The NRDC-coordinated China Coal Cap project held its phase-four (2017-2018) kickoff meeting in Beijing on March 10. Experts from the project's policy and research steering committees, along with representatives from provincial and city partners, industry, and research partners participated in the meeting. After three years of work, the China Coal Cap project has developed deep and comprehensive analysis on the environmental impacts of coal in China and the pathways for reducing and replacing coal use. This work is reflected in the Thirteenth Five-Year Plan for Energy Development released in January, in which the National Energy Administration has for the first time established a mandatory goal to reduce the share of coal in China's total energy consumption to 58% or below by 2020, setting the stage for continued reductions in coal use and emissions. For phase four of the project, the project will focus on: deepening provincial and city implementation of coal cap plans, addressing dispersed coal pollution, greening the Belt and Road Initiative, pushing for continued reductions in industrial coal use, and researching China's role in achieving a 1.5°C temperature rise pathway.