Photo by Dominik Vanyi on Unsplash 

As part of the efforts to accelerate coal reduction, NRDC organized an online seminar on August 26 to discuss and exchange ideas with environmental NGOs and think tanks. Professor Jiye Hu from the China University of Political Science and Law, a co-author of the draft amendment, introduced the background of the law and main areas of change. Representatives from 10 government thinktanks and international and domestic NGOs, including the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Energy Foundation, and Friends of Nature, joined the discussion. NRDC’s key recommendations, including better aligning the law with China’s Environmental Protection Law, and clarifying the coal industry’s duty to mitigate climate change, were echoed by participants and have been submitted to the government. On September 24, in partnership with the China Energy Conservation Association and Energy Foundation China, NRDC co-organized the Fifth Annual Conference on Dispersed Coal Management in Beijing and released the research report China Dispersed Coal Governance 2020. Our research showed that China is on track to reduce 200 million tons of dispersed coal consumption during the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020) and has the potential to cut another 150-200 million tons by 2025, which would further reduce the country’s reliance on coal and improve air quality. About 400 participants from government agencies, domestic and overseas research institutes, universities, and enterprises attended the conference in-person and online.The report finding was covered by Caixin.