Environment China is a bilingual podcast from the Beijing Energy Network. The show features conversations with advocates, entrepreneurs, and experts working in the environmental field in China.
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China is the world's leading player in the energy storage field. Not only does China manufacture lots of EVs and EV batteries, but in 2025 it deployed over 60 GW of new battery energy storage on the grid, way more than any other country. The 15th Five-Year Plan sets a target of having 300 GW on the grid by 2030, up from 160 GW now. The Plan also includes explicit targets for 'firm' wind and solar.…
Today's episode turns to the topic of cities, and specifically the role of local officials and local bureaucracy in China's low-carbon transition. Local officials have tended to prioritize economic goals above all, even as the central government signals the importance of environmental and low-carbon policy -- including recently in a State Council decision establishing 14 indicators tying official…
In this episode we continue our series on China's overseas investment trends. In the first episode, we talked with Christoph Nedopil about Chinese investment in the Belt-and Road Initiative (BRI) countries, how both green and dirty investments surged in 2025, and how big deals are back, as opposed to small-is-beautiful we heard a few years ago. In the second episode with Mathias Larsen, we delved…
Today, we're continuing our series on China's external investments in the energy field, focusing in particular on China's outbound investments in clean energy manufacturing. Our guest today is Mathias Larsen. Mathias is Senior Policy Fellow at LSE's Grantham Research Institute for Climate Change & the Environment, where he leads the Institute's work on China, and he also studies China's impact on…
In today's episode, we take a deep dive into the latest stats on China's surging investments in the Belt-and-Road Initiative countries. Energy investment is up, but we learn that this was both the 'greenest and dirtiest' year for BRI investments ever. Even as China's oil demand stagnates, China's SOEs and construction companies are doing brisk business investing in oil and gas, even as CATL and…
China recently released its official NDC, or Nationally Determined Contribution document, laying out a commitment to reduce carbon emissions 'from peak' by 7-10% by 2035. The document was widely seen as disappointing. Now that the NDC and the initial reactions are out, it's time to take a step back and evaluate the bigger picture. What does this target really mean? What does the NDC signal about…
In this special episode of the podcast, Calvin Quek interviews the BEN podcast's longtime host, Anders Hove. Topics covered include how Anders came to China, his formative experiences working in China at the China Greentech Initiative, and how he got involved in the podcast. He even gives us his all time favorite episode (see link below). Calvin also discusses with Anders the topic of innovation…
In this special episode of the podcast, Calvin Quek interviews the BEN podcast's longtime host, Anders Hove. Topics covered include how Anders came to China, his formative experiences working in China at the China Greentech Initiative, and how he got involved in the podcast. He even gives us his all time favorite episode (see link below). Calvin also discusses with Anders the topic of innovation…
Green finance has been a hot topic for several years, and in some respects China is an overall leader in green finance -- at least in terms of the overall volume of green bonds and green loans. More green finance products are coming out at a steady stream. So what does all this mean for China's energy transition? Has it really helped, and is it contributing to greening China's investments abroad?…
In the latest episode of Environment China's podcast, we speak to Jialu Zuo. Jialu is a sustainability specialist at China National Aviation Fuel Group (CNAF), focusing on Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and international engagement. She holds dual Master's degrees in Public Policy for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), jointly awarded by Tsinghua University (Beijing) and the…
