VIII. Institution and Mechanism Building for Coping with Climate Change

The Chinese government set up special institutions to deal with climate change in 1990, and established the National Coordination Committee on Climate Change (NCCCC) in 1998. In order to further enhance the leadership of the work on climate change, the National Leading Group to Address Climate Change, headed by the Chinese premier, was set up in 2007 to draw up important strategies, policies and measures related to climate change, and coordinate the solving of major problems in this regard. During the institutional reform in 2008, the number of member units of the National Leading Group increased from 18 to 20. The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) was vested to undertake the general work in respect of climate change, and the general office of the National Leading Group was set up and placed in the NDRC. And a special institution was established in the NDRC responsible for organizing and coordinating work on climate change all over the country. The Experts Committee for Climate Change has been set up to improve scientific decision-making on climate change, and this committee has done a great deal of work in supporting government decision-making and boosting international cooperation and nongovernmental activities.

In 2007, the State Council called on all regions and departments to strictly implement the National Plan for Coping with Climate Change in the light of their actual conditions. They were required to build and improve management systems, coordinating mechanisms and special institutions on climate change, organize teams of local experts to deal with climate change, make corresponding policies and measures in light of the local geographic environment, climate conditions and economic development level, set up statistical and monitoring systems on climate change, and organize and coordinate local actions to slow climate change.

In order to facilitate the implementation of the National Plan, governments at all levels will further improve industrial, financial, taxation, credit and investment policies, make full use of price leverage, form institutions and mechanisms conducive to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, increase financial input and improve corresponding rules conducive to decelerating and adapting to climate change, thus enhancing work on climate change in accordance with the law.