Too little too late? Nationwide carbon trading in China
File(s)
Accepted version
Author(s)
Zhang, Shuang
Almond, Douglas
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
China launched a nationwide, rate-based carbon market in 2021. Covering the world’s top CO₂ emitter, compliance depends on the intensity of carbon emissions rather than an absolute cap. We draw on the theoretical literature of rate-based systems to provide the first empirical evidence on an early adopter. Using plant-level data from satellite imagery and machine learning methods, we find that high-efficiency power plants increased electricity generation and CO₂ emissions by approximately 5% relative to low-efficiency plants. Because its carbon market regulates nearly all coal plants in China, we focus on the differential responses by plant efficiency, finding no evidence of a differential reduction in emission intensity (though these estimates are imprecise). Relative to coal plants in Indonesia and the Philippines, which had no carbon market, China’s high-efficiency plants also increased emissions, while the estimate for its low-efficiency
plants is small and insignificant. This pattern of responses suggests that emissions increases of high-efficiency plants exceeded substitution away from low-efficiency plants. Underscoring the production stimulus to more efficient Chinese plants, air quality worsened downwind of high
efficiency plants relative to low-efficiency plants, compromising air quality in relatively clean areas of China. To curb the level of China’s carbon emissions and thereby slow climate change, benchmarks need to be tightened within the existing system or an alternative system adopted
that does not simultaneously incentivize electricity production.
plants is small and insignificant. This pattern of responses suggests that emissions increases of high-efficiency plants exceeded substitution away from low-efficiency plants. Underscoring the production stimulus to more efficient Chinese plants, air quality worsened downwind of high
efficiency plants relative to low-efficiency plants, compromising air quality in relatively clean areas of China. To curb the level of China’s carbon emissions and thereby slow climate change, benchmarks need to be tightened within the existing system or an alternative system adopted
that does not simultaneously incentivize electricity production.
Date Acceptance
2026-09-28
Citation
Journal of Public Economics
ISSN
0047-2727
Publisher
Elsevier
Journal / Book Title
Journal of Public Economics
Copyright Statement
Copyright This paper is embargoed until publication. Once published the author’s accepted manuscript will be made available under a CC-BY License in accordance with Imperial’s Research Publications Open Access policy (www.imperial.ac.uk/oa-policy).
License URL
Publication Status
Accepted