The shaping and reshaping of low-carbon cities in China: coordinating local efforts on climate change with hierarchical control

© 2014 Dr. Tek Sheng Kevin LoChina is not only the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, but it also takes the hierarchical approach of carbon management further than any other country. Since 2006, the national government has introduced an impressively comprehensive and sophisticated system of hierarchical control to steer local low-carbon action. However, this study shows that beneath the surface of uniformity and order there is much diversity and uncertainty in what the “control” in hierarchical carbon control has meant. Whilst the control over central-level state-owned enterprises is relatively robust, the management of local governments and local enterprises has been confronted by a myriad of problems and complications. The diversity in practice and outcome reflects the complexities and challenges of using hierarchical governance to achieve climate change objectives. Therefore, in spite of being appreciated as an important governance strategy for climate change, the impact of hierarchical control can be ambiguous and limited. Although hierarchy can be effective in overcoming free riding, which has become a prevalent problem in urban carbon governance, such advantages hold only when the challenges regarding target setting, outcome evaluation, and the administration of rewards and punishments are met