Often Seen as a Weakness, China’s One Party System Unexpectedly Serves as a Source of Strength in Leading Global Sustainability Efforts

The Forbidden City during heavy smog in Beijing, China. Photo courtesy of Brian Jeffery Beggerly.

In 2020, China’s President Xi Jinping announced his climate action plan during the United Nations General Assembly. The plan promised to reach peak carbon emissions by 2030 and attain carbon neutrality by 2060, hoping to use the COVID-19 health crisis as a pivot point to re-examine sustainability in the country. Considering China’s staggering urbanization and massive energy consumption in the industrial sector, such goals appear overly ambitious. In 2022, China accounted for nearly 55 percent of the world’s total coal consumption, making it the world’s largest coal consumer. From 2020 to 2022, China’s coal consumption increased from 84.25 to 88.41 exajoules. Given China’s current pace of greenhouse gas production, carbon neutrality looks less and less attainable.

However, China’s one-party system and growing economy place the country in a unique position to lead global sustainability efforts. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is constitutionally defined as the only party in the country and has authority over all legislative and state bodies. The National Congress of the CCP nominally selects its members based on background and academic standing. Conversely, democratic governments such as the United States face cyclical elections—ranging from every two to six years for federal officials—and have multiparty legislative bodies. 

Thus, politicians in these democratic countries are incentivized to address problems that have an immediate impact and do not require mass spending. Cyclical elections force politicians to primarily address current issues with immediate consequences as they desire swift results to sway voters. For example, GDP typically increases and unemployment rates typically decline near presidential elections because incumbent presidents focus on improving these highly-valued economic statistics to appease voters. The Green New Deal, a radical 2018 U.S. proposal seeking to deal with climate change, also serves as a case in point because the resolution outlines a solution whose effects will only be observed far into the future. Thus, its elongated timeline continuously turns politicians away from endorsing it, leading to discourse on its fundamental aspects to this day. Unlike traditional democratic governments, China’s one-party system, with absolute power, is especially adept at instituting radical and high-priced policies because of the lack of party opposition. Although political opposition within elite circles in one-party designs can still force some modicum of change, since existing members choose members of the Chinese Central Committee, the Chinese government faces less opposition that results from diverse opinions.

On the surface level, China needs to catch up to its promises. China’s CO2 emissions levels grew 3.9 percent in the first five months of 2023, rebounding to 1 percent above the 2021 record levels before the pandemic. In contrast, U.S. carbon emissions have fallen by 5 percent, and emissions produced from power plants have declined by 4.5 percent during the same period. Statistically, China appears to have lagged behind the U.S. in lowering greenhouse gas production. However, the trend can be explained by extraneous variables outside the government’s control. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the U.S. faced a 10 percent decline in heating degree days in 2023. The subsequent decrease in demand for home heating resulted in a reduction in U.S. carbon output. 

While weather, an external circumstance, decreased the production of U.S. carbon emissions, China has proactively prioritized policies tackling carbon emissions and climate change, driving investments in green technologies. China spent $546 billion in 2022 on assets such as solar and wind energy, electric vehicles, and batteries. On the other hand, the U.S. spent $141 billion, approximately four times less than China. China continues to diversify its domestic energy sources with heavy investment in wind turbines and hydroelectric power. Expanding its export of solar panels by 34 percent also allows solar energy to contribute significantly to China’s trade revenue. China’s solar photovoltaic equipment export revenue reached approximately $52 billion, a 63 percent increase from the previous year. Thus, by investing in green energy technology and diversifying its exports, China has made a good-faith effort toward its carbon-cutting goal.

Moreover, the United States has begun responding to China’s advances in sustainability technology. In August 2022, Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, which aims to encourage the consumption of domestic goods and localize the manufacturing supply chain, reducing U.S. dependency on China’s clean energy technology. The act provides financial incentives through substantial tax credits to companies producing goods domestically. For example, a solar panel business can qualify for a 30 percent baseline tax credit and an additional 10 percent tax credit if they satisfy wage and apprenticeship qualifications. Unless the U.S. directs more efforts into combating and competing against China’s massive industrial base, the U.S. will fall behind in becoming the world leader in sustainability development.

What makes China unique in its ability to institute such dramatic change is its absolute power. The one-party system has historically been able to push through ambitious climate policies and deliver outcomes. During the 2017 smog crisis, China saw air pollution 24 times worse than the level recommended by the World Health Organization, causing road closures and flight cancellations. To combat this issue, China released a Three-Year Action Plan that mandated an 18 percent reduction in particulate matter (P.M.) levels to direct cities into reaching the government’s standard average for carbon output. The government also shut down coal plants, prohibited the establishment of new plants, and created an afforestation and reforestation program that has planted 35 billion trees. While such actions are clearly against the interest of many private firms with significant greenhouse gas emissions, the efficiency of the Chinese government in enforcing policies that set substantial limitations on carbon output illustrates the government’s political power in mobilizing public and private resources.

Due to the polarization currently plaguing the U.S. government, party politics and a government structure consisting of robust checks and balances often hinder ambitious policies necessary for sustainability efforts. A vigorous screening process ultimately benefits policies that dramatically alter the country by preventing the emergence of tyranny. Still, in the case of climate change, because its indisputable effects uniquely arise only in the long-term and require costly immediate action, government efficiency in rolling out policies is critical. But the American public remains indecisive, with 78 percent of Democrats believing climate change should be a top priority compared to 22 percent of Republicans, preventing the enforcement of swift action. U.S. politicians are less motivated to address long-term issues such as climate change because resolving them has a seemingly less noticeable impact on voters. Private industries also hold significant sway in legislatures by lobbying, often preventing decisive actions against carbon-intensive sectors. Compared to China, polarization and cyclical elections that benefit the U.S. in creating a competitive political process and preventing tyranny hinder American politicians from focusing on long-term strategic priorities with only slight immediate results. 

China is motivated to elevate its international image and seeks to do so by establishing itself as a leader in sustainable development. China’s first-hand experience, illustrated by the 2017 smog crisis, encouraged the country to invest heavily in sustainability efforts. While the one-party system has many flaws that result from a lack of checks and balances, in the case of climate change, China can lead the world in global sustainability efforts where many Western nations have fallen short. 

Ethan Leung (CC’27) is a staff writer at CPR and an aspiring economics-political science major originally from Hong Kong. He is interested in geopolitical conflicts and criminal justice.  He is also on the Columbia fencing team.