This working paper quantitatively examines the scale and climate impact of food loss and waste (FLW) in China, estimating that 430 million tonnes of food were lost or wasted in 2024—roughly 28% of total production—generating approximately 500 million tonnes of CO₂e in carbon footprint and 185 million tonnes of CO₂e in methane emissions. It analyzes the uneven distribution of FLW across supply chain stages and food types, highlighting that while vegetables account for the largest share of losses, livestock products carry disproportionately high emissions intensity. The paper reviews China's evolving policy landscape, including the Anti-Food Waste Law and cold chain development initiatives, while identifying critical gaps in data infrastructure, sustainable cold chain coverage, and consumer behavior interventions. It explores the dual role of cold chain logistics—reducing post-harvest losses while contributing significant energy-related and refrigerant emissions—and assesses the potential of business innovations, public engagement, and food waste valorization to mitigate FLW. Ultimately, the paper advocates for integrating FLW reduction into climate governance frameworks, proposing four priority pathways: establishing systematic FLW data systems, advancing sustainable cold chain solutions, strengthening circular utilization of food waste, and promoting green consumption patterns to unlock a cost-effective, high-potential climate mitigation opportunity.

On May 27, iGDP took part in Parallel Session V: Methane Emission Reduction in the Waste Sector, at the 2026 Methane Conference, co-hosted by the Climate Investment and Finance Association (CIFA), CECEP Consulting Co., Ltd., and the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) Beijing Office. The keynote session gathered experts to share the latest research and industry experience on methane emission characteristics, reduction pathways, and resource utilization in the waste sector.

The online discussion focused on key topics including progress in glacier protection within the Hindu Kush–Himalaya cryosphere, black carbon emission reduction, and locally led conservation actions. The discussion aimed to raise public awareness of the severe challenges posed by glacier retreat and promote coordinated actions among policymakers, researchers and local conservation practitioners.

This policy brief analyzes reduction opportunities for "super pollutants" (methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, black carbon, and ground-level ozone) from China's agri-food system. It focuses on three key areas: nitrogen fertilizer use and nitrous oxide emissions, food loss and waste and associated methane emissions, and rural energy use and black carbon emissions from cooking and agricultural machinery. It synthesizes scientific literature, official statistics, and policy documents to quantify emissions, identify mitigation potential, and catalog the climate, health, economic, and social co-benefits of action. It finds that super pollutant mitigation offers "triple-win" outcomes—climate, health, and socioeconomic—and identifies three emerging opportunities: supportive national and provincial policies, expanding green finance and carbon market mechanisms, and the growing role of new agricultural business entities in driving technology adoption at scale.

This policy brief analyzes agricultural methane emissions in China, which account for 41% of national methane emissions (primarily from livestock and rice cultivation). It quantifies the substantial mitigation potential—up to 65 million tonnes CO₂e by 2060—through measures such as improved irrigation, adoption of low-emission rice varieties, and anaerobic digestion of livestock manure. The analysis combines national-level emission analysis, county-level spatial mapping identifying five provinces that account for one-third of total agricultural methane emissions, a systematic review of provincial methane control action plans (nine provinces as of October 2025), and case studies of on-the-ground practices in Sichuan, Yunnan, and Jiangxi. It also catalogs the multiple co-benefits of mitigation, including water savings, reduced fertilizer costs, and improved agricultural productivity.

This report provides a comprehensive assessment of non-CO₂ greenhouse gas mitigation in China, covering methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases. It analyzes global and national emission trends, reviews international mitigation policies and cooperative initiatives (e.g., the Global Methane Pledge, the Kigali Amendment), and documents China's policy progress including the Methane Emission Control Action Plan and sectoral mitigation measures. The report identifies sector-specific mitigation opportunities and challenges across energy, agriculture, industry, and waste, catalogs existing technologies and pilot practices, and provides recommendations for strengthening China's non-CO₂ mitigation framework in the context of the 2025 NDC update.