Challenges and Paths for Sustainable Development in China

Abstract

With China announcing its dual carbon goals in 2020 and its promotion of sustainability policies in the 14th Five-Year Plan, sustainable development has become an increasingly important issue. In the context of sustainable development, China’s society has some defects in science and technology, policy governance, environmental governance and economic development, and the technology is not perfect. There are scientific and technological challenges such as renewable energy development and utilization; governance challenges such as international cooperation over climate issues and domestic regulations. In terms of the environment, China’s air, water resources, soil and physical pollution are still not optimistic. The economic problems in the context of sustainable development have different defects. Corresponding improvement measures to address such challenges have been suggested. For science and technology, developing and utilizing new energy through increasing the number of research and development (R&D) personnel and patents is important. Furthermore, completing the innovation of clean technology through updating technology and policy support is also a big issue. For political governance challenges, some analysts pointed that a shared knowledge platform helps with international cooperation, and non-state actors such as non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and businesses could contribute to domestic regulations. For environmental governance, air pollution is controlled through the development of carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) technology, the control of soil pollution is achieved through ex-situ remediation and in-situ repair technology, the control of water pollution is achieved by developing microorganisms and other methods. For economic development, innovation, policy support, and financial framework are vital.