Carbon Brief has analyzed the 72 five-year plans issued by Chinese central government ministries through this year and found that 54 include climate or energy-related policies and targets. Five-year plans represent a cornerstone of China’s policymaking process, establishing priorities and measurable objectives for the subsequent five-year period.
The 15th five-year plan covering economic and social development for 2026-2030 was released in March 2026. Following this overarching framework, the government has published multiple specialized five-year plans dedicated to specific climate and energy topics, including renewable energy development, climate response strategies, and fossil fuel industry expansion. Many general sectoral plans also incorporate climate considerations, though with varying levels of detail and emphasis.
Carbon Brief’s interactive tracker catalogs the most significant targets and policy objectives from each plan, alongside supplementary policies and links to full texts. The plans span diverse sectors including coal, electric vehicles, weather forecasting, and tourism. The current five-year period holds particular significance for climate action, as it encompasses the timeframe leading to China’s stated goal of peaking carbon dioxide emissions before 2030.
The overarching plan establishes primary numerical targets such as a 17 percent reduction in carbon intensity over the five-year period. Additional nationally-announced commitments include reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 7-10 percent below peak levels by 2035. Beyond these headline figures, individual sectoral and thematic plans provide more granular targets and specific policy directions to guide implementation.
While the exact number of plans yet to be released remains unclear, Carbon Brief indicates that major climate and energy-related plans have likely already been published. The tracker employs search functionality and categorization tools to help users locate plans addressing specific issues such as coal, clean energy technologies, or climate diplomacy.
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