Zero: The Climate Race Caution, not ambition, will shape the next decade of climate action
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Apr 16, 2026 
Lili Pike, Bloomberg Green China reporter who covers China’s climate and energy policy on the ground. She unpacks China’s 15th five-year plan and its cautious carbon intensity target. She highlights frontier tech mentions like fusion and zero-carbon corridors. She contrasts China’s deployment strength with conservative targets and examines India’s 2035 climate plan and its mixed ambition.
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China Keeps Clean-Tech Pace But Lowers Climate Ambition
- China balances strong clean-tech deployment with conservative climate targets.
- The 15th Five-Year Plan reaffirms green transformation but sets a modest 17% carbon intensity cut to 2030 after missing prior intensity goals.
Renewables Rise But Industrial Emissions Offset Gains
- China shows mixed emissions trends despite record renewables deployment.
- EVs pushed transport oil use down and power-sector emissions fell, but chemical sector emissions rose about 12% and could offset gains.
Five-Year Plan Flags Frontier Technologies To Watch
- The five-year plan names frontier priorities that will drive industrial deployment.
- It calls for 100 zero-carbon industrial parks, 10,000 km of zero-carbon freight corridors, green fuels, and attention to fusion and hydrogen use cases.