Abstract
The rapid growth of China’s renewable energy market and production capacity has attracted worldwide attention. Environmental policy integration in the energy sector and the institutional background behind this growth have seen little examination. In this paper, we present an assessment of environmental policy integration (EPI), attempting to reveal how the institutional factors facilitate EPI in the energy sector of China. A qualitative analytical framework involving normative, organizational, and procedural dimensions, incorporating multiple pieces of quantitative evidence, was applied. The results show that an ambitious and long-term normative vision covering political will, social backing, and cultural foundation in China is indispensable to the EPI process in the energy sector. The energy agency’s trans-sector cooperation in policy-making has been established to overcome the sectoral compartmentalization. China’s EPI in energy has a relatively complete and stable regulating system but, at the same time, it is expected to obtain more benefits from market cultivation and public participation. In this process, advantages such as the co-evolution of the green energy innovation, market, and society do exist; however, this market-oriented approach may bring the risk of economic and societal disturbances when interest-driven production capacity growth far surpasses market and societal requirements. This potential risk needs to be handled and prevented by strong governmental guidance and support. The continuous ambitious and long-term visioning of EPI, sufficient governmental funds, and a proactive industrial plan for renewable energy, are suggested.
Highlights
Due to increasing environmental and climate pressure, sustainable development has become a critically important and common goal across the world, especially in developing countries such as China
We present an assessment of Environmental policy integration (EPI) in the energy sector of China with a focus on the role of its institutional background, attempting to contribute to the aforementioned improvement
The results show how the institutional factors facilitate EPI in the energy sector in China
Summary
Due to increasing environmental and climate pressure, sustainable development has become a critically important and common goal across the world, especially in developing countries such as China. Though not always embodied in detailed policies, the institutional context potentially has an impact on the real-world effect of policy This is especially true of policy integration because trade-offs are inevitable in the process of combining the needed policy objectives. This paper attempts to explore the institutional roles and conditions facilitating EPI, in the energy sector of China. China is among the leading countries vigorously integrating environmental concerns into the energy sector. It is among the world leaders in solar photovoltaic (solar PV), wind electricity, and electronic cars. The study of China’s EPI in the energy sector is expected to contribute to this field by answering the following research questions: How do the institutional factors facilitate China’s EPI in the energy sector? Are there any problems hindering this process and what are the possible directions for tackling them, in the renewable energy domain? Our research aim is to help improve the sustainable development of the Chinese energy sector and help the institutions in their implementation of EPI
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