China Institute for Standardization

Standardization, as an important catch of policy-delivery and service-marketing mechanisms, has an important supporting role in achieving the twin carbon goals. The standard is a fundamental instrument for the upgrading of green low-carbon transitions, a binding instrument for achieving carbon-saving goals, an effective means of promoting the application of green low-carbon technologies and an important part of the internationally accepted climate change rule. There is a need for a fully inclusive, multi-dimensional, multi-tiered carbon peak and standard system, including components such as basic commonality standards, carbon emission reduction standards, carbon clean-up standards and carbon market standards, to be fully supportive of priority industries and areas to promote carbon peaks and work, and to achieve coordination of standards.

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing countries, government departments, the economic sphere and the public in the coming decades, and can lead to significant changes in the use, production and other forms of economic activity of resources. To this end, measures and actions are being developed at the international, regional, national and local levels to limit the increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

In his address to the General Assembly at its seventy-fifth general debate, on 22 September 2020, the Secretary-General for Close Protection stated that “China will enhance its national ownership, adopt stronger policies and measures to achieve carbon dioxide emissions peak by 2030 and strive to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060”. As the world’s largest developing country and CO2-emitting country, China has clearly identified carbon peaks and targets, with major strategic decisions taken by two major national central, integrated national bureaux of the party, which are at the heart of the vision of convergence, as an inherent requirement for sustainable development and high-quality development in China, as well as an indispensable option for China to actively combat climate change and to promote the formation of a human destiny community.

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The establishment of a “two carbon” policy system requires complementary and supportive criteria.

The central and State Council, which has issued a series of requirements for the achievement of the “two carbon” goal, issues the Opinion on the Complete and Complete Implementation of the New Development Concepts: Making carbon peaks and work, proposes the establishment of a sound carbon peak, carbon neutral and standard measurement system. The Department of State has issued the Carbon peak programme of action 2030, organizes a “10” operation, and builds the cornerstone of the “1+N” policy system, ranging from the national level to sectoral management and local levels, and deploys carbon peaks and related policies and measures (see figure 1).

The first plenary meeting of the carbon peak carbon-based and work-leading group proposed that “a targeted and operational policy initiative should be developed around the promotion of industrial structural excellence, energy restructuring, support for the development of green low-carbon technologies, improved green low-carbon policy systems, sound regulatory and standard systems”.

The National Framework for Standardization Development provides for improved standardization of green development, requiring “the establishment of sound carbon peaks, carbon neutrality and standards”. Accelerate the upgrading of energy efficiency standards, tighten the revision of a set of mandatory national standards for energy consumption, efficiency of product equipment, increase the demand for energy consumption for priority products, expand the coverage of energy consumption limits, and improve the accompanying standards for energy accounting, testing, evaluation and auditing. To expedite the refinement of regional, industry, business and product accounting standards for carbon emissions. Development of priority industries and product greenhouse gas emissions standards and improvement of the low carbon product standard marking system. Improving renewable energy standards, researching the development of ecological carbon sinks, carbon capture and storage standards. Implementation of carbon peaks, carbon neutrality and standardized upgrading works.”

As can be seen from the above-mentioned central planning and documentation, the establishment of a two-carbon policy system requires the necessary complement and support. The implementation of mandatory energy efficiency standards and energy efficiency marking systems, for example, has resulted in an average of more than 17 billion kilowatt-hour power per year, more than the annual power generation of three hydroelectric power stations, strongly supporting the national “bi-carbon” strategy.

Meaning of introducing “two carbon” standardization

In order to ensure coherence in global climate action, technical standards have become a recognized technical avenue for climate change mitigation and adaptation, and are a necessary support and complement for national climate policies. The Secretary-General for Close Protection pointed out that the standard decision was of quality and that there was a high standard of quality. The standard is the key to international trade, a market-oriented laissez-passer, which provides basic rules for market competition through a transparent, results-oriented and consensual approach. Actively participate in and lead global climate governance, participate more actively in the development of the global climate negotiating agenda and international rules and contribute to a fair and cooperative global climate governance system.

The standardization of “two-carbons” is reciprocated and systemic in nature for the achievement of our “two-carbon” objectives. The first is to facilitate a green transformation of economic structures and to accelerate the formation of green production methods that contribute to high-quality development. The second is synergistic governance that favours traditional pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions, resulting in significant synergies between improved environmental quality and greenhouse gas control. The third is a way of promoting a green compact, reducing material consumption and waste, and achieving energy-efficient carbon sequestration. The fourth is to stimulate green technological innovation, accelerate green low-carbon industrial development, create new growth points in such areas as renewable energy, green manufacturing, carbon capture and use, and enhance global competitiveness of industries and economies. The five are the compatibility of the country’s GHG-related base and forward area standard design levels with international standards, and the development of a system of standards applicable to safe and secure carbon peaks, carbon neutrality and generic technologies across the industry.

International Conference on Climate Change Standardization

Recent international development experience has gradually shown that standardization is playing an increasingly important role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate change, especially in the “trigger, reportable, verifiable” aspects of greenhouse gas emission reductions. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) noted in its report that technical standards are a technical means of mitigating climate change at the present time and that, as new technologies evolve and mature, they will play an important role in climate change. Standardization, as a necessary condition for modern, large-scale production and international exchange, cooperation and competition, is to ensure concerted global action on climate,