The Belt and Road Initiative and Sustainability: a Driving Force for Change or a Missed Opportunity?

What is it about?

In November 2023, The Economist published an article with an existential headline, ‘Will China save the planet or destroy it?’ drawing our eyes to the role of China and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in global warming. The BRI has ambitious goals to support hashtag#sustainabledevelopment, but how effective has it truly been in driving global sustainability and tackling climate change? The Chinese government has recently transformed the BRI by introducing a series of policy documents that address sustainability and climate. This article examines the extent to which the BRI functions as an alternative development model that addresses global sustainability and climate risks.

Featured Image

Photo by Li-An Lim on Unsplash

Photo by Li-An Lim on Unsplash

Why is it important?

As one of the largest modern-day emitters, China has a critical role to play in global sustainability governance. According to some scholars, this role represents ‘a golden opportunity’ for Beijing to become a global leader in battling climate change. Whether the country is a climate leader or a villain depends on how China approaches this opportunity in practice. Most BRI countries demonstrate an extensive economic growth pattern with significantly higher energy and water consumption and carbon emissions than the global average. The analysis of BRI policies and projects sheds light on the extent to which the initiative represents China’s climate leadership ambition and helps illuminate the limitations that erode the BRI’s contribution to the success of global climate efforts.

Perspectives