Carbon Brief has analyzed all 15th five-year plans issued by central government ministries and found that 54 of the 72 plans released so far include climate policies or targets. The five-year plan framework represents a key component of China’s policymaking structure, with the highest-level plan covering economic and social development for 2026-2030 published in March 2026, followed by thematic plans focused on specific sectors and issues.
The analysis tracks climate and energy content across plans ranging from renewable energy and fossil fuel development to less directly related sectors such as tourism and accounting methods. While the exact total number of plans to be released remains uncertain, Carbon Brief indicates that most major climate and energy-related plans have likely already been published. The plans contain both numerical targets, such as a 17% reduction in carbon intensity across the five-year period, and non-numerical goals related to areas like extreme weather forecasting capabilities.
The current five-year cycle is considered particularly significant for climate action because it encompasses the years leading to China’s commitment to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030. Primary goals from both the overarching plan and sectoral plans establish the foundation for policymaking through the decade, with thematic documents providing more granular targets and policy directions for specific industries. The tracker developed by Carbon Brief enables searches by topic and includes both traditional five-year plans and alternative policy documents such as “action” or “implementation” plans covering the same period.
Many plans designated as addressing non-climate topics also incorporate “green and low-carbon” policies, expanding the scope of climate-related governance beyond explicitly environmental documents. The plans are categorized and organized to facilitate identification of targets relevant to China’s broader energy transition goals.
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