development of coal-electricity joint operations, support the integrated layout of coal mining and upstream and downstream industries, orderly advance the development of the coal deep-processing industry, phase out backward coal-using technologies and equipment, adopt advanced coal-fired power technologies to reduce the coal consumption of power supply, and promote energy conservation and carbon reduction renovation in key coal-using industries such as coal-fired power, steel, building materials, and chemicals.

Article 1015 — The State shall encourage and support green and intelligent coal mining, adopt green mining technologies such as water-preserving mining and backfill mining in light of local conditions, and reduce the impact on geological landforms and the ecological environment. Coal mining enterprises shall, in accordance with State regulations, improve the level of coal washing and processing and raise the rate at which raw coal is washed. Local people’s governments at or above the county level and coal mining enterprises shall strengthen the comprehensive development and systematic management of resources, make overall arrangements for the development and utilization of resources associated with coal, carry out the extraction and utilization of coalbed methane, raise the level of clean utilization of coal gangue, coal slime, and the like, and scientifically and rationally utilize the residual resources and underground space of closed coal mines.

Article 1016 — The State shall encourage the green and efficient development of oil and natural gas and support the integrated development of oil and natural gas exploration and development with renewable energy. The State shall encourage the adoption of advanced and intensive methods of oil processing and conversion. The State shall support the rational development and utilization of new fuels and industrial raw materials that can substitute for oil and natural gas.

Article 1017 — The State shall promote the development and utilization of wind and solar energy, adhere to the simultaneous development of centralized and distributed forms, accelerate the construction of wind power and photovoltaic power generation bases, support the nearby development and utilization of distributed wind power and photovoltaic power generation, rationally and orderly develop offshore wind power, and actively develop solar thermal power generation. The State shall encourage the rational development and utilization of biomass energy, promote the large-scale development and utilization of ocean energy, and develop geothermal energy in light of local conditions. The State shall coordinate hydropower development with ecological protection and strictly control the development and construction of small hydropower stations. The State shall actively, safely, and orderly develop nuclear power.

Article 1018 — The energy competent department of the State Council shall, in conjunction with relevant departments, formulate medium- and long-term development targets for the development and utilization of non-fossil energy, monitor the development and utilization of non-fossil energy on an annual basis, and publish the results to the public.

Article 1019 — The energy competent department of the State Council shall, in conjunction with relevant departments, formulate and organize the implementation of minimum-share targets for renewable energy in energy consumption.

Article 1020 — The State shall improve the guarantee mechanism for the consumption of renewable energy electricity. Power supply enterprises, electricity retail enterprises, relevant electricity users, and enterprises using electricity supplied by their own captive power plants shall, in accordance with State regulations, assume the responsibility for consuming electricity generated from renewable energy.

Article 1021 — The State shall establish and improve mechanisms for promoting green energy consumption, implement systems such as renewable energy green electricity certificates, and encourage energy users to give priority to using clean and low-carbon energy such as renewable energy.

Article 1022 — The State shall accelerate the building of a new type of power system, strengthen the coordinated construction of power sources and power grids, optimize the layout of cross-regional power transmission channels, give full play to the stable, safe, and reliable role of ultra-high-voltage transmission channels, advance the intelligent renovation of power grid infrastructure and the construction of smart micro-grids, and enhance the capacity of the power grid to accommodate, allocate, and regulate renewable energy.

Article 1023 — The State shall rationally arrange and actively and orderly develop and construct pumped-storage power stations, promote the high-quality development of new types of energy storage, and give full play to the regulating role of various forms of energy storage in the power system.

Article 1024 — The State shall actively and orderly advance the development and utilization of hydrogen energy and promote the high-quality development of the hydrogen energy industry.

Chapter IV — Addressing Climate Change

Section 1 — General Provisions

Article 1025 — The State shall attach equal importance to mitigation and adaptation and adopt effective measures to actively address climate change.

Article 1026 — The ecology and environment competent department of the State Council shall be responsible for the work of addressing climate change nationwide. The development and reform department of the State Council shall be responsible for the administration and coordination of the nationwide work on carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. The other relevant departments of the State Council shall, within their respective functions and duties, be responsible for work related to addressing climate change and to carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. Local people’s governments at or above the county level and their relevant departments shall strengthen the work of addressing climate change and of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality in their respective administrative regions, adopt mitigation and adaptation measures, and control and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Article 1027 — The State shall establish and improve a decision-making and coordination mechanism with the participation of the relevant departments of the State Council, make unified arrangements for work related to addressing climate change and carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, coordinate the resolution of major relevant issues, and supervise the implementation of important goals and tasks.

Article 1028 — The State shall strengthen monitoring of greenhouse gases and the climate system and establish and improve the system for monitoring and publishing information on climate change.

Article 1029 — The State shall establish an information-sharing mechanism for addressing climate change and promote the exchange and sharing of relevant resources and data.

Article 1030 — The State shall, by strengthening the protection, restoration, and sustainable management of ecosystems, give full play to ecosystem service functions and enhance the capacity to address climate change.

Article 1031 — The State shall strengthen basic research and scientific and technological support for addressing climate change, take addressing climate change as a key field of national basic research and scientific and technological innovation, and strengthen the research, development, promotion, and application of key and core technologies.

Section 2 — Climate Change Mitigation and Carbon Peaking and Carbon Neutrality

Article 1032 — The State shall fully integrate the goal requirements of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality into national development plans and promote climate change mitigation through the goals of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. The State shall implement a system for controlling the total volume and intensity of carbon emissions and determine carbon emission indicators in a scientific and rational manner on the basis of the goals of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality.

Article 1033 — The advancement of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality shall adhere to the principles of nationwide coordination, giving priority to conservation, dual-driven progress, unimpeded domestic and international circulation, and risk prevention.

Article 1034 — The development and reform department of the State Council shall, in conjunction with relevant departments, formulate the national action plan for carbon peaking and carbon neutrality and organize its implementation. The people’s governments of provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government shall, in light of actual circumstances, formulate action plans for carbon peaking and carbon neutrality in their respective administrative regions and organize their implementation.

Article 1035 — The State shall establish and improve the carbon emission statistics and accounting system. The statistics department of the State Council shall be responsible for organizing the national carbon emission statistics and accounting work. The ecology and environment and market regulation departments of the State Council shall, in conjunction with relevant departments, organize the formulation of carbon emission accounting standards and technical specifications for enterprises in key industries. The ecology and environment and statistics departments of the State Council shall, in conjunction with relevant departments, establish a national database of greenhouse gas emission factors and update it periodically. For the purposes of this Law, “greenhouse gas emission factor” means the coefficient of greenhouse gas emissions per unit of production or consumption activity.

Article 1036 — The ecology and environment, market regulation, development and reform, and other relevant departments of the State Council shall, within their respective functions and duties, carry out product carbon footprint management, formulate carbon footprint accounting standards and technical specifications for products, and establish systems for product carbon footprint accounting, graded management, labeling and certification, and information disclosure. For the purposes of this Law, “carbon footprint” means the sum of greenhouse gas emissions and greenhouse gas removals expressed in terms of carbon dioxide equivalents.

Article 1037 — The State shall establish a national carbon emission trading market. Key greenhouse gas emitters included in the national carbon emission trading market shall, in accordance with State regulations, fulfill mandatory emission reduction responsibilities. Carbon emission trading products include carbon emission allowances and other spot trading products approved by the State Council. The ecology and environment competent department of the State Council shall, in conjunction with relevant departments, formulate the annual total amount of carbon emission allowances and the allocation plan, and organize their implementation. Key greenhouse gas emitters shall adopt effective measures to control greenhouse gas emissions, carry out greenhouse gas statistics and accounting in accordance with State regulations and the technical specifications formulated by the ecology and environment competent department of the State Council, prepare annual greenhouse gas emission reports, and, after verification by the ecology and environment competent department of the provincial people’s government, fully surrender carbon emission allowances within the prescribed time limit. Key greenhouse gas emitters shall be responsible for the authenticity, accuracy, and completeness of their emission statistics and accounting data and annual emission reports. The list of key greenhouse gas emitters shall be formulated by the ecology and environment competent departments of provincial people’s governments in conjunction with relevant departments, on the basis of the conditions determined by the ecology and environment competent department of the State Council.

Article 1038 — The State shall establish a national voluntary greenhouse gas emission reduction trading market and encourage voluntary greenhouse gas emission reduction trading. Units and individuals may, in accordance with State regulations, participate in voluntary greenhouse gas emission reduction trading. Projects applying for voluntary greenhouse gas emission reduction trading shall be conducive to reducing carbon emissions and increasing carbon sinks and be capable of avoiding or reducing greenhouse gas emissions or achieving the removal of greenhouse gases.

Article 1039 — The ecology and environment competent department of the State Council shall be responsible for the supervision and administration of carbon emission trading, voluntary greenhouse gas emission reduction trading, and related activities. The relevant departments of the State Council shall, within their respective functions and duties, be responsible for the supervision and administration of carbon emission trading, voluntary greenhouse gas emission reduction trading, and related activities.

Article 1040 — The State shall establish and improve the monitoring and accounting system for ecosystem carbon sinks, carry out baseline surveys and assessments of carbon stocks in forests, grasslands, wetlands, oceans, soil, and the like, strengthen ecological protection and restoration, and consolidate and enhance the carbon sink capacity of ecosystems.

Section 3 — Climate Change Adaptation

Article 1041 — The State shall formulate and implement a strategy for adapting to climate change, adhere to the principles of giving priority to prevention and adapting scientifically, adopt effective measures to reduce the adverse impacts and risks of climate change, and build a climate-resilient society. The people’s governments of provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government shall, in light of actual circumstances, formulate action plans for adapting to climate change in their respective administrative regions, determine the key fields, regions, and measures for climate change adaptation, and organize their implementation.

Article 1042 — The State shall carry out regional climate change adaptation actions in light of the characteristics of different regions and enhance the capacity of major strategic regions to adapt to climate change.

Article 1043 — In formulating territorial spatial plans, the impacts and risks of climate change shall be fully taken into account, and the assessment of climatic resource conditions and the impacts and risks of climate change shall be strengthened.

Article 1044 — The relevant departments of the State Council shall, within their respective functions and duties, strengthen the assessment of climate change impacts and risks on ecosystems such as water, terrestrial, and marine ecosystems, as well as on key economic and social fields such as agriculture and food security, health and public health, infrastructure and major projects, cities and the human settlement environment, climate-sensitive industries, and cultural heritage, and enhance the capacity of key fields to adapt to climate change.

Article 1045 — The State shall establish and improve the system for monitoring, early warning, and assessment of comprehensive disaster risks under the impact of climate change, and enhance the capacity for comprehensive early warning and assessment of multi-hazard and hazard-chain risks.

Article 1046 — The State shall strengthen the comprehensive management of natural disasters caused by extreme weather and climate events, adopt effective measures to improve the basic conditions for disaster prevention in urban and rural areas, optimize the spatial layout of major infrastructure, strengthen emergency command, response, and rescue team building, reinforce the reserve of emergency equipment and supplies, and enhance the capacity for comprehensive rescue and public safety protection under extreme weather and climate events.

Article 1047 — The State shall encourage the assessment of climate change health risks and adaptive capacity, strengthen the monitoring, early warning, prevention, and control of climate-sensitive diseases, advance health adaptation actions for climate change, and raise the level of public health adaptation under climate change and extreme weather and climate events.

Section 4 — International Cooperation

Article 1048 — The State shall adhere to the principles of common but differentiated responsibilities, equity, and respective capabilities, actively participate in and lead global climate governance, and promote the building of a fair, reasonable, cooperative, and mutually beneficial global climate governance system.

Article 1049 — The State shall, in light of its national conditions, stage of development, and actual capabilities, undertake corresponding international obligations in the field of addressing climate change. The ecology and environment competent department of the State Council shall, in conjunction with relevant departments, periodically compile the nationally determined contributions, national greenhouse gas inventories, and compliance reports.

Article 1050 — The relevant departments of the State Council shall, within their respective functions and duties, carry out multilateral and bilateral international exchanges and cooperation on addressing climate change and promote the alignment and mutual recognition of rules and standards in the field of addressing climate change.

Article 1051 — The State shall strengthen international scientific and technological cooperation and exchange in the field of addressing climate change, support cooperation in research and development among outstanding scientific and technological personnel at home and abroad, and encourage enterprises, institutions of higher learning, and scientific research institutions to carry out technical exchanges on renewable energy, energy storage, hydrogen energy, and carbon capture, utilization, and storage.

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