The Offsetting Mechanism in Guangdong Province’s ETS: Lessons Learned and the Way Forward

Overview

广东碳市场抵消机制——碳普惠制试点经验及未来展望
作者:    杨抒        2022 年 2 月

As one of the first low-carbon pioneering provinces in China, Guangdong launched its carbon market in 2013. An important design feature of the Guangdong Province emissions trading system (ETS) has been the use of offset credits. This brief, in both Chinese and English, explores the Guangdong ETS’s offset mechanism and its possible future evolution.

The brief builds on discussions in an online research workshop on Guangdong Province’s ETS, conducted June 16 – 17, 2021 by the Harvard Project on Climate Agreements and the Research Center for Climate Change, Guangdong University of Technology, directed by Professor Zeng Xuelan. Information on the workshop, including the agenda, participant list, and most presentations, is here. The Harvard Project’s initiative on Guangdong Province’s ETS is supported by Energy Foundation China.

Yang Shu is Senior Engineer, Deputy Manager of the Green Development Division, and Humboldt Fellow of International Climate Protection at the Guangzhou Branch of the China Quality Certification Centre.

Both Chinese and English versions of the brief are included in the document linked below.

The Harvard Project has posted a companion brief by Chen Shaoqing, also a participant in the June 2021 workshop, in mid-March 2022:  “Increasing the Emissions-Reduction Efficiency of Carbon Trading Schemes in China under the ‘30.60’ Target: Reflection on the Carbon Markets of Guangdong Province, China.” Professor Chen is at the School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, in Guangzhou, China. Professor Chen's policy brief may be downloaded here.