Risk Challenges and Path Options for Realizing the Dual-Carbon Goal in the Context of High-Quality Development in China

Achieving the goals of carbon peaking and climate neutrality is a significant strategic decision made by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, reflecting a comprehensive understanding of the domestic and international landscape. Currently, structural imbalances within China’s population, investment efficiency, and energy supply and demand pose major challenges to achieving those goals. China’s target to transition from “carbon peaking” to “climate neutrality” within three decades, from 2030 to 2060, presents a tighter timeframe than that of most developed countries, leading to greater challenges across technical, economic, social and even political aspects. This transition necessitates a series of economic, financial and social risks, particularly in balancing economic growth with carbon reduction. In order to successfully achieve the carbon peaking and climate neutrality goals, China should establish a “1+N” policy system, foster the low-carbon industries, cultivate a low-carbon investment market, increase R&D investment in low-carbon technologies, and promote integrated air pollution control alongside low-carbon control.