Zero-Carbon Park Development
From Local Exploration to Nationwide Systematic Planning
Chinese
Dec 2025
Working Paper
CCNT Industry Subnational Climate Action
Summary:
This working paper examines the development of zero-carbon parks in China, analyzing the transition from fragmented local experimentation to nationally coordinated planning. It reviews the policy landscape and standard-setting landscape, categorizing standards into three types (group standards, local standards, and provincial action plans). It then identifies three differentiated regional development models based on analysis of 80 zero-carbon park pilots across eight provinces: emerging industry-driven (eastern coastal regions), clean energy-driven (southwestern regions), and energy transition-driven (central regions). The analysis also synthesizes the multi-dimensional characteristics of park development—energy, industry, transport, buildings, ecology, resource cycling, carbon management, and carbon sinks—and discusses the implications of the July 2025 national policy that formalized zero-carbon park development at the central government level.
Suggested citation:
Liu Jingning & Yang Peng. (2025). Zero-Carbon Park Development: From Local Exploration to Nationwide Systematic Planning (Working Paper). Beijing: Institute for Global Decarbonization Progress (iGDP). December 2025.
